The Australian as the heart of the nation? Pull the other one! Heart of darkness, more like

The Australian on Thursday:

Two Greens senators have publicly supported calls for Australian sanctions against Israel over the Middle East conflict. Scott Ludlam demanded an arms embargo on Israel while Sarah Hanson-Young addressed a rally where protesters called on Australia to sever ties with the Jewish state.

Greens leader Bob Brown on ABC 774 Melbourne on Thursday:

Host Jon Faine: You're judged by the company you keep and some of the people[on] the platform with Greens senators have views at the extreme end of anti-Israel sentiment.

Brown: Well, Jon, if you're saying there that members of parliament should not take the stage or be on a rostrum or be at a rally -- if you are going to be judged by the people you are there with -- then we're getting to a very undemocratic path, aren't we?

Brown on March 23:

I am appalled by the photos of the Leader of the Opposition and his colleagues speaking in front of Parliament House today in front of some most offensive banners.

Greg Jericho under the headline, "Beating up on the Greens, Australian style", on ABC Online's The Drum yesterday:

SO the upshot of the story? Well Ludlam and Hanson-Young attended two rallies. Caught out? Err not quite. A news story? Not even close. If that is front-page stuff, the The Oz is really going to struggle when the paywall finally makes an appearance. A beat-up? You betcha.

The Drum reader Samuel puts Jericho in his place:

The context for [The Australian's] article is so patently obvious you'd have to [have] been away from any source of news for about the last three weeks to miss it. Here it is for you, nice and simple: a) The Greens took a hit in the NSW election recently; b) The hit was due, in no small part, to the Greens' support of anti-Israel policies; c) But an incoming Greens senator said that it was because they didn't support it enough; d) Bob Brown made various comments about the policy not being actual Greens policy; e) But if you look at the history of members of the party (are you reading carefully? Here's why this story matters!), they have advocated anti-Israel policies in the past. If they want to be big players on the national stage, they've got to put up with some scrutiny.

It's a conspiracy. Citizens Electoral Council national secretary Craig Isherwood yesterday:

What lying garbage! The Murdoch media is in cahoots with the Greens and the climate change hoaxsters, and all they do is lie.

More conspiracy. Dick Smith on 702 ABC on Monday:

I've called the Murdoch empire an "evil empire" and I really mean that. It controls Australia and Australian thought. They've infiltrated everyone, including the ABC. And let me tell you this one. There's a huge furore about these statements in The [Daily] Telegraph. So [Brisbane radio presenter] Madonna King's producer rings me up and she puts me on. And just about before I'm supposed to go on to air, the producer comes on air [sic] and says, "Oh Dick, you're not to mention any newspaper". Now I'll tell you what that's about. Madonna King's husband is the editor of The Courier-Mail. The Courier-Mail with this lying headline: "Dick Smith calls for two children limit". She is not game because she knows that if I criticise Murdoch on her channel, her husband's likely to get the sack. That might sound ridiculous but that's how it happens.

You're right, Dick, it may sound a bit that way. Gerard Henderson in his Media Watch Dog blog yesterday:

Sounds barking mad . . . According to Mr Smith, Rupert Murdoch has instructed his reporters to misquote our man Dick in The Daily Telegraph and elsewhere. And the Prophet of Darkness is so malicious that he will sack the spouse of any ABC reporter who allows Dick Smith to criticise on-air a News Limited paper. So what happened? Answer: zip. Dick Smith did his rant and -- surprise, surprise -- Madonna King's husband is still editing The Courier-Mail.