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In the spirit of #ThisIsNotJournalism, I give you this #AccuracyMatters mega-thread. I will add journalists and flag their misdeeds over time to give us a look at how #COVID19 reporting has failed to the public interest test, particularly in Victoria.
First up, @samanthamaiden who famously gave us 'findings' from the Hotel Quarantine Inquiry months before they will exist:
Next we have @Adam_Creighton who tried to make a point by quoting a political activist known for his extremist views, and who bashed his spouse with a chopping board. Creighton has not retracted or apologised.
And who can forget @rachelbaxendale's contribution this week - updating the record with an inaccurate record. Impressive!
Then we have @patrickdurkin, who boldly accused Premier Dan Andrews of bullying - one problem with that, he based his accusation on the incorrect record, and has so far failed to retract or apologise, despite opening and reading a message containing the correct record.
Special shout out to @karenlsweeney who alleged the premier knew exactly what was meant, despite his response making clear that he did not.
This one goes to News Corp as a whole, which famously called for Jenny Mikakos' head just days before she resigned. Yesterday @rachelbaxendale asked Dan Andrews: "Is it a good thing for a health minister to resign in the middle of a pandemic?"
Hardly a surprising entrant, but deserves a mention, Peta Credlin accused Victorians of suffering from 'Stockholm Syndrome' because of wide majority support for Daniel Andrews through the Stage 4 lockdowns.
And of course, our dear Chris Kenny, sucked in by a bot-attacked poll - could hardly contain his excitement, despite the poll being deleted due to the bot attack before this went to air:
Then there's @sophieelsworth, whose timeline reads like a longtime grudge-bearer's payback shopping list. To her credit, she has never pretended not to be extremely biased.
@vanessajbrown tells us about our 'revolt' against the Premier, as support for restrictions naturally begins to decline as numbers come down. The Premier continues to enjoy majority support, not that you'd know it from this cracker of a headline.
Then there was the Herald Sun's 'shock' poll which was front page news! Only problem was the poll was purchased by The Liberal Party from a little-known vendor with a dreadful track record for polling.
Speaking of polls, News Corp's own Newspoll conducted a poll a short time later, finding strong majority support for Daniel Andrews. Herald Sun decided not to run the story, with only minor allusions to it in other stories.
Do we all remember the time Alan Jones was caught red-handed trying to kick start rumours Daniel Andrews was about to be toppled by his own party? Really helpful contribution to Victoria's fight against Covid-19.
Was @workmanalice's 'Mean Girls' contribution the lowest point for #Covid19Vic? Possibly. The extraordinary attack on Catherine Andrews for showing support for her husband dropped jaws around the country and, oddly, News Corp paid to promote this nasty trash piece.
This shiner from News Corp captures the exact moment journalists decided to go after Andrews for Aged Care deaths. Check out the headline on the left, then look at the article on the right to see where the headline was pulled from. Insane.
Then there was Herald Sun's shock coverage of Tim Smith's Facebook survey polling 50,000 people and finding 85% support for Dan Andrews. I say 'shock' because they didn't cover it. What a shock.
Remember this? Just Herald Sun casually promoting a protest at the Premier's house. No regard for the danger to Andrews and his family, no public apology either, despite the story vanishing into thin air when it kicked up a Twitter storm.
Back to Jenny Mikakos - remember this victory lap by @CandiceWyatt10? To Candice's credit, she deleted it, but it was a poignant reminder that news is harsh and partisan across the spectrum.
And what about all those horny security guard rumours, you know, the ones about guards trading sex for freedom which turned out to be untrue - where did they come from? And have we seen an apology? Hahaha, don't be silly.
And who could forget this take. No words. This story is still up today.
Reminder: during all this, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has never criticised the media. Every day he turns up to provide updates and answer questions, despite the obscene attack by the media on his democratically elected government in the middle of a pandemic.
When we say #IStandWithDan - we are saying we stand by our democracy. This is a wakeup call to all Victorians - you voted, your say is sacred and nobody should take that away from you. #ThisIsNotJournalism #AccuracyMatters
Please share your thoughts on #ThisIsNotJournalism in your own tweets (or replies) today (remember the hashtag). How has it made you feel? Has it made #COVID19Vic worse for you? I will be reading and sharing all your tweets on this subject.
New thread - #AgedCareRC finds #NoPlan for Aged Care. Many deaths could have been avoided. Please read it and share, we can't let this slip by: https://twitter.com/PRGuy17/status/1311807152672047104
