Comments on: Not a knock out

By: steveh

steveh — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:47:35 +0000

Anyone else noticed how this “inward-looking” attititude of the Punch is now being reflected in the ABC radio morning show? (Sydney 702MHz) Michael Brissendon seems to be the only one who doesn’t sit in his office reading tea-leaves but instead actually goes out and, well, you know, reports…
The Punch is more inward looking than just about any site – and while that may keep the participants happy, as Mark points out – it doesn’t bring in the dollars.
For opinion pieces that are well thought out I’ll head here or to Crikey any day.

By: Guido

Guido — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:20:24 +0000

Also some of you may be interested in how Crikey's Bernard Keane saw the address by News Ltd CEO John Hartigan at the National Press Gallery today.

By: Guido

Guido — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:53:37 +0000

Maybe The Punch may be more interesting now that Leigh Sales has joined.

By: mick

mick — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:11:56 +0000

Nicely done Mercurius. Though, what kind of coffee are they drinking? Certainly not lattes.

By: joe2

joe2 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:23:29 +0000

“The more interesting issue is why so many people on LP have this obsessive desire to keep writing about bullshit from News Ltd, and linking to their pathetic stories, and generally behaving as if News Ltd pissants like Milne and Lewis and all the rest are important and worthy of attention by intelligent people. That is the true mystery.”

Come on Ken, let your hair down and do a bit of rubber necking some time. Watch as the empire crumbles. I have a link for you that is not Newscorp, promise….
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/thanks-so-much-for-your-comments-mr-barking-mad-20090629-d2f4.html?page=-1

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:48:56 +0000

There’s actually a lot worse than the Curious Snail in the News online empire. Dennis Atkins is consistently interesting, and usually doesn’t follow the dumb arsed lead of the press pack.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:41:07 +0000

I’ll admit I like CJ’s blog over at the Curious Snail. Pineapple Politics works. They should make him editor. Beyond that there is no substance behind nor reason to visit a News ltd ‘opinion page’.

By: Mercurius

Mercurius — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:03:06 +0000

Ken, can I just say how much I’ve enjoyed your rip-roaring comments in recent weeks on media coverage? Heaven knows you’ve had plenty of material to work with, but you do a nice line in dignified, scathing disdain. Let ‘er rip Ken!

By: Ken Lovell

Ken Lovell — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:45:01 +0000

I don’t subscribe to any News Ltd sites and consequently didn’t know what this post was about, so I went and had a quick look. There’s a bloke called Marcus Kuczynski who writes posts purporting to summarise what the blogosphere thinks about the big stories du jour.

Thing is … Marcus only ever refers to feedback on MSM sites. He studiously avoids any reference to actual blogs; it’s all ’someone wrote this to the Courier Mail while somebody else wrote this to the Herald Sun’, with an occasional mention of an ABC site.

Either Marcus ignorantly believes columns written by journos on their newspapers’ web sites are blogs, or he shamelessly cross-promotes News Ltd web pages under the guise of reviewing blogs. Either way it’s just another indication of the organisation’s terminal decline.

The more interesting issue is why so many people on LP have this obsessive desire to keep writing about bullshit from News Ltd, and linking to their pathetic stories, and generally behaving as if News Ltd pissants like Milne and Lewis and all the rest are important and worthy of attention by intelligent people. That is the true mystery.

By: DeeCee

DeeCee — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:28:02 +0000

The Punch? Flicked over a few times last week to quiz their utegate/Liberal stuff-uo. Tried to leave a comment, but it said I wasn’t allowed. Tried to find out how to be allowed. Couldn’t. Maybe my sweat on teh Macbook keys read my personality type & CV. And no, I didn’t say it was wussy journalism, even tho it is. Dull. No real personality shining out of anything. No feeling of views strongly held and defended; not even as interesting as ABC’s comments. More like doctors’ waiting room journalism. No wonder they don’t want degreed types.

Naah. I’ll stick to Crikey – I call it up, my mental “muscles” flex. And LP, OzForums and a few others Oz & OS – ditto.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:18:40 +0000

@3 – Down And Out, indeed, that’s so. I’ve added a footnote thingy to the post.

By: Chade

Chade — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:48:18 +0000

I visit every couple of days, and that frequency is decreasing rapidly. As Rachel said: articles are more than often devoid of substance. There’s been a couple of absolute stinkers by politicians… :/

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:20:31 +0000

Yes, the logo is definitely off-putting. As are the articles: completely devoid of substance. I’m obviously not missing much by giving the website a wide berth.

By: Down and Out of Sài Gòn

Down and Out of Sài Gòn — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:08:53 +0000

The figure for Crikey may under count the readership levels of that publication. When I “read” Crikey, I read it in daily email format – a selection of its pieces combined into one giant article. Unlike the Punch, I don’t have to click on multiple links to read its content; it is automatically delivered to my email account.

By: Mercurius

Mercurius — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:08:30 +0000

wilful, I guess that’s because it’s not a “la di da” site for “people with three university degrees” or whatever guff Penberthy wrote when he launched the thing.

That, and the two Fists Of Death in the logo are just, well, off-putting. Definitely looks like a logo designed by journalists.

I can just imagine the scene in the News Ltd bunker when they were brainstorming the design:

*wavy vision and swirly discordant piano chords to indicate a dream-sequence*

Scene: A dilapidated office common-room, strewn with battered mis-matched chairs and wastepaster baskets overflowing bunches of scrunched up paper. The arrhythmic staccato tap of a heavy iron typewriter can be heard clattering offstage. A figure is slouched, unconscious, across one desk, sleeves rolled up and armpit-stains showing through the thin fabric of yesterday’s shirt. Another sullen figure leans back in chair, feet on desk, idly bouncing a ball of paper against the wall and catching it. Suddenly, a third disheveled figure bursts into the room, prominent five-o-clock shadow on display.

Penberthy: Ok you bozos, da brass want us to come up with a logo for da site.

Journalist1: Errr, bawss? What’s a logo?

Penberthy: You know, dumbass. A logo! A dinkus! A watchamecallit!

Journalist2: A logo, huh? For ‘The Punch’? So…it’s gotta be…punchy…right?

Penberthy: Punchy! I like it! That’s good work, Baines. That’s why you’re the senior writer here…you got that…what’s that la di da word? Cree-ay-tiv-ah-tee.

Jounralist2: Tanks bawss.

Penberthy: OK, so fellas. I need somethin’ punchy. What’cha got? I need you to smash one outta da park here. Hit me with whatever ya got. Go on, knock me out!

*wavy lines and swirly piano chords again*
———

And that, folks, is exactly how it happened…

By: wilful

wilful — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:25:50 +0000

spent my first few minutes at ‘the punch. I’m statistically about right, spent about four minutes there, looked at about four pages. Shit boring, frankly. No central theme or identifying point.