http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/stephen-harrington/ Stephen Harrington is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Media and Communication at the Queensland University of Technology, where his teaching and research has focussed mainly on television, news and entertainment. His career goal is for Sunrise to one day call him a “cultural commentator”. You should follow him on Twitter (@_StephenH). en Copyright 2013 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/political-correctness-whatever-its-all-about-respect/ Whenever I hear people complaining loudly about ‘Political Correctness gone mad’, I usually respond in the same way as when Sarah Silverman hears someone describe themselves as a “Diva”. (Note: NSFW) ‘Political Correctness’ is actually just an over-used (typically, and strangely, pejorative) buzzword for ‘being respectful to people’. And, call me crazy, but I don’t think anyone has the right to be disrespectful, rude, sexist, racist or homophobic without consequence. So, when people complain about “political correctness gone crazy!” I think to myself, “no, you’re probably just a c—t.” feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Harrington) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/political-correctness-whatever-its-all-about-respect/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/political-correctness-whatever-its-all-about-respect/#item10529 Sun, 03 Feb 2013 19:45:20 +0000 Stephen Harrington | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/from-big-brother-were-just-looking-for-our-little-brother/ I am still surprised it took this long for Big Brother to return to Australian TV screens. When it finished its run on Channel Ten back in 2008, I didn’t think it would be long before another network picked it up and produced a scaled-down, low-key version for some late-night padding to help fill up their Australian content quota. As per usual, I was wrong. Either the image of the increasingly scandal-ridden show was too tainted for our highly risk-adverse network executives, or it took the good folks at Dreamworld a full four years to come up with a wacky new hot tub design. So, I watched last night’s premiere on Nine with a genuine professional and personal interest (being a media studies academic, and having worked in a minor role in the production of one of the show’s earlier iterations), and I really wanted to see how it would all pan out. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Harrington) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/from-big-brother-were-just-looking-for-our-little-brother/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/from-big-brother-were-just-looking-for-our-little-brother/#item9217 Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:50:06 +0000 Stephen Harrington | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/50-shades-of-hypocrisy-by-anti-porn-crusaders/ Some call it “erotic fiction”. Others, “those steamy books my friends have been buzzing about”. The 50 Shades trilogy by E.L. James is, however, probably best known for popularising one term in particular: “mummy porn”. Just to save you a possibly embarrassing Google search with potentially bizarre results, that refers to porn for mothers, and has nothing to do with people having a sexy time whilst wrapped head-to-toe in bandages. Although, Rule 34 of the Internet says that’s probably out there somewhere too. For the very few who are still yet to find out about this whole phenomenon, Wikipedia will tell you the plot of the first book, 50 Shades of Grey, is about: feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Harrington) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/50-shades-of-hypocrisy-by-anti-porn-crusaders/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/50-shades-of-hypocrisy-by-anti-porn-crusaders/#item8837 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:00:26 +0000 Stephen Harrington | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Turning-media-bolognese-into-a-fresh-pack-of-pasta/ I would bet that for probably 95 per cent of regular visitors to The Punch, media policy is quite a way down the list of topics of interest. Like, near the very bottom. Even below Tanya Zaetta. For the punters, it just isn’t the stuff of sexy reading. But, for the egg heads out there, yesterday’s release of the final report from the Federal Government’s Convergence Review is the latest chapter in what can only be described as one big, hot, steamy, media policy orgy. For some people (which does not include me… I am far too lazy, ahem, busy doing my job) wading through the various chunky reports is like taking Viagra. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Harrington) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Turning-media-bolognese-into-a-fresh-pack-of-pasta/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Turning-media-bolognese-into-a-fresh-pack-of-pasta/#item8375 Tue, 01 May 2012 00:50:37 +0000 Stephen Harrington | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-campaign-that-gives-us-reason-to-be-optimistic/ So, we all know about Kony 2012, right? It’s rather extraordinary to think that you’re probably reading this just five days after the Invisible Children campaign exploded over the internet, and yet you’re probably already thinking “I’m so over it!”  A week really is an age in internet time. And yet, I still don’t quite know what to make of it all. On the one hand, the motives of the campaign are very simple: stop an evil bastard. And, of course, it’s hard to argue against that in any way. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Harrington) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-campaign-that-gives-us-reason-to-be-optimistic/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-campaign-that-gives-us-reason-to-be-optimistic/#item7980 Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:30:33 +0000 Stephen Harrington | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/eight-simple-rules-for-losing-your-doctoral-virginity/ Right now, there are thousands of brand new PhD candidates entering universities around the country. Many of them will be highly anxious, knowing that they have a long, difficult journey ahead of them which, statistically speaking, they have less than a 75 per cent chance of completing successfully. Emma Jane last year described doing a PhD as “childbirth for the brain”. And, while I liked her sentiment, I don’t agree that the whole process really has to be so “mind-meltingly, stomach-churningly, sleep-deprivingly difficult”. Just as there are many things expecting or labouring mothers can do to make childbirth easier and more bearable – epidurals, controlled breathing exercises, gym balls, warm baths, happy gas, umm… taint massage – there are some simple rules Doctoral students should follow in order to deliver their baby without recourse to forceps or an episiotomy. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Harrington) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/eight-simple-rules-for-losing-your-doctoral-virginity/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/eight-simple-rules-for-losing-your-doctoral-virginity/#item7702 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:40:46 +0000 Stephen Harrington | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/can-obama-win-the-election-yes-he-can-maybe/ Barack Obama was always going to have a tough presidency. He set the bar so high for himself during the arduous two year lead-up to his election that he was always at risk of sailing right under it when it came time to start enacting the “Change we can believe in”. Indeed, back in 2008 there were times when it seemed his strategists took their cues from Napoleon Dynamite’s Pedro, as he essentially promised the electorate: “vote for me and all your wildest dreams will come true”. In the nearly three years since he took office, he has made some important steps – passing a (slightly watered-down) health care package, most notably – but so many of his promises have gone unfulfilled and, although it pains me deeply to say it, his presidency thus far has been a bit of a wet firecracker. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Harrington) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/can-obama-win-the-election-yes-he-can-maybe/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/can-obama-win-the-election-yes-he-can-maybe/#item7494 Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:50:22 +0000 Stephen Harrington | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/icb-the-myth-of-rural-virtue/ Welcome to this week’s “I Call Bullshit”, which has been slowly percolating inside of me for many years. It’s about the myth that there is a deep divide in this country between people who come from the cities, and the people who come from the regions, and that the latter are somehow fundamentally different from everyone else; that they are in some way more “real” Australians than the people who live in the comfort of the suburbs. Somehow, we have accepted this notion that once you drive out of a big city, you cross some invisible line that maps out “real” Australia. It’s one great big construct that has no basis in reality. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Harrington) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/icb-the-myth-of-rural-virtue/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/icb-the-myth-of-rural-virtue/#item7389 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:55:44 +0000 Stephen Harrington | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/can-we-get-rid-of-this-fat-home-intruder-already/ Santa sucks. It recently occurred to me that everyone eventually arrives at that same conclusion one way or the other. I certainly did on Saturday, at precisely 12:36pm. Earlier that morning my wife and I packed up our two boys (one nearly 4 and the other 11 months) and headed off to our local shopping centre. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Harrington) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/can-we-get-rid-of-this-fat-home-intruder-already/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/can-we-get-rid-of-this-fat-home-intruder-already/#item7354 Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:50:44 +0000 Stephen Harrington | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/A-letter-to-the-schoolyard-bully-who-never-grew-up/ Dear Kyle, I just want to let you know that I feel sorry for you, mate. I really do. I think people are too rough on you. Lots of people say that you have no talent, but I think you do. I’ve never listened to your show (except for those times that you’ve been played back on Media Watch), but I know that hosting a radio show does take skill, and you have certainly done that for quite some time. For that reason alone I hope that everyone goes a bit easier on you in the future. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Stephen Harrington) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/A-letter-to-the-schoolyard-bully-who-never-grew-up/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/A-letter-to-the-schoolyard-bully-who-never-grew-up/#item7228 Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:35:38 +0000 Stephen Harrington | Author bios | The Punch