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Tanner’s one-sided sideshow lets the pollies off the hook

30 May 06:00am

Filed under: 2007 Election, Journalism, Lindsay Tanner, Media, Politics, Sideshow

Lindsay Tanner isn’t happy with the mainstream media’s treatment of politics and politicians. The mainstream media is lazy, superficial, biased, banal. It has a pack mentality and a short attention span. It cooks up or makes up stories, fails to correct errors, and can be easily conned. It is unwilling or unable to examine big ideas and serious policy debate.

No fun at Lindsay's fair. Illustration: Michael Perkins, The Australian

As for social media, well, that’s just frivolous nonsense. All those people writing their silly tweets. And politicians shouldn’t have fun or show their lighter side. Costello dancing the Macarena – what was that about? Just stupid.

With his furrowed brow, his Brylcreemed widow’s peak and his dark and dated suits, Lindsay Tanner has long had the demeanour of someone who is 50 going on 75. It befits him to have authored such a grumpy and meandering book, Sideshow: Dumbing Down Democracy. This crotchety polemic combines random anecdotes from federal politics with haphazardly-selected quotes from professional haters of mainstream journalism to bolster his thesis that politics is stuffed, and that it’s (almost) all the media’s fault.

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Dave says:

10:17am | 31/05/11

Russia, Canada, USA, are some of the countries who will “Not endorse the next Keyoto meeting” we are so great are we not? we are going to save the world, the whole 22 million odd people in this country, our food and the cost of living is one of the… Read more »
Brad says:

10:13am | 31/05/11

Lazy journalism appeals to lazy people! You can add to your list the last time any of them wrote about constitutional issues or even dare mention the fact that we have a constitution. To be fair though, we don’t have any politicians who ever reference that almighty document that is… Read more »

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ToryShepherd 28 May 12 10:46PM

RT @saline: Touche Miriam. Touche Barry. Wicked old thespians taking the pith. #qanda

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antsharwood 28 May 12 08:31PM

How much fun is it retweeting people who can't spell?

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