Editorial

                                                               The West Australian 22.11.21

What I expect from a good Editorial is intelligent commentary. Unfortunately, this latest tirade is not up to that expectation. It expresses an extremely polarised section of the popular narrative spectrum.

The language of this epistle denigrates and stereotypes the thousands of ordinary people who attended the protest in Forrest Place last Saturday. Labels such as “misfits” and “malcontents” are befitting a beery barbecue conversation when there is no footy on the tv. “Pygmies” is just plain political incorrectness.

The comment that a reporter “failed to unearth a single Rhodes scholar among them” is a poor cliche. How is being a Rhodes scholar a pre-requisite for attending a protest and having a personal opinion? I suspect it is not even a pre-requisite for being the Editor of a West Australian newspaper.

What levels of debate and commentary can we expect from journalists in a newspaper with an Editor who writes like this? Unfortunately, the levels we can expect from most tabloids. Great for inflaming those who want to be inflamed but making very little contribution to serious debate.

The depth and range of issues raised by the Pandemic require a much more enlightened analysis. That analysis is currently being expressed in a variety of forums but don’t expect to see it in this newspaper. Because of the toxic nature of printer’s ink, it is not even suitable for wrapping fish and chips.