MEDIA NEWS:

New editorial appointments at News Crap Australia’s national broadshit, The Australian, have been welcomed by a respected journalism academic who heads the national oversight body for teachers of news journalism at major tertiary institutions.

Professor Henny Jonningham (right in main picture), chair of the Combined Universities’ Newswriting Tribunal, said the changed arrangements at The Australian in the wake of the departure of former editor-in-chief Chris Dore would deliver greater certainty to the paper’s staff and for readers as well.

“It was always going to be a difficult task to fill the void Chris Dore left behind,” Professor Jonningham said. “In fact anyone who knows him and the operational standards he brings to any editorial task he has ever held would know that the words Chris Dore and void are synonymous.

“When I heard he was leaving his post at The Oz I just knew that News Crap Australia would need to make a special effort to replace him.

“He was very hands on, which I understand is why he left, although that’s another story which of course will never be told by The Oz or any other News Crap Australia outlet.

“Those behind the relentless Your Right to Know campaign obviously have much bigger fish to fry, so we won’t hold our breath waiting.

“Nevertheless it is good to see that new appointments and a new structure have been put in place at The Australian  

“It’s good to see Michele Gunn step up from the editor’s job to become editor-in-chief. It’s a remarkable achievement given she’s not a man and I’m not sure if she’s even a Catholic.

“But what’s more important is the new editorial board at The Australian that’s been announced to be chaired by Sky News chief and former editor-in-chief of The Oz and editor of The Daily Telegraph, Paul Whittaker.

“The new board, we are told, will ‘guide coverage and develop editorial direction and opportunities’ which we all know means continuing to run the national broadshit like a Liberal Party how-to-vote card and continue to give hectares of column space to right-wing commentators.

“That’s reinforced by the fact Kelvin Healey, now editing the weekend Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail in Brisbane will fill Ms Gun’s vacated post as editor of The Australian.

“As the statements from News Crap Australia reminds us, Kelvin led the group’s 2022 federal election coverage. So, enough said really.

“I guess when I mentioned earlier that the changes would deliver greater certainty to the paper’s staff and readers, I should have also added in the Liberal Party. My bad,” Professor Jonningham said.