A few days ago News Crap Australia announced that it was “the first major news publisher in Australia to launch a dedicated online shopping and consumer content site” to be delivered through a new “Checkout” section on its news.com.au website. (below)
Our Media Glass House believe we’ll now see news.com.au running more and more “news” items such as those below that are barely disguised, nay undisguised, plugs for products, services, or retail outlets.
Take for instance the item which breathlessly breaks the big news: “A popular $10 item has returned to Kmart after selling out ahead of Christmas last year.”
Spoiler alert! It turns out that the popular item is a Christmas candle. Woo hoo! Can’t do without that “news” can we?
The other “news” item above tells readers that the particular brand-name laundry and personal care items is sticking its products in recyclable packaging. Again, woo hoo!
It’s hard to see how much more blatant the plugs can be under the guise of the new “Checkout” section.
The statement that the Checkout pages contain “consumer content” suggests, at least in the innocent minds of our MGH teams, that there is some sort of independent assessment given to the products or services appearing on the new site.
They were swiftly disabused of that naive notion when they read in the Checkout’s “about us” section this following sentence: “We may receive payments for publishing our content and commissions when you purchase through links in articles. We receive it only if you don’t return the product.”
They also reconsidered their view when they clicked on links in the story about big-screen TVs and were taken directly to the sales website of a major retailer.
So, far from being a website where consumers can obtain real news or unvarnished independent advice on products or genuine comparative analysis, it’s yet another Murdoch money-making scheme.
Our researchers admit they should have known as much when the story unveiling the Checkout concept ran under a “business” tagline. Murdoch business, that is.
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Our Media Glass House researchers couldn’t help but feel there was more than a smidgin of retrospective self-justification, rewriting of history, or just plain making it up in the latest column penned by former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett in some News Crap Australia turdbloids. (below)
Kennett is one of the many right-wing News Crap Australia columnists – Yes, we realise that’s a tautology – who freely offer their somewhat questionable opinions in Murdoch rags around the nation.
Kennett’s latest pontifications followed the sudden resignation of Dan Andrews last week as Victorian premier. In his column he stated that he had always believed the optimum period to serve in the office was seven to nine years.
Our MGH teams took the view that can best be summed up as: Well he would say that wouldn’t he?
They recall that Kennett took office in 1992 in a landslide – winning 19 seats off Labor to take his Liberal Party from 42 to 61 seats in the state parliament’s 88-seat lower house.
But then just seven years later voters kicked him in the arse and threw him out with a 13-seat swing back to Labor after two terms of closing schools, sacking public servants, and privatising anything not nailed down.
So, yes, all things considered seven years was just the right time for Jeff to be in office wasn’t it?
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Speaking of Dan Andrews, our MGH teams noted News Crap Australia tautology (Perhaps that is a more convenient way to describe their right-wing columnists?) Peta Credlin took exception to his totally legal superannuation payout after serving in the Victorian Parliament since 2002. (below)
Indeed, if accurate, the payout may be viewed by some as large. But because of the date Mr Andrews was elected, his super entitlements have been calculated under rules that predate changes made in 2004 at state and federal levels applying to super schemes for MPs. The schemes are now more in line with those applying to the wider community.
Others in the same boat and whose super would be very, very generous since they were first elected prior to 2004 would include ex-PMs John Howard and Tony Abbott.
Our MGH teams couldn’t readily find Ms Credlin attacking those payments, but will keep looking. (Not really. They aren’t stupid.)
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