AND THE GOLD MEDAL GOES TO..........

Gold medal from here.

I don't know what is in the air these days but, if ranting was an Olympic sport, Australia would not only be getting gold medals - it would be breaking world records.

In case you are not clear, dear Networker, on what constitutes a rant here is the definition:

Source: WordNet (r) 1.7

rant

n 1: a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion

[syn: harangue, ranting]

2: pompous or pretentious talk or writing [syn: bombast, fustian, claptrap, blah]

v : talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner [syn: mouth off, jabber, spout, rabbit on, rave]

So let's get the prize giving over.  
There are three people on the dais.

Noel Pearson. Picture from here.

Noel Pearson:  His ranting history has been interesting, particularly since he reverted to the Right and decided to vent again the Left.  And it has a literary bent gracing both the Melbourne and Brisbane Writers Festivals and feted by the Griffith Review.

Barnaby Joyce. Picture from here

Barnaby Joyce: The Queensland Senator represents the National Party. This constituency seems to rejoice in people who rant and sound off and do nothing. Barnaby was regarded as open and forthright when he first entered Parliament.  Now, he is the Leader of the National Party in the Senate he seems to think he has to rant for Australia. And there is precious little the National Party can do about anything very much.  Though it is part of a coalition with the Liberal Party, It is a rural rump party with an ever-declining vote.  Queensland is its most significant power base but its glory days seem to be past there and they have now formed themselves into a new party with the Liberals who could not organise themselves outside the southeast corner and Cairns and Townsville. 

Over here pete down south has similar views:

Wed 26 Aug 09 (08:56am) Poor ole Libs (and their hapless apologists, oops I mean supporters). The Nationals are a reinvention of the old DLP. Listening to Joyce rant and spew forth his stupidity makes me wonder what goes through rural Australia’s head. Are the country folk really that stupid?

Rupert Murdoch. Picture from here.

Rupert Murdoch:  Rupert has no difficulty in making his views known.  You don't own as many newspapers and television outlets as Rupert does and so make your views known.  He's not namby-pamby and he does have quite a list of achievements, creditable and discreditable, to his name.  In short, his words are seldom empty.  However, Rupert has qualified and is occupying No. 1 position on the dais because he has taken ranting to new levels.  Firstly, his audience.  Rupert only speaks to somebodies not nobodies.  Secondly, he has taken to name-calling in a B-I-G way.

Rupert took to name-calling in Beijing the other day at the World Media Summit.

Here is a sample:

Too often the conventional media response to the internet has been inchoate. A medium once thought too powerful has often seemed impotent in the past few years. Of course there should be a price paid for quality content, and yet large media organizations have been submissive in the face of the flat-earthers who insisted that all content should be free all the time. The sun does not orbit the earth, and yet this was precisely the premise that the press passively accepted, even though there have been obvious signs that readers recognize the reality that they should pay a price.

There are many readers who believe that they are paying for content when they sign up with an internet service provider, presuming that they have bought a ticket to a content buffet. That misconception thrived on the silence of inarticulate institutions which were unable to challenge the fallacies and humbug of the e-establishment.


The value of content has been volatile in the past decade but we are entering another decisive phase in which device makers are again courting the creators of content. I have sensed that shift in recent days during my travels in Japan and South Korea where I met some of the world’s leading electronics manufacturers. These companies don’t want their customers to be served a diet of digital dross, and yet that will be the inevitable consequence if the worth of content and creativity are not appreciated.


The Philistine phase of the digital age is almost over. The aggregators and the plagiarists will soon have to pay a price for the co-opting of our content. But if we do not take advantage of the current movement toward paid-for content, it will be the content creators, the people in this hall, who will pay the ultimate price and the content kleptomaniacs will triumph

And here is what Mark Scott, head of the ABC had to say about Rupert's online plans. 
Addendum 091020: 
Read here about what Mark Scott said before a Senate Committee yesterday. As well as saying:

''Taxpayers have already paid for ABC content and they shouldn't have to pay twice''

Scott explained ABC policy on drama and comedy availability on the internet in relation to DVD sales.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Which brings us to the question of media censorship............

Picture from here.

While Rupert, as head of an Empire, is voicing his complaints there are also people who have their own complaints some of which would be directed at the News Limited empire.  What does the media not give a fair go to?

Project Censored targets the news that doesn't make the news.  Go here for their Top 25 stories.  For alternative media sources, go here.  We could do with an Australian version of Project Censored.  I know the indy media people try but battle against the trials of volunteer resources and so on.