Ray Finkelstein’s review

PRINT and online news will come under direct federal government oversight for the first time under proposals issued last week to create a statutory regulator with the power to prosecute media companies in the courts. Ray Finklestein The historic change to media law would break with tradition by using government funds to replace an industry council that acts on complaints, in a move fiercely opposed by companies as a threat to the freedom of the press. Bloggers and other online authors would also be captured by a regime applying to any news site that gets more than 15,000 hits a year, a benchmark labelled “seriously dopey” by one site operator. Even this tiny part of the cyber-world gets 130,000 hits a month so this site operator also labels the plan “seriously dopey” That’s two of us. And who uses ‘Hits” as a measuring tool these days. No one, and that would suggest the review is seriously misinformed. Ray Finkelstein needs to vet his “expert advice”. Number of visits is a better guide and even then I exceed the yearly mark every month. Talk about a catch-all solution. I look forward to deep and meaningful discussions with the ALP luvvies – I plan to start the negotiations by saying Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is a f###wit. I imagine such profanity would give the Inquisition staff the vapours and have them loose their train of thought. All of the above brought to you by anti-News Corp paranoia based on a newspaper in another country tapping someone’s telephone. If your paranoia is bad enough it will lead you to claim all media with a News Corp connection will do the same and this problem, which doesn’t actually exist, needs regulation. Chris Kenny, in today’s Australian agrees with me;

It traces its genesis, in part, to revelations about the illegal activities of the London tabloids. More disturbingly, the inquiry admits it was established because senior members of the Gillard government and its Green coalition partner believed they were being subjected to jaundiced political coverage. So a government that is struggling has initiated a media inquiry because not all media is as generous towards it as are the ABC and the Fairfax newspapers.

I’ve got a feeling that it wont get up and we will be looking at another episode of tilting at windmills but at the very least, always looking for a positive, it does serve to underline the governments stupidity. God free us of these pests. UPDATE: You should read this piece at Andrew Bolt