What Bill Shorten left out of Q&A was the good news story

It was Bill Shorten who brought his mother into the campaign as a significant element of his motivation narrative, and when he painted an incomplete picture, it was incumbent on the media to fill in the gaps, writes Miranda Devine.

• The Telegraph says: Facts won’t ruin Shorten’s good story

Bill Shorten has teared up and attacked The Daily Telegraph for reporting the full story of his late mother’s career, which he left out of his life narrative on the ABC Q&A program.

But he does protest too much.

Bill Shorten and his mum Ann Shorten

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He had portrayed his life and his mother’s life as less successful than it was in reality.

He led us to believe on Monday night that his mother was a teacher cheated by impoverished circumstances of realising her dream to be a lawyer. This wasn’t entirely the truth.

She “became a teacher, but she wanted to be a lawyer … She wasn’t bitter … But I also know that if she had had other opportunities, she could have done anything.

“I can’t make it right for my mum … But my point is this — what motivates me, if you really want to know who Bill Shorten is, I can’t make it right for my mum but I can make it right for everyone else.”

It was Shorten who brought his mother into the campaign as a significant element of his motivation narrative, and when he painted an incomplete picture, it was incumbent on the media to fill in the gaps.

Far from being a “gotcha”, the missing element we supplied of his mother’s life was one of significant achievement.

Dr Ann Shorten did become a lawyer, and then a barrister.

She and her husband also sent their sons to one of the most prestigious schools in Melbourne, another fact conveniently airbrushed out of Shorten’s hard luck story.

Shorten posing as a working class kid made good is not quite the whole picture.

That’s something we think voters need to know. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. No disrespect was intended. It’s something to be proud of that his mother achieved so much, and his passion shows how proud he is.

For all his kibitzing, our story prompted Shorten to take to Facebook to flesh out his abbreviated Q&A narrative. Good for him.

Australians will be making an enormous decision in ten days’ time and it is the duty of the media to ensure we provide voters with the whole truth, the good as much as the bad, not the airbrushed versions the candidates would like us to present.