Media hostile to conservatives; favours the left and Islam

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Liberal senator Eric Abetz has blasted the Canberra Press Gallery today, arguing that is it hostile to conservatives and Christians while giving favourable and preferential treatment to left-wing politicians as well as to Islam.

The Australian reported Senator Abetz saying today: “it is very clear that if somebody swears their oath on the Koran, this is a wonderful expression of diversity and to be encouraged, whereas if you swear your oath on the Bible then you’re an old fart and not to be taken seriously.”

While the media seemed to think it was okay to refer to Tony Abbott as the “mad monk”, Senator Abetz asked “just imagine making fun of somebody else’s religion of a different nature, as in if you are a Muslim, Buddhist or a Hindu?”

Senator Abetz quite rightly notes that members of the Canberra gallery invariably give positive coverage to politicians and policies they agreed with. As it happens, the vast majority of journalist favour the political left. The senator also observed that journalists rarely referred to the “far left” or the “extreme left” when describing the Greens or the Labor Party, but frequently spoke of him, Cory Bernardi and other conservative politicians as being far, extreme or religious right.

Of course, their ABC is one of the worst offenders, he said, and this of course, is one of the reasons the XYZ exists.

MEDIA CALL: Gillard, Abbott to hold Q&A session at Rooty Hill RSL Wednesday, 11 August 2010 from 6.00pm Sydney, Australia, August 9, 2010 – Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will be holding a people’s forum at Rooty Hill RSL on Wednesday, 11 August 2010 from 6.00pm. The event will be facilitated by political editor David Speers and telecast live across Australia. The audience, which will include approximately 200 swinging voters from Western Sydney chosen by Galaxy Research, as well as media representatives, will have the opportunity to ask the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader questions related to their policies and in particular, how it affects the local community. Gillard, Abbott Q&A session details Date: Wednesday, 11 August 2010 Time: 6.00pm (media can set up from 5.15pm) Where: Rooty Hill RSL Waratah Room 55 Sherbrooke Street, Rooty Hill NSW 2766 RSVP: chris@dashpr.com.au Schedule 6.00pm Prime Minister Julia Gillard address – Q&A 7.00pm Break for refreshments 7.30pm Opposition Leader Tony Abbott address – Q&A 8.30pm Close A limited number of seats are available for media representatives for this event. To attend this media call or for further information regarding the Gillard, Abbott Q&A session, please contact Christine Kardashian at Dash PR on 02 8084 0705 / 0416 005 703 or email chris@dashpr.com.au. ________________________________________ MEDIA RELEASE: Rooty Hill RSL to host Gillard, Abbott Q&A session Wednesday, 11 August 2010 from 6.00pm Sydney, Australia, August 9, 2010 – Rooty Hill RSL, Australia’s largest RSL club, will host the highly anticipated people’s forum with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. The event will be held on Wednesday, 11 August 2010 from 6.00pm, facilitated by political editor David Speers and telecast live across Australia. Why Rooty Hill RSL? Rooty Hill RSL is at the heart of Western Sydney and has been chosen as the location for the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader to connect with key local voters. Both leaders have acknowledged Western Sydney is the key to gaining significant support in New South Wales as the area is one of the largest communities in Australia. With so many venues available, Rooty Hill RSL was chosen at this crucial time of the election campaign not only for its location, but for its iconic status, media relations, community awareness and its ability to service an event of this stature. Large enough to be its own suburb, Rooty Hill RSL is fighting for its own postcode – justifiably, the club is the hub of entertainment and leisure with its own state of the art gym, four star hotel, AMF Bowling and M9 Laser Skirmish centre, five eateries, youth club and child minding facilities, as well as a premier function centre. To further enhance its market leading position, Rooty Hill RSL is now going green. The installation of its own tri-generation power plant which is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 50% will be completed in the coming weeks and will further serve the interests of the community and the environment alike. The success of the club and the reason it has been asked to host this event is a testament to the new direction Rooty Hill RSL has seen in the last three years – the spirit of the staff, the support of its members and the real relationship it has with the community it serves. Rooty Hill RSL is a ‘politician’s backyard’ and the ideal location for the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader to hold a public forum with one of the largest communities in the New South Wales region. The audience, which will include approximately 200 swinging voters from Western Sydney chosen by Galaxy Research, as well as media representatives, will have the opportunity to ask the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader questions related to their policies and in particular, how it affects the local community. The question may also be put to Australia’s leaders on why Rooty Hill RSL does not have its own postcode given its size, status and community relevance. Gillard, Abbott Q&A session details Date: Wednesday, 11 August 2010 Time: 6.00pm Where: Rooty Hill RSL Waratah Room 55 Sherbrooke Street, Rooty Hill NSW 2766 # # # About Rooty Hill RSL Rooty Hill RSL is the largest RSL and leading club in Australia. Established over forty years ago, Rooty Hill RSL is the premier entertainment, function and leisure facility that includes AMF Bowling and M9 Laser Skirmish centre, One55 Health & Fitness state of the art gym, Novotel Hotel premium accommodation, five eateries under one roof, as well as its own tri-generation power plant. With a population of over 40,000, Rooty Hill RSL is currently petitioning for its own postcode. For more information, visit www.rootyhillrsl.com.au. Media Contacts Christine Kardashian Dash PR +61 2 8084 0705 | +61 416 005 703 chris@dashpr.com.au Peta Imber, Brand Manager Rooty Hill RSL +61 2 9677 4907 | +61 404 880 324 peta.imber@rootyhillrsl.com.au Ian Lowe, General Manager, Marketing & Business Development Rooty Hill RSL +61 2 9677 4964 | +61 458 495 386 ian.lowe@rootyhillrsl.com.au“If you promote conservative policies, you are immediately demonised and conservative policies are demonised,” he said.

Senator Abetz stated that some politicians were afraid of expressing their opinions for fear of media demonisation. “Parliamentarians are intimidated from stating their point of view because they know, no matter how sensibly they present it, it will somehow be misrepresented or a negative picture, negative commentary will be presented,” he said.

“I think the groupthink of the media gallery has got worse as the years have gone by and the concept of a diverse range of opinions or interpretations is now lacking.”

I applaud Senator Abetz’s courage to speak out and expose the bias that exists in much of the media. There are few media outlets that provide favourable coverage of anyone, or any ideas that are right of centre, whether in the Australian or international Western media. Indeed, there appears to be a persistent culture of smearing even centre-right politicians and policies as being far or extreme right.

Balance needs to be restored to our media.

It’s the XYZ.