A number of us here at LP have been a bit critical of the tired style of “gotcha” question asking beloved of some of the warhorses of tv current affairs journalism, perhaps most particularly Red Kezza, who’s seen better days, and sometimes Tony Jones when he tries the “put a question in five hundred different ways” trick. In fact I reckon a lot of the questions on Q&A last week were better than the standard media fare. So credit where it’s due - Leigh Sales asked Assistant Treasurer Chris Bowen a cracker tonight - did the leaks indicate a level of frustration developing even this early in the Rudd government’s term about Kevin 24/7’s control freakery?
There’s a bit of evidence out that it’s taking its toll - one of the things about the rather odd story about the Estimates questions on Rudd’s failure to provide “charter letters” to Ministers (formal documents setting out expectations and performance measures) that was interesting was the suggestion in the Fin that his methodology allowed micro-management from the PM’s office and this facilitated that by failing to specify legitimate Ministerial discretion. In other words, setting goals and letting people get on with the job. There’ve also been a quite a few stories buried in the interstices of the press and online media about frustration from public servants tasked with implementing Kevin’s policy agenda. All this was nicely caught up and tied into a neat bundle by Sales, and Bowen - normally a pretty good media performer - obviously didn’t see it coming.
Update: More on Rudd’s governing style from Trevor Cook.
Kim, I still don’t understand the problem people have w/ Kerry O’Brien. I reckon he’s generally fair & does the grillmaster bit w/ pollies quite effectively considering the BIAS hammer hanging over his head.
Sure, he stuffs up sometimes…or fails to go down an obvious road…but plenty of us do that for various reasons. And he brings up many salient & insightful topics…& I enjoy his interviews w/ artists and the like. I reckon he’s a well-educated, wide-thinker.
Perhaps he could share the show…one week on…one week off…w/ the talented Leigh Sales?…or another female reporter? But don’t forget, we now have another reporter/talking head instead of Michael Brissendon on the 7:30 Report…and it aint a male…:) Fair enuff I say.
Better yet, maybe they should move Tony Jones to Q&A & put Leigh Sales in the Lateline seat permanently?…bar Fridays.
I just think Kezza is stuck in a rut, nasking. I don’t think the practice of just putting to an interviewee what others are saying, and/or trying to force an answer that will create a headline or fuel the story is valuable now - if it ever was. That’s why I thought Q&A was good value - changes the paradigm.
There are also recent examples of him putting questions which are actually factually wrong - based not on research but on what’s been reported elsewhere in the media. We deserve better. I forget what it was - but there was a post about that here recently - I think to do with the pensions stuff. Too tired to go looking!
Am glad to see the back of Brissenden though!
“changes the paradigm.”
Certainly does Kim. Diversity of forum & questioning techniques is required in a participatory democracy. But I still dig Kerry…:)
I’m also a fan of Insight. Jenny & others were building essential bridges this week. Any idea tho why they have that BIG EYE under Jenny’s feet?…if that’s what it is? or what it symbolises? I find it distracting.
I don’t think O’Brien is biased at all - he has consistently put pressure on government members of all shades.
But it is quite clear that someone (more than likely many someones) is unhappy with the way the Rudd Government is being run, because this week’s leaks achieve nothing other than embarassment for the government.
I’m actually okay with Kerry - it’s Jones’ intelligence level, and understanding of his job parameters that I really question. He’s sliding toward the MSM belief that journo’s set the agenda. His level of pettiness is extremely annoying. Put a transcript of Lateline next to a Nelson questions without notice extract and you’ll see what I mean.
I’m not actually that hopeful about the paradigm shift with Q&A either. I think part of the success of the first show was actually Rudd. It’ll be interesting to see how the format copes with the lesser lights; or to put it another way, how watchable would it have been if Tony Abbott or Alex Downer was there for the entire show?
someone who was first-rate was Peter Thompson on RN breakfast some years ago, before Fran got the gig. His extended interviews were a pleasure to listen to, well-informed, good questions; as good as Phillip Adams on his best nights. Leisurely pace, granted; but Lateline has the time to do a leisurely interview too.
I recall Peter Thompson did an interview several years back with a specialist at Amnesty Int’l in London, and I heard afterwards that the interviewee rated that interview as the best-informed he had had to do [journalists ringing in from various countries, after some press release had caught their attention].
I like radio very much.
Ambigulous, is it this Peter Thompson?:
http://www.abc.net.au/programsales/s1385120.htm
I’ve heard some wonderful interviews on radio…particularly on the commercial-free stations.
Hope the Grandson is enjoying his veges…:)
I thought Kerry O’Brien did an insightful interview w/ Michael Pollan, professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley and director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism. They discussed the problems w/ modern agri-business & the lack of nutrition in food today…particularly the processed stuff that is thruout our supermarkets & fast food restaurants these days.
They referred to Pollan’s book ‘In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto’ (2008).
I MUST have my Kerry interviews. My wife likes them too.
Hate to disappoint you Kim, but unfortunately Brissenden is only on leave,and will return in July I think.
The problem with Kerry isn’t some nebulous notion of bias, but the fact that he’s stuck in a tired and outdated format, asking the wrong (often poorly researched) questions, often to the wrong people. I agree Jones is becoming more and more strident - I think he’s started to believe his own publicity. As for Virginia Trioli…
However watching British TV is a revelation, though not in a good way! I came away from a visit to the UK thankful that we at least have the ABC and SBS. The BBC generally seems to have totally lost the plot when it comes to current affairs, although they do satire far better than we ever have.
Speaking of which, did anyone catch The Gruen Transfer? Don’t think that I’ll be tuning in again.
Just to clear up one point, Michael Brissenden is currently on long service leave and Heather Ewart is only filling in, quite well i think.
I’m interested, Kim, to know why you don’t like Brisso that much?
“Speaking of which, did anyone catch The Gruen Transfer? Don’t think that I’ll be tuning in again.”
We turned it off halfway thru adrian…ended up watching more ads on there than in an entire week I reckon. Why did they only choose ad execs to critique, if you can call it that? Trojan horse? Ads by way of the back door?
Very disappointing.
I sure hope they don’t go the way of the poor old BBC. Bloody disaster when it comes to news & ads. I can’t even watch BBC World News anymore because of the onslaught of travel ads…& promotion of Gulf State stuff etc.
Yes, nasking, but it was also the smugness that got me. Wil Anderson is bad enough, but most of the panelists were worse. Starting off by making fun of slums dwellers in Venezuela didn’t help.
“Starting off by making fun of slums dwellers in Venezuela didn’t help.”
You’re so right…my wife was outraged…i was also…& dumbfounded.
I couldn’t stand the stupid addition of music to his stories, and the general way that I think he trivialised discussion of politics, and reduced everything to a horse race that he, the informed one, could decode from a superior position. And never anything about policy.
Also what others have said about just taking over holus bolus the MSM line of the day.
Update: More on Rudd’s governing style from Trevor Cook.
World’s smallest violin time for sooky public servants. Suck it up and refrain from breaking the law or quit.
Chris Bowen stated in the interview:
” You know the chairman of the ACCC, Graeme Samuel personally briefed the expenditure review committee of the Cabinet with the petrol commissioner and Professor Stephen King, who is an ACCC commissioner and a well respected competition expert in Australia.
And all these concerns were put to them and put to me.
And they were all answered to the satisfaction of the Cabinet.”
Someone is telling porkies here because Graeme Samual on AM this morning stated on at leat 2 occasions that he was unfamiliar with the criticism outlined in the leaked documents.
He either addressed the concerns of the other government departments or he didn’t. Someone needs to determine who is telling the truth here.
Can I just say I find it ironic in the extreme that Dennis Shanahan and the opposition have suddenly discovered the virtues of policy process, and are loudly condemning the government for disregarding public service advice?
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23775558-7583,00.html
Has memory of the Howard years disappeared down a rat-hole, perhaps?
On the aside, I watched the Gruen Transfer all the way through. It was better than I expected it to be (despite Will Anderson’s best efforts), but I won’t bother again. Wednesday’s turned into another early night.
“couldn’t stand the stupid addition of music to his stories”
You’ve lost me here KIm. What’s “stupid” about it? I reckon the music-related interviews that Kerry O’Brien does are relevant & informative…& often memory triggering. Same goes for the writing-related interviews. I guess we’ll agree to disagree…:)
“World’s smallest violin time for sooky public servants. Suck it up and refrain from breaking the law or quit.”
Harsh Amanda…but probably apt in this case. Rudd needs to motivate a few constant leakers to leave…considering how long the govt. has tolerated this crap. There’s nothing wrong w/ public servants having alternative views to Ministers…but leaking to & consistently feeding the Black Hole is NOT ON. That lot have enuff INFLUENCE as it is.
Isn’t it ODD to see the integrity of the ACCC being attacked by some of those who stated previously how INDEPENDENT it is? Must be exhausting for Graeme Samuel…i reckon he’ll be glad to retire in June.
Black Hole working overtime these days…getting HUNGRIER.
I’m pleased to see these stories on the 7:30 Report regarding the graves of old diggers & the treatment of those who have returned from various wars/conflict zones. Insightful stuff.
Thought the Libs seemed pathetic, hypocritical & desperate in the parliament today.
‘…did the leaks indicate a level of frustration developing even this early in the Rudd government’s term about Kevin 24/7’s control freakery?
Asked-and-answered.
Luckily the oppo in WA, Vic, NSW and QLD is a complete shambles and still retreating in disarray. I wouldn’t mind the Great Helm-mans micro-management so much if there was some carrot out there in front of us - a democratic republic for example. Maybe we need more Nepalese Maoists moving here to work? Buggered if I know. Some problems seem destined never to be resolved - simply superseded by new problems. Can we evict all creaking ancient virgins and exclusive fucking brethren from the house?
Nasking at number 19, I think she was referring to the addition of popular (often cheesy) songs to the soundtracks of various political reports Brissenden did on the show. Not Kerry interviewing visiting music stars.
They could be a bit annoying, to say the least.
Yep.
lol…yes, i think occasionally there was a bit of more than meets the ear going on there.
“World’s smallest violin time for sooky public servants. Suck it up and refrain from breaking the law or quit.”
Not “Harsh Amanda”, but spot on. Laurie Oakes has confirmed that the source of the leaks is a public servant or more than one.
I reckon that was a damn good 7:30 Report tonite. Informative, balanced, demonstrated how different cultures are building effective bridges…& how compromise can lead to good outcomes for creatures great and small. And the music from the Soweto Choir brought a tear to our eyes. And wasn’t it great to see happy kids & adults together. Clarke & Dawe as interesting as ever…we enjoy a good chuckle on Thursday eve.
Methinks the Libs are on a LOSER over this anti-Petrol Watch business. Did Nelson ever study the dramatic arts?
I think there are quite a few legitimate grievances outlined here but i’d be interested to hear various opinions of what kind of questions and what kind of methods should O’brien & Co use to try to pry the politicians away from their PR line. We were given one very good example in the opening post and i can’t remember what the question was but there was a great moment on the 7:30 report recently when Nicola Roxon said that behind the scenes government spin was like sausage making, you don’t want to see it happening.
Clearly we don’t want questioning of politicians to wind up like this.
“Not “Harsh Amanda”, but spot on”
“Harsh”, joe2, as in we would’ve been pretty pissed if Howard’s lot had purged on the basis of “sookiness” (not being ONE w/ the Cabinet or Howard on policy & issues…think the invasion of Iraq…I’m also thinking about teachers & performance pay down the line…or what could’ve happened under Howard’s reign)…but i get where Amanda is coming from, some deceitful stuff going on in the PS ranks it seems…not good considering Rudd tried to reach out & retain BALANCE…I see the need for an investigation & perhaps some early retirements or transfers. Like I said “apt”. Certainly wasn’t meant as a criticism of Amanda.
Got a link for the Laurie Oakes revelations joe2?…i’m interested. Cheers.
None taken. Sookiness comment not re: not being one with govt opinion but re: using position of extreme privilege in democratic system to pursue self indulgent blackmail tactics against boss. That’s the emerging narrative isn’t it? PS narked at “management style” and leaking out of spite? Noble truth telling in public interest it ain’t.
“That’s the emerging narrative isn’t it? PS narked at “management style” and leaking out of spite? Noble truth telling in public interest it ain’t.”
As in, PS feel like they are being ‘worked too hard’ by Rudd and thus have the excuse to leak, said Laurie. Sadly, Nasking, no links because it was a shock jock interview and then reported. Most likely to drop away because it is not news.
“That’s the emerging narrative isn’t it?”
Too true.
“Noble truth telling in public interest it ain’t.”
That’s for sure.
No probs joe2…I’m sure all will be revealed soon. Thnx for the reply.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/search-narrows-for-deep-throat/2008/05/29/1211654221527.html
Oakes himself told radio 3AW in Melbourne yesterday that he did not get the cabinet material from a minister but hinted that a bureaucrat passed it on. Others believe the Opposition is being handed the material. Certainly it was well appraised in advance of the details of both leaks this week.
Thnx for the link Amanda
It’s obvious that some individuals aren’t interested in building bridges but instead put their own selfish ambitions & myopic views above the pursuit of harmony & balance. Very sad.
Yer, well done Amanda.
Laurie was quite clear that it was a public servant/s that leaked it to him.
Yet this fundamental point is lost, because idiot media just seems to always avoid critical information because it gets in the way of ‘their story’.