A few observations, off the cuff. Firstly, the media-political complex in this country is incredibly problematic. It's incestuous and its cogs are too often greased by fear and favour. This has only increased with the contraction of the industry and the ravenous 24/7 churn

Accountability is so critical in times of public emergency. For the politicians & agencies making very important, onerous and complex decisions. Like it or not, this is the function of the press. The problem starts when the press has agendas, or are being played for such

This is why accountability of the press also matters. It's also not something that mainstream outlets (imo and experience) are especially accustomed to having demanded of them. And I also don't think it is the same as relentless ad hominem, forest for the trees, lynch mobs

I understand why trust in the mainstream media is at an all-time low. I understand why certain outlets are, rightfully, perceived to be acting as de facto political operatives and not in the public interest

But so much of this is not new. Backgrounding has always been a currency. Planted questions have always been a thing. I think 2 things have changed. One is that the media landscape is now dominated by Murdoch & so the backgrounding is more one-sided. Two is that it is in the open

Journos and the media can be some of the most glass-jawed people. We internalise ideas about our profession being noble and a pillar of democracy. But the immediate accessibility to the public, and the scrutiny that brings, is not something that was traditionally part of the job

I am sure I have spoken about this before, but I personally know how difficult it is to be criticised and called to account for things I have published. It is a line-ball call at times about whether it is justified or personal. But I do think it is incumbent on us to listen

Being a journalist is not what many people imagine it to be. It is very often a thankless and unglamorous job with less credibility than a used car salesperson, except everyone feels entitled, at all hours, to bawl you out for selling them a lemon

One of the great difficulties and disconnects I see is a righteously and often rightly frustrated public who demand journalists 'do their job' without really knowing, in practice, what that entails, and that the public product is the tip of an iceberg of digging and obfuscation

I don't in any way rush to the defence of or issue mea culpas on behalf of any one reporter or outlet. Some are culpable for great harm, others have been negligent bystanders. The ecosystem is the problem, and it is the end product of decades of deliberate legislative changes

When I first started working in news at the tender age of 21, the media landscape was a very different place, but these changes were already in train even then. This is a decades-long project by vested interests and their venal lackeys in the parliament