Showing all posts in June 2019

For us men, sometimes less than adept in the culinary department, get ready for a revolution. The BBQ Boys have arrived, “helping guys with the basics of barbecuing. Simple stuff to help you relax, have some fun and enjoy grilling for a change. No fancy-schmancy recipes here.” The just released DVD isn’t yet available in…

A leading Australian conservative proves incapable or unwilling to criticise the Howard government. “Most on the right support the Howard government”, he says. Nothing to complain about? No issues? No questions? Forgotten your role as a journalist to question official perspectives, rather than simply channeling them? On Iraq: “Either you believe democracy can be introduced,…

In today’s Guardian, Seymour Hersh explains the lack of accountability at the top levels of the Bush administration: “It’s been over a year since I published a series of articles in the New Yorker outlining the abuses at Abu Ghraib. There have been at least 10 official military investigations since then – none of which…

Bill Moyers was a PBS radio personality and outspoken critic of media consolidation. During a recent media conference on reform in St Louis, Missouri, Moyers unloaded on the challenges ahead for independent media and the institutional acceptance of many in the mainstream media that it isn’t news unless an official says so. Sound familiar? Some…

Perhaps you’re feeling confused about the recent decision of British university lecturers to boycott a handful of Israeli institutions claiming they were complicit in the ongoing oppressive occupation of Palestinians. Personally, I find it highly regrettable that the situation has escalated this far, but I’ve read enough about the general gutlessness of Israeli academia to…

The Newsweek controversy. Left and right wingers are using the so-called stuff-up of the establishment mouthpiece to prove their respective points. Tiresome, mostly. The key issues have been ignored and it’s taken muckraker extraordinaire Greg Palast to lay some facts on the table: “It’s appalling that this story got out there,” Secretary of State Condoleezza…

Carmela Baranowska is an independent filmmaker based in Melbourne. Her documentary, Taliban Country, won a Walkley in the short documentary category. She was incorrectly reported missing while in Afghanistan but the source for this incorrect information has never been found. SBS Dateline screened the program in a shortened version but last night I finally watched…

There is little more I can add to the current torture debate. My personal view is clear. Torture cannot be justified and those supporting opening the door just a little are playing with fire. Surely history teaches us that figures in authority cannot be trusted on matters of such grave importance? Abu Ghraib stands as…

My latest freelance article is now live at Online Opinion. A thorough examination of the mainstream’s delusions when it comes to true journalistic investigations. Our establishment reporters are frequently reluctant to challenge the status-quo, making alternative media an even more essential outlet. The how, why and who is examined. I’m pretty busy at the moment,…

“Britain has been increasing sales to Uzbekistan of equipment with potential military use, despite condemnation of its human rights record by the foreign secretary, Jack Straw. Export licences have been approved for “strategic exports” ever since Uzbekistan became an ally in the “war on terror”. The government said last year it approved export licences for…