Journalist Revolt at the Age
Well, thank god.
Yesterday [10 April, 2008] 235 Age journalists voted unanimously for a motion accusing their editor in chief, Andrew Jaspan, of degrading their ability to produce independent journalism.
…
These journalists have grown increasingly angry and desperate over recent months at what they see as an unprecedented erosion of the ideals that have guided the newspaper in the past.The meeting included open displays of anger with the editor. In one particularly telling exchange the night news editor, Patrick Smithers effectively accused Jaspan of telling an untruth.
The meeting was in response to the Age’s coverage of Earth Hour, the content of which appears to have been driven by… promoters of Earth Hour. Journalists reportedly watched in horror and then malaise as their content was replaced by boosterism pap.
MediaWatch also ran a segment about emails from an EarthHour rep to Jaspan on Monday, 7 April.
The journalists have pledged to meet again and to protect and encourage independent journalism at the paper.
To Age journalists I say: Amen. Your writing - when I can find it beneath the gay-pedophile-hussy-teacher-child-torso-murder-shock stories these days - is still top quality. Fight Jaspan, and the readers will be behind you.
It’s behind their pay wall, but Crikey also has audio of Jaspan being told off. Zing!
The moral of the story is: beware the wrath of angry journalists; they will tell you what an ass you’re being, record it, and then pass the tapes onto a site that will play them over and over and over.
Man, I sure hope none of them have seen the website… they’re gonna be pissed.
Andrew Jaspan? 235 Age journalists can’t be wrong [Crikey via Ramon]
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