Gerard Henderson

Gerard Henderson is an Australian author, columnist and political commentator. He is the Executive Director of the Sydney Institute, a privately funded Australian current affairs forum. His Media Watch Dog column is republished in The Australian each Friday.

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PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 16: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort on December 16, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. In a news conference that went over an hour, Trump announced that SoftBank will invest over $100 billion in projects in the United States including 100,000 artificial intelligence related jobs and then took questions on Syria, Israel, Ukraine, the economy, cabinet picks, and many other topics. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Trump’s no lame duck – he’s already getting things done

News from the US suggests that president-elect Donald J. Trump is perceived by many to be the US commander-in-chief while President Joe Biden fades into political nothingness.

Gerard Henderson

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The slogan "Zionism is Fascism" is sprayed on the electoral office of Australian federal Labor Party member of parliament Josh Burns in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda after police said at least five people smashed windows and painted slogans on the walls on June 19, 2024. It is the latest in a string of acts of vandalism targeting the offices of state and federal MPs in the wake of the conflict in Gaza. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

If Jewish Aussies are being targeted it’s anti-Semitic

Jews have been in Australia since European settlement in 1788 – and so has anti-Semitism. But there has been nothing like the events of the past 14 months.

Gerard Henderson

Commentary

Federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton (right) with the Liberal candidate for Warringah, Jaimee Rogers and Liberal candidate for Mackellar, James Brown, after a meet the voters roundtable held at the Stella Blu Italian restaurant in Dee Why on Wednesday, November 4, 2024.

Teals win friends on the left but offer little by way of influence

This week marked the beginning of the Liberal Party’s fight to win back the blue ribbon seats it lost at the 2022 election.

Gerard Henderson

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ABC chair Kim Williams, and US podcaster Joe Rogan (inset).

Chairman Kim’s blind spot on the ABC’s central weakness

It’s rare for a speech in Canberra to make news in North America. But it happened when Kim Williams raised the ire of US podcaster Joe Rogan … as well as Elon Musk.

Gerard Henderson

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Red-faced pundits change their tune on Trump

On November 5, Trump was another Hitler, but within less than two weeks he was a democratically elected president-elect with whom there should be communication.

Gerard Henderson

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Albo has a call with Trump as Rudd deletes tweets

Rudd has to do a Vance and soothe things with Trump

If Kevin Rudd is to perform to the greatest effect, he will need to do a JD Vance and have a change of heart. It’s the diplomatic way.

Gerard Henderson

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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 30: Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump holds a press conference from inside trash hauler at Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport on October 30, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. With less than a week until Election Day, Trump is campaigning for re-election in the battleground states of North Carolina and Wisconsin. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

An out-of-touch media left baffled by ‘deplorables’

It should come as no surprise that the mainstream media in the US is left-wing. But Australia’s media left is just as out of touch as its American counterpart.

Gerard Henderson

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks for a campaign rally at PPL Center, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Allentown, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

If derangement over Trump persists, read your WWII history

Contrary to the slurs against Trump, there is no one in mainstream politics in Western democracies who can remotely be compared with the founder of the Nazi totalitarian dictatorship.

Gerard Henderson

MEDIA WATCH DOGCommentary

EMBARGO FOR WISH MAGAZINE 03 FEBRUARY 2023. FEE MAY APPLY. Patricia Karvelas of ABC Radio National Breakfast, for story with Fran Kelly. Photo: WISH/Julian Kingma

Israel critic allowed to make unchallenged claims on ABC

During the segment Patricia Karvelas made no attempt to correct or verify her guest’s undocumented assertions. And the ABC wonders why ABC Radio National Breakfast continues to lose listeners.

Gerard Henderson

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ABC radio host Fran Kelly gave the Andrew Olle Media Lecture on Friday, October 18, 2024 in Sydney.

ABC lacks diversity and conservative voices – that’s a fact

The success of democracy is that it is possible to manage disagreement in a peaceful manner. It is rare indeed that in Australia there have been instances of ‘agreed facts’ on most contentious issues.

Gerard Henderson

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/gerard-henderson