Journalism that we miss: seeing a serious issue of public importance generally ignored (perhaps because both big parties agree on it), investigating how it is presently playing out – by speaking to participants and researching the relevant facts – and then speaking to those in authority or positions of power who are responsible for what is happening, and those who are trying to do something about it.
Kudos to Fairfax’s Michael Gordon, then, for yesterday’s “Small fish in rough seas“, reporting on the cruel, ineffective, expensive, and ridiculously bipartisan policy of mandatory harsh jail sentences for crews on refugee boats. Definitely worth reading.
Only thing it didn’t do, sadly, was critically evaluate the Department’s claim towards the end that it runs “communications campaigns in Indonesia that aim to educate locals about the risks of getting involved in people smuggling and the offences that apply to people smugglers” – campaigns that appear from the anecdotal evidence to be clearly failing, and therefore hardly justifying the cruelty of the other part of the policy. I’d have liked to see their response to a follow-up question contrasting these “campaigns” with the reality. 240 million Indonesians to reach so that we can justify obscene mandatory punishments – just what kind of “communications campaigns” are we running, how much are we spending on them, and what percentage of Indonesians are we reaching?
Maybe that’s in the next piece. It’s reassuring to see actual journalism still happening. Michael Gordon, we salute you.
17 Comments
Great article. At least someone knows what it actually means to be a journalist. I’m also glad the story wasn’t open to reader comments…
How dare they make these “scum of the earth” seem like real people. Alas, I imagine the response to this kind of article will be not unlike the response to ‘Go back where you came from’ – an insistence that it is nothing more than a nasty leftist plot to trick people into caring.
I agree, an excellent article. What a pity that it will not be read, possibly not understood or even acted upon by those who froth at the mouth about the “evil-ness” of people smugglers. Most comfortable Australians have no idea about the perils, dangers and pitfalls on the refugee and asylum seeker trail for the refugees themselves, and the people who help them get here. It may suit the politics of the day for some to demonise those who staff the boats but that demonisation leads to ongoing and unecessary suffering for those caught up in the system. We need more Michael Gordon’s writing in the tabloid media but don’t hold your breath waiting for them to emerge.
Do not congratulate Gordon. I have been telling him and all the media this for 10 years and they ignore me.
I spoke to him last May about children as young as 13 being jailed in adult prisons and he did nothing.
And he still calls it people smuggling when he has documents that state over and over again that it is nothing to do with fucking smuggling.
Do Crikey readers have such short memories they don’t remember me writing about this over and over again for years now only to have the same babble and prattle from the brainwashed lazy cretin media about “people smuggling”.
Not one person has ever been sent to prison in this country for people smuggling because they are not smuggling anyone anywhere.
It is a legal right to come here without a visa and ask for help so how the fuck can that be smuggling?
The first court cases way back in 2000 all say the same thing “this is clearly not people smuggling”.
What the worthless media refuse to report is that we ratified a smuggling of migrants protocol way back in 2004 which is only about protecting migrants forced to be slave labour, it is nothing to do with asylum seekers.
Something the media and parliament have been aware of for all these years and ignore while they pretend they are tough.
AS for campaigns in Indonesia, why is that our right? Do we have campaigns to stop anyone else coming here?
No, instead we pay for new refugee prisons every year and the treatment becomes torture for anyone our federal cops turn in to the Indonesians.
Will people please stretch their memories back more than yesterday.
http://www.sievx.com/articles/sentences/dirlist.php
See, read the transcripts that all the media have had access to for the past 10 years.
Just refugees helping other refugees including one poor devil locked in Abu Ghraib and tortured for 8 years before he helped his family to escape and then got jailed here for years for not people smuggling.
Actually the transcript of Al Jenabi is very interesting as it has the judge finally admit that there is no refugee queue.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/afghan-utopia-becomes-a-much-grimmer-reality-20120206-1r1x2.html
Now this is actual reporting.
I have been telling him and all the media this for 10 years and they ignore me.
Marilyn, given your tendency to communicate in expletive laden rants, this is not the least bit surprising.
That’s no excuse for dismissing plausible claims that one might make.
Howard, I never swore at any of the morons. They are all just brainwashed dingbats who refuse to read the facts.
It is not people smuggling.
It has never been people smuggling.
And Bernard’s babble that we are seeing too many people die trying to get here so we must push them away is as absurd as all the other gibber monkies in the press gallery.
it is illegal and it’s not like we give a toss about the hundreds of thousands bombed to bits because they can’t leave to get anywhere.
And Howard, when people talk complete and utter crap it is sometimes really good to swear at them
And what the fuck is the refugee deterrence convention the media and pollies keep right on prattling about.
This assumes that people don’t tend to tune-out when confronted with invective. The tragedy of people like Marilyn is she could indeed be making many plausible and worthwile claims, but most people aren’t going to be willing extract the signal from the abusive noise.
Howard I have not been swearing at the fucking journos.
I send them the facts and they ignore them.
We are the only country in the world who blames the taxi driver for the crimes of the man with the guns yet still the media are so frigging dumb they can’t pose the obvious question – what is the crime.
And if you bothered to watch The Man who Jumped you should be apprised of the fact that it only got made because of me.
If the brainwashed frigging journalists can’t get passed their fucking egos to learn facts then it is no wonder people swear at them.
Due to his total inaction dozens of Indonesian children who had been kidnapped by us and kept in adult prisons stayed in those prisons for years – why shouldn’t I swear at that?
Queensland courts acquit three Indonesian men, about half have now been acquitted and our moron media could have saved most of them from prison in the first instance.
I’ll take that over being bored to death with the drawn out puffed up reactionary tedium you imagine constitute arguments Howie..
Don’t you have a dictionary to get to? More fluffy translations of Tony Abbott’s intentions?
Howard,
You have a go at Marilyn for her aggressive language and ask why people would listen to her. Please read your own comments, (the last comment you made on the Bob Brown beatup thread is a classic case), and ask why people would listen to you when you use such a patronising tone.
Nick the Hippy
All very true, Nick, but you miss one point: I’m not seeking to change anyone’s opinion. Marilyn is a publicly known advocate, an activist who seeks to effect change in the community, whereas I’m just a screen name having a few laughs whilst enjoying the cut-and-thrust of the comments section.
It would seem only prudent that a public advocate would seek to avoid tactless rants in her communication on matters she seeks to change.
Howard,B
Now look here chaps, steady on. When we treat you lower orders properly and turn your lives into a living hell the last thing you should do is insult us or shout at us, what?
But look here….I mean to say, that does your cause no good at all, I mean to say, a decent chap simply won’t listen to you when you are shouting what? Now it may be unlikey I know, that you fellows have a thing or two to say, but fair crack of the cornflake, stand up straight and wait to asked because a decent chap likes to be talked to politely and referred to by his given designation, what? A bit of Sir, or My Lord wouldn’t go astray (or Lady or Madam eh what? Wouldn’t do to forget the gels..heh heh).
I mean to say nobody ever gets to change his station in life anyway what? Now I know it’s hard for you lower class chaps to know the best way to address us, but for goodness sake take control of yourselves? I mean to say, a good bout of military discipline would sort you all out. Then at least you’d salute as we walked by, I mean to say, shout amongst yourselves if you must, but learn a little respect for your betters and speak quietly so that we’re not forced to listen. Clear? Jolly good show. Pip pip.