If it looks like a beatup, quacks like a beatup and waddles like a beatup, here’s The Bug‘s best guess: “It’s a fucking beatup!”

Or, alternatively, as the compilers of this column put it ever so simply: Never let the facts spoil a good story!

They are referring to Nine News Queensland’s horrendous, one-sided and biased attack on the state Miles Labor government for wasting Queensland taxpayers’ money on using two jets to ferry the Premier, his police minister and the police commissioner over the first three days of this week to various towns and cities when, clearly, ….. and wait for it! …. ONLY ONE PLANE WAS NECESSARY!!!!

The clear subliminal message: Let’s boot these wasteful cunts out come October.

For let’s make no mistake about the almost 100 per cent hatchet job being inflicted on the state government by this lead story on the bulletin’s Wednesday 6pm program.

The cost to taxpayers by this blatant misuse of Queenslanders’ money was promoted throughout the Tipping Point lead-in show. Newsreader Andrew Lofthouse began the bulletin with: Taxpayers slugged tonight!” Melissa Downes began the segment by declaring the government was claiming “both luxury planes were essential even though they were flying to the same place at the same time”.

Nice of her to throw in the word “luxury” almost as a prompt for what came later from Opposition deputy leader Jarrod Bleijie when he pushed the killer line: “As Queenslanders can’t afford their electricity bills on the ground, Steven Miles is up in the air in two (…. wait for it!) luxury jets”.

Now, you BUGgers out there, ready for the key nine words from reporter Peter Fegan’s lengthy report? Here they come…. the travelling party was too big for one aircraft!

As in: Fegan: Questions have been raised as to why they didn’t travel together … the government says commercial flight times didn’t suit and the travelling party was too big for one aircraft“.

Now before anyone starts praising Fegan for at least including that comment as the full extent of his commitment to fair and balanced journalism, let’s make no mistake: Fegan had absolutely no interest whatsoever in finding out how many people were on each of those flights.

And why? Given the number of hangers-on these three would have been accompanied by, Fegan would have already known the likely answer. (The ABC bulletin Wednesday night at least had the decency to report that a handful of local MPs had travelled on at least one sector)

And why wasn’t he at all interested? Because those facts would spoil a good story began earlier in the day with this Courier-Mail splash.

Let’s listen to Downes and Fegan doubling down in the Nine News studio.

Downes: Peter, not a good look in an election year? (She’s not referring to the look of balanced, fair and professional journalism!)

Fegan: Well, no it’s certainly not… especially when they are at pains to point out the cost of living relief they’ll be giving Queensland in the June Budget. Fegan then manages to throw in the government’s new emissions targets. Hint: why use two jets when one was sufficient!

Neither The Courier-Mail nor Nine News Queensland had the slightest interest in providing real balance was that would be counter to the precise aim of their two approaches: to do as much damage to the Miles Labor government as they possibly can with just six months and a few days left to polling day. Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch and Peter Costello would all be beaming with pride at the efforts of their respective co-called news organisation.

The vast bulk of the words from Nine’s pre-bulletin promos and the story itself were deliberately chosen to anger its Queensland viewers. The extended graphics (at top) were clearly designed to give the impression these two LUXURY! aircraft basically had just these three people in their collective cabins.

To paraphrase what we’ve stated at the beginning about ducks and beatups, we’ll conclude with this: in the absence of any real balance and devoid of any real attempt to get at the truth of the matter as solid journalism requires, it’s …. wait for it! ….. A FUCKING PRO-LNP BEATUP!

And is it any wonder we at The Bug call Nine News Queensland the LNP’s Mount Coot-Tha branch and The Courier-Mail the LNP’s Bowen Hills branch?

TOMORROW: Did Miles and co. use government jets or did they lease private ones? The inconsistencies in both The Courier-Mail and Nine News Queensland coverage of this issue were as clear as mud. And was Premier Miles telling a porky or two?

ONE FINAL JIBE: If any of you BUGgers out there think either news outfit would have given this story the prominence and the coverage it has if David Crisafulli were Premier and a struggling LNP had an election to win come October 26, then please look out your window. We’ve placed there a number of world-famous bridges you might be interested in buying!

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