Oz at a distance #1; podcasts and Insiders

Minimal biog bit – I am from Adelaide. Just spent a lovely 7 weeks there bludging of my parents and doing research for The Thesis. One ritual we got into, mater and I, was watching ‘The Insiders’, an ABC TV show on a Sunday morning for politics junkies. The format’s the same each time – an intro, a snarky montage with music of some scandal-de-la-semaine. Then a round-up of the Sunday papers with three hacks (never all male or female at least not in my time watching). Then an interview with some political worthy. Then more hack chat, and a spoof-y video with talking heads literally inserted (perhaps the classic recent example is the Monty Python/Theresa May mash-up, thought the Twilight Zone one was pretty good too). Then someone reviewing the best political cartooning of the week, then final comments. If ever there were a show that exemplified the old saw that ‘politics is show-business for ugly people’ then this is it.

It’s variable, of course, depending on whether the hacks hate each other (by far the most fun is to see David Marr and Gerard Henderson having to restrain themselves in each others’ company). So, the plan is to just note down (more for me than anyone else!) the “best” bits. Because, you see, you can watch it on youtube (bless!).

So, 10 September.

Still no Bazza (sad emoticon)

Treasurer Scott Morrison was a fluent performer, almost making the inattentive viewer believe the Coalition has an energy policy (it doesn’t). But can’t get the lump of coal out of my head.

While the show was on air, the Nationals, at their conference, voted down a burqa ban. As one of the hacks said, it’s all so George Christensen can shore up his vote with One Nation waverers…

Michael Stutchbury ,  editor in chief of the Fin talking nonsense on (who is to blame for the catastrophe that is Australian ) energy policy and Katherine Murphy of the Grauniad interrupting repeatedly to correct him (if the gender dynamic were reversed it would have looked awkward, tbf).

The judge video spoof/hacking thing was good, but not a classic.

Meanwhile, a new podcast with Richard Denniss (full disclosure, he’s a friend) of The Australia Institute has begun. It’s called The Lucky Country, after Donald Horne‘s seminal book on Oz. If the first one is anything to go by, it’s going to be compulsory listening, clearly. In this one, the personal highlight was Laura Tingle (writes for the Fin, is generally brilliant) from about 20 mins in (though the whole thing is worth listening to, natch)

She has written on this stuff for Quarterly Essay (esp Political Amnesia). Her she gives the example Canberra Bureau of the Fin. It had 12 journos in 2013. There are 4 now. So therefore all have to become generalists, “jump in with broadest of general knowledge.” This means they don’t have as good contacts/know as many experts. It means they see/report the world through a political prism – is it good/bad for Government, rather than through a policy prism. Generally dumbs down issue, because can’t give history/wide range of views. And thus everything becomes a horse-race. And given that, the death spiral of traditional media risks accelerating… What is to be done??

As time/bandwidth allows, I’ll keep up with these two, and be a bit choosier about watching ABC’s Monday night ego-fest Q and A, which is really just dumbed down and shout-y.  Much more heat than light, sadly.