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| Absolutely Bereft of Credibility | |
Suppose that you could do something that would cost your worst enemy
$10,000, would you do it? Of course. But what if doing it would cost you
$5,000? Would you still do it? Would it be worth it? You'd have to hate them an
awful lot wouldn't you? Hold that thought for a minute. The distinction between a liar and a promise breaker has been explored
before in this column. And politics has no shortage of either. Hatred is a
strong part of politics too. Especially when the ABC is involved with the
Coalition. And even more so when grubby little ABC journalists try to make
themselves part of the story. Like Michael Bissenden. In case you missed the story:
- Peter 'Smirky' Costello is asked whether he ever made certain unflattering
remarks about his boss, Little Johnny.
- Smirky denies making the comments.
- Three grubby Journalists, led by Michael Bissenden contradict him and say
that yes, he did say those things 'off the record' over dinner two years ago.
- The credibility of all four people is called into question. Smirky is
accused of lying. The journalists are accused of violating a trust.
The details over exactly what Smirky is accused of saying, or the fact that
the journalists got the month wrong are merely a distracting detail here. And as for the fact that all politicians tell
lies, well, don't bother to alert the media. Clearly Bissenden saw the opportunity to damage the much hated Liberal
party. He could damage the Treasurer's credibility. But there was a price to be
paid - he had to give up his own credibility. It will be interesting to watch Bissenden's career after this. His ABC
cronies may be anxious to reward him for his efforts, but will any politicians
be willing to feed him stories 'off the record' after his little stunt? And
will he be able to compete with other journalists who can get those scoops? This hasn't affected the credibility of the ABC of course - the ABC had no
credibility anyway. But it has highlighted the depth of the hatred that the
organization has of the Coalition. You have to hate someone an awful lot to pay
that price to hurt them. That's your ABC.
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