‘Make your point without stooping so low’: Ita Buttrose calls out Michael Kroger’s cancel-culture attack

I entirely agree. His entitled view that the board should doctor the journalism of the ABC is nothing short of appalling.

And good on Ita for calling out cancel culture from the right. Kroger’s media mates are fixated on condemning the left for its take-no-prisoners approach (particularly on social media) but conveniently overlook it when their own side plays the same destructive game.

Intelligence test

Though the names have been pixilated, I am indebted to Professor Clive Smallman for sending me this exchange, as his nomination for Twitter exchange of the week.Twitterati 1: “The spread of coronavirus is based on two factors.1. How dense the population is.2. How dense the population is.Twitterati 2: “You wrote the same thing twice. What’s the other one?“Twitterati 1: “You’re #2.”

Housekeeping

You will be as excited as I am to hear that they will shortly be opening an exhibition at Kensington Palace to display the wedding dress of Princess Diana. Am I alone in hoping that this time they iron it?

Joke of the Week

A man and a woman who have never met before, but are both married to other people, find themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train. Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, they are both very tired and fall asleep quickly. Him in the upper bunk and she in the lower.

At 1 am, the man leans over and gently wakes the woman, saying, “Ma’am, I’m sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I’m awfully cold.““I have a better idea,” she coos softly. “Just for tonight, let’s just pretend that we’re married.”

“Wow! That’s a great idea!” he exclaims.“Good,” she replies. “Get your own bloody blanket.”

Tweet of the Week

“At this point, I think Christian Porter should probably sue himself for damages.“@TheKennyDevine

Quotes of the Week

“You can catch this disease. [Misinformation] is not a defence. It’s not. But it will be brought up to say: This is why he was here. The reason he was there is because he was a dumb ass and believed what he heard on Fox News.” – Joseph Hurley, lawyer for Anthony Antonio, the fellow with the horned hat who was one of the most infamous of those who stormed the Capitol on 6 January, arguing that Antonio was an impressionable person who got exploited by Trump and complicit media.

“The climate cult, which demands that Australia stop using coal, even though there’s no certainty that carbon dioxide emissions are the main climate change villain.” – Former prime minister Tony Abbott in a new version of his most famous utterance on the subject, “climate change is crap”.

“Although our story is one of pain and sorrow – we are still here, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Standing tall, proud and strong – standing right here, where we belong.” – TV presenter Jarron Andy, a Waanyi, Djiru, Kuku Yalanji and Yindinji man, reading a poem to open the first dedicated Indigenous runway at Australian Fashion Week, on Wednesday.

“Recent years have confirmed that the current balance struck by sexual assault laws is not satisfactory. Something needs to be done. While the rights of the accused should not be lost, the interests of victims need better protection.” – From a statement by a group of high-profile NSW barristers, including former Commonwealth solicitor-general Justin Gleeson, SC, throwing its weight behind a plan to overhaul the state’s sexual assault laws to emphasise the importance of seeking active agreement to sex.

“Politics at its best is always about building a better future. We must always be mindful of the issue of intergenerational equity and fairness. Across all of our policy areas, we must focus on how we can build a better world with better opportunities for our children and young people of today and of tomorrow.” – Former finance minister Mathias Cormann calling on the world’s richest nations to develop an “ambitious and effective” plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in his first speech as head of the OECD.

“My view is that there being incontrovertible evidence in a court that someone was coached by Louise Milligan to destroy important communications, my view is that’s what got the ABC, forced them, to ask us into mediation and has forced them to the point where they have to say that they regret the outcome of the article.” – Christian Porter, withdrawing his defamation case against the ABC but refusing to concede.

“The article was not ‘sensationalist’. It was an accurate and factual report on a letter that had been sent to the prime minister and two other senior politicians.” – An ABC spokeswoman in reply.

“Detectives are particularly interested in speaking with anyone who may have been a victim of an assault or who may have witnessed assaults at Alison Park, Randwick, in the years prior to and after Raymond’s death, After more than three decades, investigators hope to be able to provide Raymond’s family – including his four children – with some answers.” – Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty as a $1 million reward was offered for new clues into the death Raymond Keam, a martial arts expert and father of four who was found beaten to death at Alison Park in Randwick in January 1987.

“People want an experienced hand … we need someone, Labor needs someone, NSW needs someone with knowledge and character, grit, tenacity and experience, and I believe that’s me.” – NSW Labor Party leadership hopeful Michael Daley.

“All I can do is put myself forward with a positive plan for the future of the state. I’ve made it very clear that, that the Labor Party is a democracy. Democracy is a bit messy from time to time, but they’re the rules.” –Fellow leadership hopeful Chris Minns.

Twitter: @Peter_Fitz