We are all accustomed to the permanent anti-ABC campaign run by Murdoch media outlets as part of their efforts to see the national broadcaster shut down or sold off – preferably to them – to allow the News Crap Australia empire to expand its own reach and make a lot more money.

One of the eager participants in the blatantly commercially motivated campaign has been  right-wing columnist with The Australian, Gerard Henderson.

We take this opportunity to apologise for the obvious tautology – “right-wing columnist with The Australian” – in that last paragraph.

Gerard excelled himself yesterday with his swift attack on the ABC’s resident health expert Dr Norman Swan who had appeared on Radio National’s Breakfast show.

In his interview with Patricia Karvalas, the good doctor had expressed the view that wars such as that now under way in Ukraine can help spread a virus such as the coronavirus.

Pretty much an informed statement of fact, we thought, given the scenes we see of people huddled together in bunkers and basement and underground rail stations, plus the arrival of foreign troops who may carry a virus, and the exit of thousands of people into bordering nations.

All methods that could raise the risk of spreading a virus, any virus.

But Gerard was having none of it. Literally within hours he had one of his Media Watch Dog columns up and running on The Australian’s website where he lambasted Dr Swan for daring to express his views and suggesting he was now presenting himself as an expert on war and was worrying about lower order issues when Ukraine’s survival was at stake.

Having actually heard the interview as it went to air, we can only describe Gerard’s analysis as a bucket of baseless vindictive shit. Apologies for the technical lingo.

But no doubt Gerard was pleased to show his employer that he had speedily, dutifully, and loyally fulfilled his duty to run the company line.

We can’t help but think that Gerard – more than most at The Oz – is obsessed with the ABC and we can’t help but imagine that he and his long-suffering watch dog spend their days listening for signs of anything less than a far-right opinion from anyone employed by or appearing on the national broadcaster. (main picture)

So our advice is, please Gerard turn off the wireless. Get out of the house. Give your watch doggy a break. Take it for a walk. Just get a life!

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How many more times can the MGH run items on the Murdoch media’s disregard for basic journalistic standards when it comes to blurring the lines between its various commercial entities?

We ask the question, but have no answer. So, here we go again.

Last week the right-wing News Corp Australia celebrated the 25^th anniversary of the start of its right-wing Sky News.

Belatedly celebrated, we should add, because pandemic shutdowns prevented the birthday bash being held last year.

Special guest at the big event was right-wing UK commentator Piers Morgan who has been signed up to present a no doubt right-wing public affairs show on Sky.

News reports elsewhere said he had flown in on the private jet of right-wing News Corp co-chair Lachlan Murdoch to join guests at the big celebration including right-wing Prime Minister Scott Morrison, former right-wing PMs John Howard and Tony Abbott, News Corp Australia  commentator Peta Credlin, right-wing New Corp Australia commentator, Chris Kenny, and a range of other right-wing News Corp identities.

Other TV networks launching a new show and seeking to build an audience – vital for a subscription service like Sky – would need to buy space in other media to promote themselves, but not News Corp Australia.

It has its stable of metro and regional turdbloids as well as a national broadshit where it can soak up supposedly valuable space to run “news” stories about Mr Morgan and his upcoming debut. ((pictured)

Trouble is, the stories omitted to mention that the papers publishing them were owned by News Corp Australia which is the parent company of Sky News.

Only the national broadshit The Australian made mention of that little fact, so it’s not as if it’s a big ask.

To give you some idea of the priorities of Rupert’s empire, its Sydney turdbloid The Daily Telegraph ran a front-page pointer to the story which itself took out most of page three. (pictured)

Page three! In olden days page three was usually reserved for the second biggest news story of the day.

Well, we guess the simple truth is that in Murdoch media land money-making outranks news values and is certainly well ahead of journalistic ethics.

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A couple of tiny facts were missing from the story about Piers Morgan and his new show on Sky TV.

It mentioned his “global” program would be screened in Australia as well as in the UK where he lives, and in the USA.

But it didn’t give a starting date, only that it would premiere in coming months.

It also didn’t explain how a “global” show could hope to satisfy three very different audiences on three different parts of the world and in three different time zones.

It will need to be screened on delay here even if it goes out live in the UK given the fact London clocks are half-a-day behind ours and four to eight hours ahead of those in the USA.

Given that Rupert Murdoch himself has been lauded for signing up Mr Morgan to do the new show, we think it’s odds on that bets are now being taken within News Corp to see who will get blamed and sacked if the whole idea fails to fly.

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In recent days, the Nine Network’s streaming service has reverted to uploading the various 6pm capital cities news services from around the nation – as it should be.

The Bug has argued for yonks it’s the best way for viewers around Oz to catch up with the full hour-long news bulletin that covers what’s happening in their own patch, bolstered by state, national and international news. And probably the easiest to put online, we have always argued.

It’s the way 9Now used to do it. Until they didn’t. Before they did it again. And then once more didn’t. And now have done again.

Like a drunk staggering from one side of a footpath to the other, 9Now has stumbled repeatedly between showing those full bulletins to individually selected news items, many that have little or no interest to people living in other capitals.

As we mentioned a short while ago after 9Now’s latest move back to individual clips, Berryl of Bracken Ridge has fuck-all interest in an inner-Sydney convenience store holdup from some days earlier. Probably most of greater Sydney has too, come to think about it.

Will 9Now settle down and stick with the one, logical, format for some time now instead of the shit service they’ve tried over and over? (below). The MGH won’t be holding its breath.