Is the Australian Community Media as out of touch in your area?

**wotnot** · 29-09-21, 05:34 PM

A decade or so after Fairfax media group moved through the country buying up every 'local rag' they could, I've watched whatever 'quality' these publications once had, devolve into absolute rubbish.

For instance, the image below I think is being hoisted on all the websites of these once-upon-a-time local newspapers, so you get to see this regardless of it's your local area/town or not.

Could be just me I guess, but wtf has that image got to do with description there-under? I can't even conclude if that's rural NSW or not --- anyone here know the location? Or else, seen the image before?

Do an image search? Already done, I can't find a match but then I only tried google image scrape ...I got HEAPS of *hits* though....guess =) If the answer isn't obvious, feed this image into your favourite image search engine, for a list of all the other ACM local editions running the same story..

Code:

 https://www.beaudeserttimes.com.au/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/298ac4b7-9878-47a1-8db7-7ce8c5dc71a0.jpg/r0_0_800_600_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

I've stuck that URL in a code box just because this is a tech forum, just to example what users do...lol. What is 'silverstone-feed-data'...?...the fairfax cloud most likely.

The other thing that irks me about all this, is that years ago the 'local town rag' contained all the local news and stories, accurately, but now they can't even get that much right...sometimes during natural disaster events (bushfires, floods, other), you end up with 2 layers of bullshit -- the national broadcaster saying one thing (incorrect), the local office saying another (also incorrect), and the people living there either asking 'what are they on about? That's not happening' to 'what are they on about? It's 10 times worse than that'.

I get an SMS this morning from a friend, asking me if he knows anything about an accident reported on the local news website just near me -- I answer no, but as it's just down the road I offer to take a drive and check it out -- I get there and there's nothing to see, so I turn south and go 7klms from where the website reported the accident having closed the highway, before I find the incident which is a minor bingle between a truck and a ute...not even on the main road at all. Somehow they're able to misreport a large amount of the content, and I wonder if it's the same for everyone else at a local level?

**enf** · 29-09-21, 05:37 PM

Didn't Fairfax sell up it's interests? I thought all their media was now owned by Channel 9. This would go a long way to explaining things.

From Wicki

Fairfax Media was delisted from the Australian Securities Exchange in December 2018. Its metro publishing assets continue to be published by the group as Nine Publishing. Many of its other assets, such as its community media holdings were sold shortly after the merger was completed.

**lsemmens** · 29-09-21, 05:45 PM

This has been going on for centuries. I remember when Max was due to hit Darwin (the fist cyclone after Tracy) at midday they were announcing on the news that the city was in lockdown, The only thing in lockdown was the driveways of service stations and bottle departments with people lining up down the street waiting to get their petrol and beer supplies. THe Cyclone didn't actually hit until the early hours of the next morning and the advice to shelter wasn't given until around tea time only because people might have missed the advice if given later. In the end it dropped a lot of rain and knocked a few trees over, but that was it. Sure, those who went through Tracy were very nervous, but that was not how the larger populous of new Territorians took it. The ONLY way to get the facts, in recent history, is to either witness them yourself or ask a mate who was there for his version of events.

**wotnot** · 29-09-21, 06:48 PM

Originally Posted by enf

Didn't Fairfax sell up it's interests? I thought all their media was now owned by Channel 9. This would go a long way to explaining things.

From Wicki

Hmm.... and it seems

However it's still all fairfax branded, but backed by Thorney Investment Group?

Thorney invests in public securities, private companies and property, and has close connection to the Pratt family investments. Thorney specialises in emerging companies across a broad range of industries including manufacturing, technology, mining services and resources. In 2016 the Australian Taxation Office revealed that the company had paid no tax in 2013-14, despite revenue of A$430 million.

I think it's starting to make sense ...lack of accountability is rife =)

**enf** · 29-09-21, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by wotnot

Hmm.... and it seems

However it's still all fairfax branded, but backed by Thorney Investment Group?

Thorney invests in public securities, private companies and property, and has close connection to the Pratt family investments. Thorney specialises in emerging companies across a broad range of industries including manufacturing, technology, mining services and resources. In 2016 the Australian Taxation Office revealed that the company had paid no tax in 2013-14, despite revenue of A$430 million.

I think it's starting to make sense ...lack of accountability is rife =)

ALL media in this country is suspect.....

Oh, some of the backing for the Guardian was provided by Malcolm Turnbull. It is often referred to in the media as the Turnbull Times.

**lsemmens** · 30-09-21, 12:25 AM

I've given up reading the ~~papers~~ firelighters. I watch one commercial news and the ABC most nights. Of course, if there is something critical, I then do some research otherwise it just tells me what the weather is going to be tomorrow (sort of).

**VroomVroom** · 30-09-21, 07:32 AM

I dont bother subscribing to any local news content , or buy the paper , or anything. Havent done for many years. We have a local FB community group up here which has numerous people posting links to local articles for free. Then after the article is posted we spend some time putting crap on the useless journos who created the article !! its all BS mixed in with google journalism , twisted around to suit some dramatic agenda..

**enf** · 30-09-21, 09:58 AM

Originally Posted by VroomVroom

I dont bother subscribing to any local news content , or buy the paper , or anything. Havent done for many years. We have a local FB community group up here which has numerous people posting links to local articles for free. Then after the article is posted we spend some time putting crap on the useless journos who created the article !! its all BS mixed in with google journalism , twisted around to suit some dramatic agenda..

Pretty much, although calling them "journos" is insulting what was once a good profession. These days they just lazily run with whatever press release is issued. And THAT release could be the result of some twitter leak and derive from nothing at all.

The recent "Kevin Rudd gets us a million doses of pfizer" invention comes to mind. They ALL ran with it in print and on the tube for days and only one, ONE, journo thought to contact pfizer and check. FFS.

My daughter used to put the news on when she got up and so I would glance at it. Since she moved out I've put the large TV on only a few times to watch footy. I still get bullsh!tted to by news organisations, but at least I don't have it done to my face by overpaid agenda filled mouthpieces.

Sorry, bit of a rant there....

**Uncle Fester** · 30-09-21, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by wotnot

A decade or so after Fairfax media group moved through the country buying up every 'local rag' they could, I've watched whatever 'quality' these publications once had, devolve into absolute rubbish.

All the local rags in the rural/regional/suburban areas I am aware of are now owned by .
Our biweekly edition that was free to all households for many years and was not too bad back then started to degrade when The Nationals heavily took over what was published there.
Now, about 2 years only available a paid subscription I do not miss it.

We now also have a local independent free community paper, that does tell you what is going on with reports and views from all sides published, even mine.

**Rocket** · 30-09-21, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by wotnot

A decade or so after Fairfax media group moved through the country buying up every 'local rag' they could, I've watched whatever 'quality' these publications once had, devolve into absolute rubbish.

For instance, the image below I think is being hoisted on all the websites of these once-upon-a-time local newspapers, so you get to see this regardless of it's your local area/town or not.

Could be just me I guess, but wtf has that image got to do with description there-under? I can't even conclude if that's rural NSW or not --- anyone here know the location? Or else, seen the image before?

I belive its an image of Wilcannia in Far West NSW where the Local Health District had motor homes delivered for the residents to isolate in due to over crowding issues in the community.