It is never a good time to criticise the press, especially when they are holding the microphone, but it is time in many countries that we had a good look at their role in the political process.
Journalists, both print and multimedia, now rank themselves and each other as "players" in the "game" we now call politics; that is a contest between our political leaders and journos to win the media on the day.
This is a game where "winning" is everything, and where, increasingly, policy substance, values, ideas don't matter. Where personalities, and the ability to "sell" or "spin", rather than merit and substance, are more valued.
On the day Rudd(Australia's PM) was dismembered what did we see.
Look at the performance of the key journos at recent press conferences, which are now taking on more of the form we might have expected from those of the old communist regimes just look at the nodding heads.
Don't you think that its strange that Oakes, or O'Brien, or Grattan(journalists), don't stand in those press conferences asking a Gillard or Abbott (politicians) the hard questions.
No, just a few superficial questions, such as "How does it feel,was it hard,did you think about it much".
No they are all players, the high fliers of the media world, they all believe in there own infallibility and they know they have the power to change public opinion.
Every one on one interview is aimed at creating a headline, forcing a mistake or creating a double meaning in the reply, so that the mistake or double meaning can be quoted or misquoted for days under their byline.
They will do anything to get a headline.
In the good old days this would be disdained for what it is "creating a story out of nothing"
Now they win awards.
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