Peter Atkinson, publisher of the online news site InQueensland wrote me a nice personal note earlier this month asking for financial support to keep the project alive.

Here’s the opening few pars of his plea:

As we navigate through the ever-changing media landscape, one thing remains constant: the importance of independent journalism. InQueensland, Queensland’s locally owned and produced news source, is dedicated to delivering quality reporting that matters to our state.

To do this, we need the support of our community – now, more than ever. Among the challenges we face is Meta’s decision to no longer pay media outlets for news content through its platforms Facebook and Instagram. They’re also downgrading the visibility of news on their platforms.

And a bit later on…..

Every contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference. Your support enables us to remain independent and continue serving as a vital source of information for our community.

One-Time Donation: Make a one-time contribution.
Monthly Pledge: Join our community of members with a monthly pledge.

Join us in our mission to champion independent journalism and ensure that the voices of Queensland are heard. Together, we can make a difference.

Thank you for being an integral part of the InQueensland community.

Peter Atkinson
Publisher, InQueensland

I’m sorry, Peter, but InQueensland is just far too right-wing for me.

It’s a view shared by some of the retired hacks I tend to associate with. But don’t fret too much, mate. We’re not a big group so the margin of error in such polling would be substantial. Close to 100 per cent, probably.

Nevertheless, when InQueensland was launched, you had the chance to be a moderate, balanced, middle-of-the-road news source, as promised. Yet sadly, you’ve happily followed our nation’s deplorable mainstream mediocre down the rabbit-hole of finding fault far too often with the left side of politics.

And as evidence, I provide just one par from a recent Madonna King article on your platform (below).

I’ve read some turgid, rightwing tosh in my time but that 28-word paragraph just about takes the cake. Mired in confusion! An inability to explain! Summary: Albanese was solely to blame for the referendum being so handsomely defeated around the country! Shame, Albo! Shame! Nothing to do with Peter “If you don’t know, vote No!” Dutton.

Madonna’s risible, rightwing offering happily cements what the LNP and the MSM have been banging on with since the Voice referendum was voted down.

Albanese made a big mistake bringing on the referendum. He was outplayed by Dutton and has lost considerable bark as a result. Dutton himself cemented his place as a legitimate prime-ministerial choice.

It’s all bullshit and Madonna King should know that and…. no, wait, on, I’ll tell you what, Peter. I’ve changed my mind.

I’m largely a penniless aged pensioner now but I’ll give you a small donation – heck, it might even be a sizeable chuink of my liquid reserves but, trust me, it’ll still be rather smallish – if you provide me with just one article from your band of the state’s finest writers who got that referendum spot on.

That Albanese was only fulfilling an election promise to our first nations people that the way they wanted to be recognised in the constitution was via a national vote on a harmless, advisory-only body to parliament on matters affecting them. Close the gap stuff.

That the referendum was bound, historically, to fail once the LNP opposed it.

Send me that article, Peter. The one that rightly described the No campaign, supported by a gutless and racist Peter Dutton, as the most racist and divisive in this nation’s history. There was not a single strand to their arguments that wasn’t pitched to the racists within our society.

The washed-up old hacks that I associate with wouldn’t even regard such an assessment as being left wing. It would be a fair, balanced, middle-of-the-road – dare I say independent – depiction of how the Voice referendum played out. But one, nevertheless, still a fair way to the left of some of your essayists.

My wallet has largely moths in it but I’ll send you a little help once you show me that alternative view that proves you deserve your own description as “independent” and one providing “quality reporting”.

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