Let’s consider the Fairfax drama more closely:
1) Gina Rinehart’s buying three seats on the board of Fairfax Media has given rise to fear and loathing in the hearts of Fairfax journalists who still see democracy-through-capitalism as an evil development of our society. Some Fairfax journalists are frightened they will lose their jobs because they strongly oppose Ms Rinehart’s pro-capitalist views.
2) Some Murdoch Media journalists are destined to lose jobs because of The Australian’s format changing from paper to electronic transmission via Kindle, Sony and other appliances. This has nothing to do with Ms Rinehart’s dealings with Fairfax. Like it or not, it signals the end of newspapers as a means of the mass-transmission of news and opinion.
3) The Fairfax drama actually is a functioning of the open market – as is the possibility of the public’s rejecting electronic media in favour of returning to newspapers. That would be an example of both democracy-through-capitalism and of the continuing freedom to publish.
Dr Paul Fidlon,
Armidale
