The Nemesis Project
Blogs are fascinating technology-based communication mediums. It was through the posts made by third party blogs / forums on Scott Balson's @notd in the 1990s that The Australian incorrectly labelled him racist and anti-Semitic. As the Austraian Press Council adjudication (no 1380) and the 2007 APC report noted the mainstream media blogs have since fallen foul of the same sin of unmoderated posts.....
Today the newspaper blogs are "moderated" - read censored... let me explain what I mean.
On the afternoon of the 6th February 2008 a personalised post was made by "Nemesis" to all The Australian reporters blogs. The post did not breach any racial-vilification or other criteria noted in the moderating process but did alert the reporter administering the blog that The Australian would carry a damaging Australian Press Council ruling the next day. Now remember we are talking about freedom of speech - but how moderated is this freedom?
Of all the bloggers contacted by Nemesis only Leigh Dayton posted the "Nemesis" comment... in the posts at this link. (Post reads: Hi Leigh. Thank you for your insightful article. There are so many issues that we should really be concerned about and one so much closer to home involves the paper you work for. I understand that tomorrow they will publish an Australian Press Council adjudication which will reflect very badly on anyone working there. There is so much I could say, but can’t… yet! All I can say is thank God for the internet and DNA which makes us all different!) Nemesis (Ooopppsss! it has now been removed and censored - April 2008).
Through date and time monitoring we can report that the posts were clearly censored by bloggers like Janet Albrechtsen; Phillip Adams; Dennis Shanahan (the one with the graphically enhanced blue eyes); Samantha Maiden; Mark Day - the jury is still out on others who still have to post Nemesis's article.
Bottom line - The Australian censors posts it does not like. So what happened to the integrity of all the reporters involved? Clearly they were singing from the same song sheet - their master's - read Chris Mitchell aka Rupert Murdoch.