Uncle Rupert talks the talk…..
Imagine if we succeed in inspiring our audiences to reduce their own impacts on climate change by just 1 per cent. That would be like turning the state of California off for almost two months. And imagine if we were able to take on the carbon footprint of our audience in Asia.
There are limits to how far we can push this issue in our content. Not every hero on television can drive a hybrid car. Oftentimes it just won’t fit. We must avoid preaching. And there has to be substance behind the glitz. But if we are genuine, we can change the way the public thinks about these issues.
Now there will always be journalists, including some of ours, who are sceptical, which is natural and healthy. But the debate is shifting from whether climate change is really happening to how to solve it. And when so many of the solutions make sense for us as a business, it is clear that we should take action, not only as a matter of public responsibility but because we stand to benefit.
Yeah, this is a done deal.
Well, well, well…I cant wait to see Andrew Bolts response to this!
After so long as a climate change denialist it will be fascinating to see what he does now!
Yeah, this is a done deal.
Clearly, because Rupert Murdoch is the evil genius who rules the world.
Isn’t complacency a beautiful thing?
make bolt carbon neutral? now that’s an idea.you do get the impression of a rug being slowly pulled from under certain feet.
We could turn him into a dam.
What a bleeding heart idealist. Hasn’t he got the memo – it’s unaustrayan, pointless and probably giving comfort to the enemy to talk about action as long as China is still managing its own affairs in a typically irresponsible manner http://www.ccap.org/international/developing.htm.
Rupert appears to be making allowances for Boltie with his ’sceptical journalists..(are)…natural and healthy’. But presumeably that will only extend to their keyboard output. Andrew will still have to put in his weekly offsets tab unless he can do a bit of carbon trading with the likes of Terry McCrann.
“Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats.”
Only two days ago such words from Tim Flannery or Al Gore would have seen Piers Ackerman, Andrew Bolt and Telegraph opinion editor Tim Blair salivating in anticipation of their next Global Warming Hysteria smackdown attempt.
But alas, these are Rupert’s words.
“Now there will always be journalists, including some of ours, who are sceptical, which is natural and healthy. But the debate is shifting from whether climate change is really happening to how to solve it.”
Rupert is very clear. His trio of denialists have but a few weeks left to keep singing their tired old songs. They must now shift their criticism to deconstructing and attacking the methods and plans proposed “to solve it”.
Of course, this will provide a wealth of new material for the AckerBlairBolt hydra to smack, smear and attack Labor and the Greens and the Gorecrowd with, and no doubt we will see this change in direction begin very soon indeed.
Or else they can all quit News Limited. They should of course. To stay would be hypocritical in the extreme. But then again, that is their domain and skill base.
Good God they must be humiliated. Wrong about Saddam’s WMDs, wrong about the length and death toll of the Iraq War, wrong the AWB scandal, wrong about the true toll of the Second Lebanon War, and so very, very wrong about the reality of global warming and climate change…
There is a palpable level of shock already to be found amongst commenters on the Blair and Bolt blogs. It will only grow more bitter.
AND
I don’t understand why environmentalists and green groups are not shouting victory from the rooftops. They won. Decades of trying to raise awareness and educate the masses about the need to preserve the environment, cut down pollution and set the new paradigm that there is more money to be made from conservation than exploitation has been a tremendous success.
When Murdoch and Howard Go Green, well, who else is there left to convert?
It is not that difficult.
Some scientists are saying that the fact that the climate is warming is undeniable, but they say that there is no proof that greenhouse gases emitted from cars etc. are causing it and may be due to natural fluctuations.
So you can quote those and still say that we have a ‘problem’ and that we don’t want to ‘make it worse’ but shift without losing face.
Finally! Rupert admits that he does influence content!
Just because he agrees with me on this one doesn’t make it any less scary that he’s advocating the idea that all of his news outlets promote his view.
Little Andrew now has a big problem. It’s not re-canting his precopernican obscrantist ideas – he’s too far down the road for that – it’s criticising his boss in much the same terms as he slags off at everyone else who doesn’t think what Andrew thinks.
In Rupe’s case it’s all:
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/a_murdoch_minion_contemplates_his_global_warming_heresy/
Subtext: We’re all a broad church here at Limited News and Rupe really is the Sun
Kink. Sorry, musn’t mention Wendy DengKing.But as for evil hypocrites like John Travolta, Neil Finn, Barack Obama and Al Gore, well Bolt’s verbal emissions continue unabated http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/finn_thinking_of_doing_himself_what_he_says_you_all_must/
This bloke makes weasels look like paragons of ethical moderation.
I don’t really care what Bolt thinks about AGW/climate change, I just think it hilarious that he won’t criticise the boss for using the language that climate change proponents do.
I noticed on his blog that he tried to misdirect by claiming a broad church at News and not addressing the content of Ruperts speech.
Talk about having the rug pulled out from under you. Anyway, at least Bolt is on his his way to being carbon neutral…….the boss is paying.
And thus begins the frenzy of censorship: http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/finn_thinking_of_doing_himself_what_he_says_you_all_must/#commentsmore
Matt Price:
http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/mattprice/index.php/theaustralian/comments/the_importance_of_being_earnest/
And no wonder $weetie is feeling glum. Out of the blue comes Rupe’s sermon on carbon. Cossie sees the keys to the lodge slipping out of his grasp. It’s not the economy anymore, stupid, it’s the climate. From stage left enters Malcolm the Slippery.
evil hypocrite Neil Finn ?????? WTF exactly WHAT do you base that BS on please show me the facts to support your claim deary
It’s called I-r-o-n-y. Geez Tabatha! Christine is paraphrasing the Bolter who is pointing out gleefully that some high-profile global warming theory proponents are not doing what they preach, apparently. This, of course, invalidates the whole climate change theory.
In Bolt’s opinion, people like Al Gore should move out of their mansions (which have a larger-than-usual environment footprint) and move into a tent, using body heat in a sleeping bag as a means of keep warm, etc. etc. for the sake of being credible.
Hence, last Thursday, in the HeraldSun online A. Bolt wrote, quoting John Travolta (who owns five jets):
“Higgins and her band say they have performed a carbon neutral tour by adopting greener power saving measures, hiring hybrid cars and offsetting any excess power usage with carbon credits.
Crowded House frontman Neil Finn said his band was willing to do the same.”
But reality has turned around and bit Boltie on the bum. That very evening, his employer, Rupert Murdoch, has made a televised address promising that News Limited will be carbon neutral by 2010. Here is a circular sent by email to all News Limited employees in Australia by John Hartigan, News’ CEO in Australia:
This must have reached Andrew’s desk then. We’re now waiting with bated breaths for Andrew Bolt to call Rupert a hypocrite (he owns jets too).
Problem is that it is not good for News’ credibility for Andrew to continue sprouting his puerile denialist rubbish in the opinion pages of News populist flagship. This is because that if News Ltd is going to take corporate steps to modify its own environmental footprint then it can do far, far more by trying to convince others that this is the right way to go. After all, it has millions in its thrall (otherwise it would have to admit that what is said in its pages and on its screens has no influence whatsoever – and of course no mogul worth his political influence would ever contemplate such a thing.
Bolt is clinging desperately onto the “this commitment in no way affects editorial policy; coverage and scrutiny of the many different views about climate change should and will continue…” line, like a man in force five storm in the North Sea clings to a rubber duckie.
There is nothing so ex as an ex-News hack. I invite my fellow intercoursants to suggest what life after News will hold for A. Bolt. A little folding table discreetly tucked away in Little Collins St selling neckties after hours? Rose St (Brunswick) stall reading Tarot?
Nice one Sir Henry, if that isn’t a missive from management on how to frame the climate question I don’t know what is.
It’ll be incredible in the face of this to see a columnist like Bolt continue to do what he does daily and in the process undermine the usefulness and power of of the space he writes in.
Sure it’s mostly digital, and in cyberspace no one can hear you scream if they don’t want to, you just unsubscribe, but eventually News will have to think that they could put the space to more credible financial use with someone who does cover things fairly.
As it stands Bolt has no credibility and his page is a laughing stock of all but the usual nutters and crazies that someone like him always attract.
I googled something else and came up with what seems like the full full text of Rupert’s speech. He is definitely in proselytising mode with his vast audience. As for his employees:
Sir Henry, well put!
I suspect the Bolt talking points may shift significantly in coming weeks, in much the same way as Iraq has amazingly disappeared from the radar.
“I invite my fellow intercoursants to suggest what life after News will hold for A. Bolt.”
The boy Bolt would be well suited as a Patsy Biscuit style gym instructor on those endless late night infomercials that promise “Abs like Arnie”. He adores performing and likes to take charge. Might even make The Chippendales one day.
Disclaimer: I have never had sexual relations with that knight.
Hmmm, EC, maybe a door-to-door shill selling air, that is home electricity windmills.
Christine, I suspect not. A week or two back on Insiders, when gently prodded about the change in the air regarding carbon emissions (as the wenddeng notions have been filtering though for some time now via missives to News hacks’ computer terminals), Andrew boltly and bolshylily stood his ground, saying that opinion writers are given freedom to say what they wilt, drawing attention to Phil Adams and his column in the Pravdaustralian as an example, as well as to Leak.
So I now look forward very much to Andrew Bolt popping over to his local Centrelink office soonish, signing on and being given a work test:
Just one moment Mr Bolt. Clack, clack, clack, ding. What have we here. Do you have a drivers’ licence, ah may I call you Andrew? Splendid, Andrew, we have a position just a short drive north at Craigieburn. It’s good money, protective clothing supplied. It’s with a poultry processor. Interesting work, I’m sure you’ll love it.
Ineed SH.
Of the many things that could be commented on about the Bolt lad is his singular failure to miss the point that teh beloved capitalism seems to be catching up with teh dreaded GW hysteria at a rapid rate.
There’s a quid to be made, ‘low carbon economy’ is the phrase de jour, the market may just sort it out, and the only ones left living like cave-persons may be Bolta as he bashes out screeds on his ancient Hermes typewriter while tending to his sackcloth and ashes.
That’s the first I’ve seen that Brian, the long version is even better the second time around. Dunno how I missed it, and it’s pretty clear isn’t it? Toe the line or else. How else can that be read, especially the I’m certain part……and the good for your career bit.
BTW Timmeh’s coping strategy is comedy. Click through to the PDF, It’s actually quite funny. Good on him.
Crrraaaaazzzzzyyyyy, times.
Oh, didn’t see that. So much for the Boltwit’s broad church. Couldn’t be much clearer could it?
Being as he’s essentially gutless and all I stick by my earlier prediction that GW will suddenly fade into the background and we’ll have some other evil manufactured leftist conspiracy flung at us.
Ferrets perhaps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9S7o9Bju4k
Dear me, Enemy, you are conflating Patsy Biscoe with Pate Biscuit (and Bongo).
“And imagine if we were able to take on the carbon footprint of our audience in Asia.”
Laugh..idiots…and then the tooth fairy comes along and…