The Prime Minister’s lack of leadership on the factor intensifying the fires – climate change – has turned initial incredulity into anger. That’s the reason people are pissed off about his holiday | JacquelineMaley
One of the most wonderful parts of my job is the mail I get from readers, a surprisingly small amount of it abusive. Obviously the readers who send complimentary and supportive correspondence are the ones I consider to be the most sound of judgment. But occasionally I have to admit my critics may have a point.So it was with Paul*, who wrote to me a few weeks back.
Likewise, Australians pay political staffers not to cover up for their boss, but to serve the office of Prime Minister in our interests.In February 2011, Julia Gillard addressed the House of Representatives following the devastating floods of that summer. She paid tribute to the emergency services personnel and held back tears when speaking of their bravery, and of the dead. She had cut short her summer holiday to attend to the floods, but was criticised for not showing enough emotion.
The Prime Minister’s lack of leadership on the factor intensifying the fires – climate change – has turned initial incredulity into anger. That’s the reason people are pissed off about his holiday. Compounding the perceived offence, the Prime Minister’s office seemed to think it would be able to convince journalists, and the audiences they serve, that the anger was all "Canberra bubble" nonsense.
At its worst, this culture of drops and off-the-record chats harms the media’s credibility because readers can’t be sure what we are telling them and what we are holding back. Likewise, Twitter, which many journalists use to test the temperature on breaking news stories, can distort perceptions of what is and isn’t a mainstream concern.
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