Crikey Blogs

Telling you what they won't

The Poll Bludger

Essential Research: 55-45

The latest weekly Essential Research survey has Labor’s two-party lead steady on 55-45 after the previous week’s sharp drop from 59-41. Further questions probe “firmness of vote” (slightly stronger among Coalition voters); satisfaction with Labor and Coalition positions on asylum seekers, climate change, the economy and things in general; relative impact thereof in determining vote [...] Comments (1,222)

The Content Makers

The Monthly and Eric Ellis – the Correspondence

As reported in the Crikey email today, there is a stoush going on between The Monthly magazine and Asian-based freelancer Eric Ellis. It’s all about an article commissioned by editor Ben Naparstek on the refugee camps in Sri Lanka. Ellis delivered, but Naparstek decided the piece wasn’t up to the magazine’s high standards. It has [...] Comments (10)

Culture Mulcher

What it’s like to be a soldier in Afghanistan

We hear about it, have heard about it for what seems a long time now – but it’s hard to get a good picture of it in our minds: what it’s like in Afghanistan. And how it would be like to be a Coalition soldier there. To see the pictures below is to have something [...] Comments (5)

Pure Poison

Conspiracy or clique?

Over the weekend I found myself fascinated by the story of a group of prominent scientists who conspired to promote the theory they supported. Their correspondence revealed how they agonised over the impact of others’ publications and reviews, planned their public commentary so that their critics would be thwarted, and worked together to raise the [...] Comments (30)

Rooted

Andrew Bolt, Lateline and the bias of balance

Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt has got the science on climate change wrong before. For instance, back in 2006, Jeff Severinghaus, Professor of Geosciences at the University of California, San Diego told Crikey “At the very least I would like it to go on record that Bolt’s abuse of my science is not done with my [...] Comments (3)

Croakey

Surely we can agree on a few issues around breast cancer screening?

Over the past week, Croakey has been hosting a lively discussion about the merits of breast cancer screening, in the wake of new research highlighting the potential for over-diagnosis and unnecessary treatment. You can read some of the previous pieces here, here and here. Comments (0)

Johnny's in the Basement

Getting lippy with Britney

Last week, Crikey asked me to write something for the pay-for-view newsletter on the huge, earth-shattering controversy of Britney Spears’ lip-syncing.  It is now reproduced below with a new update…. Comments (12)

Rocky & Gawenda

Goodbye from Rocky and Gawenda..for now

Rocky and I have decided the time has come to move on. I signaled this possibility in a previous post, on September 17, when I posted a piece which showed, I hope, the direction in which my writing was taking me–away from Rocky and Gawenda. Rocky is on board with this, for our mornings together [...] Comments (12)