The list below provides a small cross-section of the countless examples of the unmitigated hostility, which has been presented to the public as news. At the foot of this page, the social media activity of editorial staff evidences a culture which clearly pervades the News Corp organization across Australia.
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COMPLICITY WITH HOSTILE PARTIES The provision of support to parties hostile to Schapelle Corby and her family has been a constant theme. Here, News Corp's relationship, position and attitude are graphically demonstrated via email correspondence with AFP Commissioner Michael Keelty. THE AUSTRALIAN & THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY FABRICATION The Australian newspaper used its 50th anniversary edition to publish a direct fabrication, despite having been provided with the primary evidence to prove that the comments were entirely false. CENSORSHIP OF MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS / INDONESIAN When Schapelle Corby's clemency application was referred to a Supreme Court judge for a recommendation, by the President of Indonesia, he stated that the case was flawed, that she should never have been convicted, and that the AFP appeared to be involved. This was yet another extremely significant development which was simply pre-erased from history, and wasn't reported by News Corp at all. THE WILLIAM MOSS AFFAIR After initially introducing him as a ‘star witness’ in support of Schapelle Corby, William Moss was openly vilified, as The Daily Telegraph rapidly changed position, and began its long campaign of abuse and misreporting. He has pursued News Corp through the courts to this day. EXTREME VITRIOL AND OPEN ABUSE (FB) In the run-up to the parole decision, News Corp published yet another vitriolic tirade by hostile columnist, Madonna King. This one was largely focused upon Schapelle Corby’s supporters, and was particularly venomous in its content. This was the same Madonna King, whose response to Schapelle Corby’s diagnoses as mentally ill and suicidal, was to pen an article which undermined the eminent psychiatrist who diagnosed her, and which distracted focus from her life-threatening condition via a string of ludicrously contrived references. SPINNING DAMAGING FALLACY Schapelle Corby's legal appeal was fatally wounded when News Corp published a fictitious story about a prison visit by one of countless well-wishers, whilst she was on remand. Police later raided his house in connection with drug dealing, and having found the tourist photograph taken with Schapelle, leaked its existence to News Corp. From this, News Corp claimed that the photos were taken BEFORE Schapelle went to Bali, and that she was thus involved with criminals. When the truth eventually emerged, and this false story fell apart, there was no retraction, no apology, and no attempt whatsoever to repair the terrible damage this intervention had caused. ABUSES PERPETRATED IN PRISON News Corp staff and reporters were responsible for a number of the direct intrusions and breaches of privacy, inflicted upon Schapelle Corby herself, in Kerobokan Prison. These abuses occurred even after her mental illness had been diagnosed. THE ANATOMY OF A SMEAR Even when News Corp was presented with incontrovertible evidence during the construct of a story, it was ignored, and an article of contradictory fiction was produced instead. HOSTILE INTERVENTIONS IN INDONESIA (FB) It is widely recognized that News Corp staff sometimes engage in activities which cross well beyond the line of reporting news and into the realms of driving the actual events. In the case of Schapelle Corby, this has been frequent, often exposing her to significant risk. ABUSE OF PRIVACY IN THE MANUFACTURE OF NEWS (FB) To this day, News Corp prevents Schapelle Corby from enjoying any privacy at all in Bali, with even her discussions with parole officers being quoted and relayed to the public. Often, the words themselves are turned on their heads, and are used to launch brutal attacks via clearly manufactured stories - in this case, seeking to imply that she is lazy. Her civil and human rights are simply dismissed by all parties. BACKGROUND ABUSES: BUSINESS AS USUAL / PAGE 2 Over the years, News Corp journalists have been prominent in producing copy which has been instrumental in diminishing public sympathy and support (extracts from the Opinion Management Report). INCIDENTAL ABUSE: SCHAPELLE CORBY IN OTHER STORIES (FB) News Corp staff regularly abuse Schapelle Corby within wholly unrelated reports. This occurs even when protesting the innocence of other Australians imprisoned overseas, as in the case Peter Greste, who also happens to be a journalist. THE USE OF MYTHICAL AND STILTED POLLS There is nothing more re-assuring for the prejudiced and the misled than being told that their position is widely shared. Placing a poll directly underneath a hostile article is one technique used to achieve this end. Another method is simply to quote an office poll, or a poll which doesn't actually exist. Here, a dubious poll is used to contrive a story to place Schapelle Corby in a wholly manufactured criminal context. CONSISTENT FAILURE TO REFERENCE SOURCE From 2011, The Australian newspaper ran a series of articles in support of Allan Kessing, and frequently reported the multiple arrests pertaining to corruption at Sydney Airport. Despite The Expendable Project actually sourcing the new evidence in the Kessing case, and hosting dozens of documents relating to the reported corruption, it wasn’t referred to at all. Allan Kessing’s own comments on the Schapelle Corby case were similarly unreported. SETTING THE AGENDA Within days of the verdict, with much of the public still aghast at the outcome, columnist Janet Albrechtsen was straight out of the blocks with a shockingly hostile article, accusing the public, amongst other things, of "overdosing on compassion". PROVOKING AND INCITING HOSTILITY IN INDONESIA (FB) Frequently, News Corp directly incites problems for Schapelle Corby herself within Indonesia. Often, this is via direct suggestion and input to Indonesian officials. Sometimes, other methods are used, such as the publication of fabrications, or the wholly false misrepresentation of minor events. SYSTEMIC AND POLITICAL CENSORSHIP How can a huge cache of ministerial correspondence, which includes direct examples of the wilful withholding of vital primary evidence, and repeated perjury, not be reported, despite frequent notification? Astonishing items of official material are the subject of ongoing censorship, despite their central role in the overall story and their enormous newsworthy status as individual standalone scandals. |
These examples constitute just a sample from the huge catalogue of abuses perpetrated against Schapelle Corby and her family. In addition, there have been thousands of incidental references, almost invariably of a disparaging nature.
Unfortunately, the culture that breeds this sort of contempt for integrity and ethical journalism, extends throughout the corporation. Examples of attitude and mentality are provided regularly through social media, including from the most senior of staff, including editors. The following are examples, as tweeted by the editor of the Courier Mail and News Corp’s former Queensland Editorial Director:
PARTIAL LIST OF THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH ABUSIVE NEWS CORP OUTPUT
Cindy Wockner, Madonna King, Keith Moor, Paul Maley, Naomi Toy, Greg Stolz, Robyn Wuth, Daniel Meers, Tracey Spicer, Kristin Shorten , Sian Powell, Claire Harvey, Deborah Cassrels, Colin James, Alison Stephenson, Holly Byrnes, Andrew Bolt, David Penberthy, Paul Toohey, Janet Albrechtsen, Rita Panahi. To be completed.
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