Kevin Rudd’s child warriors storm the Herald’s front page but you would never know it

The Sydney Morning Herald had a big front page story about political trends, yesterday:

Is there any Australian left who hasn’t complained, or at least rolled their eyes about the state of politics in Canberra? Most of us tend to blame the politicians for all this, but a new analysis of voter data suggests a less comfortable truth. The problem is not just them. It’s also us.

The article’s two authors caught our attention as non-staff writers don’t often get the front page ... The Sydney Morning Herald, continued:

Andrew Charlton is the author of Ozonomics and Fair Trade for All (with Joseph Stiglitz) and two Quarterly Essays, “Man-Made World” and “Dragon’s Tail”. He is a co-founder of the strategic advisory business AlphaBeta. Lachlan Harris is the founder and CEO of RevTech Media.

Not once did the printed article mention who Andrew Charlton really was. The Australian, August 13, 2009 :

A key adviser to the Prime Minister (Kevin Rudd), Andrew Charlton, has accused Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull of threatening and bullying him ...

Or who his co-author Lachlan Harris was. Harris’s Linkedin profile:

Senior Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd

No wonder they want to blame someone else, anyone else, for the woes of politicians. Harris and Charlton in the SMH, yesterday:

... if Australian voters want to understand why our democracy seems so broken, they should start by looking in the mirror.

Aussies should look in the mirror? What about duds like Harris and Charlton’s old boss? Kevin Rudd in Berlin, July 8, 2009:

It is unlikely that you’ll have anything ... by way of detailed programmatic specificity.

Someone at Fairfax HQ fixed the Herald website’s version of Harris and Charlton’s story, yesterday:

Both worked for former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Maybe Fairfax can take Harris and Charlton’s advice on how to grapple with the fallout of this embarrassing print error? The Herald, yesterday:

They will need to rebuild their structures in ways that build respect, trust ...

In global news, the world mourns Winnie Mandela. US actor Viola Davis on Instagram, yesterday:

A woman who epitomised how the power of a woman’s love, intelligence and vision can change a culture. RIP Winnie Mandela.

The UN Women’s Department on Twitter, yesterday:

Despite all odds, @winniemandela fought courageously against all forms of oppression. Today, we carry the torch & continue to work towards a more equal & just world.

South African President Cyril Rhamposa in Pretoria, yesterday:

A gigantic tree has fallen, and this is the Winnie Mandela tree that provided shade for the people of South Africa.

Have they forgotten Winnie’s many crimes? A New York Times report on South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, December 4, 1997:

Jerry Richardson, Winnie Mandela’s chief bodyguard ... is serving a life sentence for the killing of 14-year-old Stompie Seipei (and he) described beating, torturing and killing people whenever “mommy’’ (his name for Mrs. Mandela) asked him to do so.