RAGTOP REPUBLICAN’S RANT REAPPEARS REWRITTEN
Peter FitzSimons assured readers that a vanished column would eventually run as “originally scheduled”. Apparently that scheduling was two weeks later, because the column has now re-appeared.
Peter FitzSimons assured readers that a vanished column would eventually run as “originally scheduled”. Apparently that scheduling was two weeks later, because the column has now re-appeared.
But it isn’t the same piece. Several alterations have been made.
FitzSimons had to change the tense for every mention of Lauren Southern, the column’s original news hook, because she’s no longer in Australia (someone forgot to alert layout, however, so a caption still has her “in Australia on a speaking tour”).
Utter trashbag Blair Cottrell, who hadn’t even made that ill-judged Sky News appearance when FitzSimons’s column first ran, now wins a paragraph. And this line referring to Nigel Farage and Alan Jones is now deleted:
Farage has been around for what, three or four years? Pfffft. A blink of the eye, compared to Alan. “Vote 1, AUSTRALIAN fascism” every time.
Interesting. As well, FitzSimons has changed his explanation for the column’s disappearance and subsequent two-week publication delay.
At first it was a simple timing error. But now:
Neither. Technical glitch. https://t.co/uNQ7oHRt6O
— Peter FitzSimons (@Peter_Fitz) August 7, 2018
A 14-day technical glitch, to be precise, that also substantially re-wrote the whole piece. Some glitch. At least Peter was decent enough to add a trademark comma mistake to the final line:
Even we, have to draw the line somewhere.
Indeed, we, do.
UPDATE. FitzSimons doesn’t “think” any lines were deleted:
Don't think so Ben. Added some, re Cottrell!
— Peter FitzSimons (@Peter_Fitz) August 7, 2018
UPDATE II. This doesn’t make sense:
Nothing of the sort.
— Peter FitzSimons (@Peter_Fitz) August 7, 2018
Simple technical glitch.
I wrote it just b4 heading overseas, for later release - as the theme was fairly timeless - & it was in the can.
When I landed, it had been mistakenly put on net for coupla hours, so it was put back in, and updated version out today! https://t.co/g6VEgTAxQP
Why would FitzSimons file a column full of present tenses if he knew it wouldn’t be published for another two weeks? For that matter, what sort of daily newspaper columnist files something so far in advance, given what may occur prior to publication? And how come FitzSimons promoted the initial publication if he knew it was in error?
Also, how is the production of that column – involving sub-editing, photo selection, captions and headline – a “technical glitch”?