Murdoch’s Sydney tabloid, The Daily Telegraph, was accused of fabricating allegations against former NSW Liberal leader John Brogden during last night’s ABC Media Watch. It was a forensic masterclass in investigative journalism.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports the story but a question remains. How is a program like Media Watch – running on a tiny annual budget – more able to reveal the tabloid’s deceptions than a well-resourced broadsheet like the Herald? It’s all about willingness and intent.
Fairfax is notoriously shy in taking on its supposed competitors. With the upcoming changes to cross-media laws, management is increasingly shy in criticising any rivals. New editor Mark Scott is clearly running a campaign of maintaining the status quo, something at which Fairfax executives excel.