The column that has fun with the smaller mistakes and missteps of Australia’s mainstream mediocre; that pays homage to those sweet little fishes that individually don’t amount to a full meal but collectively can cause a tummy upset over the overall state of the once great and noble craft of journalism in this country.
Among the bitter, washed-up, old hacks who compile this column are a couple of blokes who reported on courts for highly respected metropolitan news outlets … no, wait! … hold on… they might have been The Courier-Mail and the ABC.
Nevertheless, they’ve had much fun over time pointing out how many journos in the modern era show a lack of training by stuffing up the use of ‘alleged’ and ‘allegedly’, often using them when they are not needed and forgetting to use them when they are essential.
At top is an example of the former category. Our hacks sat in many courts in all jurisdictions over time and watched people being charged with all sorts of things: murder, rape, assault, shoplifting, jaywalking, carnal knowledge, etc, etc.
The charge is always read out without any superfluous and unnecessary use of ‘alleged’. They were charged with stealing, charged with manslaughter, charged with whatever! Just like Bruce Lehrmann some time ago was charged with two counts of rape. Charges of wrongdoing are laid without qualification.
Today’s Sydney Morning Herald front page yarn got it right.
Media outlets around the nation are urged to use ‘alleged’ and ‘allegedly’ judiciously and correctly if Lehrmann is committed for trial and in that process, real allegations are made! Let’s all be very professional, you mainstream media folk, and give Lehrmann and his alleged victim every chance of a fair hearing and a just outcome under our judicial system.
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Let’s hope that Matthew Horan is much better at politics than he is at basic maths.
Twice on Afternoon Briefing yesterday (Thursday) he referred to the Hamas attacks on Israel as happening ‘almost two weeks ago’.
The Hamas’ incursion happened on 7 October (that will be three weeks tomorrow), with that date actually mentioned on the program inbetween Horan’s two poor attempts at datelining this key event that has put the world at grave risk.
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