Yes, we are independent and this is why
The original AIMN emblem
I’ve lost count of the number of times LNP supporters have visited this site with less than complimentary remarks about our, in their terms, ‘alleged’ independence. We can’t be independent, they argue, when nearly all of our articles are critical of the Abbott Government and before that, the Abbott Opposition. We are simply a bunch of whining lefties, again in their opinion, and we couldn’t possibly be independent whilst we sit on just one side of the political fence.
To those visitors, I would recommend seeking counsel in a dictionary and getting a firm grasp on what independent actually means. Capturing the meaning of the word, if it were possible for them to do so, might just see them nod their collective heads and announce that “yes, The AIMN is independent”. Some may not own a dictionary, which wouldn’t at all surprise me given their alleged definition of the word when they race in here with allegations of our non-independence, so I’ll kindly borrow the definition from the Oxford Dictionary for their convenience. ‘Independent’ is an adjective that means:
- Free from outside control; not subject to another’s authority.
- Not depending on another for livelihood or subsistence.
- Capable of thinking or acting for oneself.
- Not connected with another or with each other; separate.
Yes, that sounds like The AIMN. But why is that important?
It is important because of the failure of the non-independent journalists in the Murdoch media to scrutinise the LNP (in both Government and Opposition). Since Tony Abbott formed government, and these are in no particular order, the Murdoch media has ignored the important stories such as:
China’s furious response to an irresponsible remark by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop over its defence zone.
Indonesia’s Trade Minister announcing that they are looking looking elsewhere than Australia for their food imports in the wake of the latest diplomatic row.
Tony Abbott’s and Christopher Pyne’s latest back flips and lies over education funding.
Tony Abbott not keeping his promise to visit an Aboriginal community in his first week as Prime Minister.
The removal of Marine Parks zoning in the Great Barrier Reef and Tasmanian forests.
The continued travel rorts.
The cutting of legal aid for young Indigenous Australians.
The cutting of $1M disability funding for regional NSW.
The cutting of funding to Hearing Impaired Interpreter Services.
Robbing low-income earners of $500 a year from superannuation rebates while cutting taxes on super for the 16,000 wealthiest Australians.
Cutting the age pensioner’s benefit supplement and single mother’s benefits.
Destroying our diplomatic relationship with Indonesia.
Ignoring the ramifications of changes to Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.
Lying about the alleged Budget Emergency and Joe Hockey’s bumbling as Treasurer.
Cutting scheduled wage rises for 30,000 childcare workers.
Negotiating the potentially damaging Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.
Cutting jobs of up to 15,000 school teachers.
Cutting $70M in firefighting services.
Cutting Higher Education subsidy and targets for students from low socio-economic background.
Lying about asylum seeker arrivals and treatment. *
And on and on. This is not an exhaustive list.
You’ll be hard-pressed to see these rate a mention in the Murdoch media.
We and similar sites have the freedom to talk about them, however, as do Fairfax and the ABC. But because we like to raise these issues our independence is challenged, probably by people who are quite content in the knowledge that the Murdoch media shuns the stories that provide the facts about the ineptitude of the Abbott Government. Yes, we are independent and that is why.
The balance we aim to provide is by talking about the issues the Murdoch media ignores. Yet our own balance is questioned. We’re just lefties, apparently. And we’re run by the Labor Party, apparently. But it’s OK for the right-wing media to write about whatever they so desire.
Do you remember what it was like before the election? The Murdoch media ran headlines about real national interest, such Kevin Rudd’s hair flick, Julia Gillard surprising us all by wearing glasses, Julia Gillard knitting a gift for the royal baby, Julia Gillard wearing the wrong dress or Julia Gillard tripping over whilst on a visit to India. Oh, and don’t forget the screaming headlines every time a boat load of asylum seekers sailed over the horizon. For some reason the real issues are no longer newsworthy.
That’s where we come in. That’s what being independent is all about.
- List partly compiled courtesy of the Tony Abbott & The Coalition Government – Exposed Facebook group.
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46 comments
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diannaart
Return to home pageThats good enough for me .
Cut to aid programme and merging of he two deportment./ ABlaC 24 Lateline.
Cutting of programmes in North Africa of programmes to children from war zones.
It is now more true then ever, that LNP supports and in particular Abbott supporters, are weirdos. I mean either socially inept, culturally lacking, or just plain fundamentalist in their views. Perhaps religious, perhaps not, but all suffering from a severe lack of independent thought and/or an issue with humanity itself. At least in the lead up to the election and perhaps in the days afterwards the LNP supporters could claim ignorance and a faith based notion that the party they voted for deserved a chance. Now that we can all see what sort of party they really are, and now that we can see how much damage they are doing, only the mentally impaired would still support them.
Wasn’t much in the Murdoch media about Blair bonking Murdoch’s Deng.
I guess its only newsworthy when its an Australian Labor politician.
inne cold not even explain what a conservative was. At least we know what we stand for.
one finger and its not working too well..Inane could not…
Michael
Thanks for that : we are going through a barely believable transformation driven by spin, lies and a compliant media.
Now, we are told nothing about maritime arrivals because the junta see it as information that we don’t need yet it was only a short time ago when Emperor Abbott would stand before his billboard counting down the boat arrivals:
http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2013/04/22/1226626/121125-liberal-party-poster-on-illegal-boat-arrivals.jpg
Our independent media is facing an enormous challenge to cut through the spin and fearlessly expose the truth: the ABC is going to be under sustained attack by this government and the Murdoch media empire.
Thank you Michael for your brief summary of why we need independent media.
Democracy cannot properly function without truthful information being disseminated to electors – for proof, look no further back than Australia’s recent federal election, or the ungovernable mess that is what remains of the US democracy – the worlds most powerful nation brought to its knee’s by vested media/political interests.
Please keep up the good work – your site (and some other 5th estate sites) are an oasis of truth and rationality amid an ocean of vested MSM lies and propaganda.
It’s interesting to compare headlines in the newspapers. With all that is going on in the political sphere, the Telegraph does not seem to find any of it newsworthy.
http://www.thepaperboy.com/australia/front-pages.cfm
Well said Michael.
There is a significant section of the community that doesn’t understand accountability. Keep up the good work.
LNP and supporters are all far right wing fascist sociopaths. Murdoch is not interested in us, our welfare or keeping right wing politicians honest. He is only interested in himself, because he is a far right wing fascist sociopath with a genetic predisposition for longevity, unfortunately.
Another indication of independent thought and opinion is that we are not all ALP members/supporters, we often disagree with each other on points of issue, some of us are Greens supporters, some of us are conservative realists (not always an oxymoron) – what we do share is the desire for independent journalism and analysis based on evidence, reason and respect – all of which is lacking in the Murdocracy, and intermittent in the remaining media.
Anyone is welcome, except for trolls – we do have standards, even leftie rabble like us.
You outline my exact reasons for reading this site. Murdoch press are not keeping the government accountable. Well done.
Maybe we can explain to them what the word coalition means as well.
It’s not entirely surprising to see the AIMN tarred with the brush of “Labor stooge”. Despite the demonstrable fact that many authors here are ready to criticise the actions and approaches of the Greens and Labor, *where warranted*, the majority of content on this site is resolutely progressive. As such, the actions of a conservative government are likely to come in for criticism more frequently. Add to this the plethora of missteps and policy reversals early on in this government, and the impression can be gained of a partisan site. But there are two other, and more critical, elements to the suspicion of the AIMN being run by the Labor party.
First, members of the right seem to have no understanding of grey. For them, Coalition = good, Labor = bad. Anybody who supports a Labor policy, or who criticizes the Coalition for any reason, must be incorrigibly biased. To many in the Coalition, the concept that a voter might support neither major party doesn’t compute. It’s like barracking for a football team; it’s Us vs Them, and if you don’t support Us, you’re obviously a member of Them.
Secondly, it seems that the modus operandi for conservatives is tainting their own expectations. Forums and organisations critical of climate change action, or promoting conservative ideology in business and industrial relations, or supporting the interests of big business and CEOs, are rarely (never?) independent. They are funded by the interests they support. I have never come across a community group or website dedicated to conservative interests that is not directly supported by those same interests.
The irony is that the AIMN *is* supported by the interests for which it advocates – the community itself. Individuals give up their time and their resources to provide content for this site, free of editorial interference and with no view to profit. That, in my opinion, is the true meaning and value of “Independent”.
Yes, that is what ‘ freedom of the press’ means to the Murdoch group.! Part of the criteria for being a murdoch journalist must be an oath to oppress anything that may effect the Murdoch agenda.
The Murdoch press is “fair and balanced”. Freedom of the press is essential if they want to keep on writing bullshit and getting away with it.
On the other hand, the ABC …
OUTRAGEOUS!
Hockey now on. Suggest to Qantas, if they want to be considered as a National carrier, they bring their work force back onshore,.
Otherwise we cannot afford THEM. Do not need them
I always considered myself as fair/independent , whatever. My thoughts have always been for those who could not/would not or were unable to express themselves. I always thought that everybody was entitled to an education, health facilities and health professionals, to climb the ladder of success by attainment (not because you knew someone), that all stadiums,museums,galleries etc., were for the benefit of all (not just those that could afford it or were given some special privilige) that is what I thought was fair/independent. I would doubt that any of my thoughts/qualities were similar to those of the LNP or the Murdoch press, therefor I must be independent. Whilst I am about it, I agree with Julian Burnside, that all assylum seekers should be processed on shore (Australia) that there should be no such thing as live animal export, there should be no negative gearing and that the tax system should be completely overhauled. I also believe that all social hand-outs should be increased where warranted, and that all unwarranted benefits should be curtailed, especially those accorded to people/organisations/companies that claimed benefits they were not entitled too. That all monies not legitimately earned (polly-pedal etc) should be taken back from all recipients (ministers etc.) and passed to the respective charities over the past (10) ten years. I have in all probability stirred the possum however, with some refinement i think the majority of these suggestions could be implemented.
I have never seen even one Labor MP or official post comments on these sites. Not one.
I have also noticed, the the SMH has the word Independent below it;s banner.
Pyne ABC 24
Talking about principals.
Principles
Fed up, from what I’ve seen of Labor they think that simply using Twitter or YouTube to get their message across is good enough. Well it isn’t. They need to engage with people much more than they do.
The mainstream media appear to have forgotten about them. They haven’t got a voice. They need to do something about it.
I visit a number of independent sites and the readerships of each is quite large. It’s not just the same people speaking on different sites as many sites have a unique audience. What I’m trying to say is that there’s a ‘market’ out there for Labor if they are interested.
I’m so glad to be a leftist and well-informed because I refuse not to be mislead by the exponents of ‘Bullsh*t Baffles the Brainless’ policies of the L&NP Coalition …
Roswell I agree. I feel like the independent media sites are doing the work of the Opposition.
I am not inspired by the message that the leadership of the Labor Party are presenting. I so want to put my hand up their backs and feed them the lines. I know they are trying, and I agree they have the ammunition against the government and the alternatives to make their criticism constructive, but the presentation is insipid.
Think of speeches by Churchill and JFK and Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, or even Whitlam or Keating (not putting them in same class but still inspiring). When right is on your side you should be able to stir the masses.
This is my fear.
“Think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play.”
Joseph Goebbels
“It is the absolute right of the State to supervise the formation of public opinion.”
Joseph Goebbels
“The rules are simple: they lie to us, we know they’re lying, they know we know they’re lying, but they keep lying to us, and we keep pretending to believe them.
Elena Gorokhova”
You can educate a fool, but you cannot make him think and I will take a thinker over somebody educated above their intelligence any time.
Roswell, I am not so sure how Labor makes nest use of what is available. I am sure they all follow these sites daily.
On more that one occasion, I have seen comments from on these sites, uttered either by the MSM or politicians,.
During my lifetime, I have sen any thing labeled left wing, immediately lose credibility with many. Unfair but true.
I suspect, the way we are heading, using twitter and Facebook to link many sites up, is the way to go.
There could be options of more formal linkups, but that could have as many downsides, as well as positives.
Yes, all sites do have different audiences but seem to share common beliefs.
They all seem to be rising above the trolls, or as I call visitors that haunted us in the past.
What Labor needs to do, is get more into the local branches. Use these people to oversee the sites. These sites have shown, there are many of us with the time and nous, to make a difference.
The one thing we need to do, is not fall inti the trap of calling Abbott and his mob nasty names. Not needed.
Yes, ridiculing is essential, but it needs to be relevant, and based on truth,.
We are lucky. All we have to do, is disseminate all that the Government says across the land. Do not even have to make many comments. Their words and actions alone will do the job,.
Apparently the independence is getting attractive to spammers. Does that mean we’ve made it to the big time?
Hi Kaye Lee.
We get over 250 spam comments a day but most of them get trapped in our spam filter. It looks as though a few have sneaked in. 🙁
An interesting article from the Jakarta Post that gives an overview of how the LNP has become more right wing in its approach. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/11/27/the-tyranny-parochialism.html
In general when right wingers sling off at those taking a more considered view; the comments from the right wingers are often abusive with no backing thought provoking views. Whereas, comments from more progressive thinking people might be abusive towards Abbott but give the underlying reasons as to why they think in a particular way.
A video which is self explanatory; you do not need to have a right wing or progressive view to see the lye.
Keith, you’ve tapped into my mind. I have a link to that article in a post I’m currently writing.
BTW, there’s some interesting stuff coming out of the Indonesian media. Meanwhile, rubbish coming out of ours.
It seems to me that many conservatives are not rabid right wingers but basically like us although to the right of centre by varying degrees and can be also regarded as having independent thought processes.
Their main problem is that there are no conservative blogs, press, institutions etc that can be classed as other than raving rabid right (Bolt, Pickering, Murdoch press, IPA ad nauseam) and they have nowhere to go to express their opinions.
If you look at say, Das Bolter or Pickering’s comment posts on their blogs there may be a few from the left telling them what poor excuses for human beings they are and the rest are ranting, raving, swivel-eyed, mouth breathing rednecks who have no opinions of their own whatsoever. I hate to think how nasty they’d be if Abbott had lost the election.
The true Liberals have nowhere to go to read and voice their moderate thoughts without getting howled down by these raving loonies and no longer have a voice.
Me thinks comments about sites such as AIMN smack of jealousy.
Funny how all those good Labor initiatives are being put to the sword. I can’t wait for the plain packaging laws for cigarettes to be repealed.
That’ll teach those left wingers that this kind of thing is not needed in Australia.
Did the Monk say no worker will be worse off or is my memory/hearing playing up?
im christian .. maybe not religious .. but as a christian I could never support the LNP especially this current lot
That list should include the fact that Cannabis is curing cancer, (amongst other ailments), can provide food, fuel and fibre, and can literally put special interest groups like big oil, big pharma and deforestation into bankruptcy. We as a group have tried many avenues for advertising and the opportunity for telling the truth about this amazing plant, but the ‘mainsteam’ media is driven by their interests in these ‘special interest groups’ and we face rejection often. Perhaps an ‘independant’ media source would like the opportunity to write a story with an unbiased view on the subject?? And even take our money for advertising?? Please forgive if i seem cynical about truth in reporting, but in my experience it doesnt appear to exist…
Thank you, good luck!
Friend of the independant and ‘little person’
Mark Rayner
Secretary
Help End Marijuana Prohibition
South Australia
hemppartysa@live.com
Stating that cannabis cures cancer is irresponsible and untrue. It is most definitely used by cancer patients for various reasons, and has been shown to be helpful in treating glaucoma. Hemp also has applications in producing many materials. The debate about the pros and cons has been going on for decades. It isn’t helped by those who consider it an illegal drug so immediately close off the conversation, nor is it helped by those who refuse to recognise that, as with all things. there is good and bad attached.
Thank goodness for your continued independence Michael. It is an oasis of reason amongst the biased Murdoch-dependent fourth estate media & their copycats.
Kaye Lee, No, it doesnt help when people like yourself make ‘valued judgements’ based on hearsay.. Loose lips sink ships.. i have cured my own cancer with Cannabis, and i have cured several others with it, and am in the process of curing even more people with it, google cannabis cures cancer.. Hemp has over 50,000 uses, and as Jack Herer said, ‘i dont know if Hemp will save the planet, but i know its the only thing that can’. Now when you have done proper research (not asked your mummy or doctor) for YOURSELF, then make those prejudiced statements. The truth is being suppressed by the media, and you are being fooled, go back to the murdoch press for the ‘news’ if your cognitive dissonance doesnt allow for true independant truth!!
Waiting with bated breath for your response/reaction..
Mark..
Paul, I am pretty much singing in your choir.
Cass
“Now when you have done proper research (not asked your mummy or doctor) for YOURSELF, then make those prejudiced statements.”
I am sorry Mark. I missed this comment, hence my delay in replying.
I attended Sydney University in the 70’s and took part in clinical trials of the affects of THC. One of the Pharmacy lecturers at the time spoke at length of the benefits though less was known about the adverse affects.
I always research for myself Mark. Perhaps you may like to do the same. Here are some of the more recent articles about the latest studies. I would be interested to hear your response.
http://theconversation.com/topics/marijuana
I have made no value judgment, but when someone online says they have a cure for cancer, one might be forgiven for one’s scepticism.
Pyne “The Whyne” couldn’t be talking principles would have to …to Principals.
Lawrence
Gawdammit! You have just made me realise I have made a major spelling blunder mixing ‘principle’ with ‘principal’ where I was discussing government education no less.
Hangs head, and stumbles blindly away…