Ray Martin: Has Corporate Propaganda Killed Media Trust?
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Ray Martin: Has Corporate Propaganda Killed Media Trust?
THE SCAM:For 60 years, Australian journalists like Ray Martin were trusted to deliver the news with fact-checkers and producers backing them up. But as corporate media consolidated — Murdoch's 70% newspaper ownership, paid advertorials dressed as news, and the revolving door of politicians becoming lobbyists — the public lost trust. Meanwhile, gas companies have been extracting Australian resources for decades paying minimal PRRT, while every resource minister since has gone to work for the industry they once regulated.
THE DAMAGE:Its hard to distinguish between Channel 7's paid infotainment and ABC's fact-checked journalism. Young people can't trust anything they see or hear, and AI is about to make it worse. The media is obsessed with US politics while ignoring 10,000 people dying in Bangladesh floods. Whistleblowers like Julian Assange and David Hicks are punished, not protected. And the gas companies keep getting away with it because they scare politicians with job losses.
THE OUTCOME:It's not a conspiracy — it's 'business as usual.' The wealthy have always run things, from the pastoralists in the 1840s to the gas companies today. The real cover-up is that nothing gets labelled as a cover-up. Media outlets pimp themselves out as sponsored content without disclosure. The IPA and Gina Rinehart's think tanks launder propaganda through Murdoch press. And the ABC, despite being the most trusted institution, is slowly forced to cover the same stories corporate media sets the agenda on.
Bank profits up. CommBank posted a $5.4 billion half-year profit—up 5%. Revenue hit $15 billion, driven by business lending and deposit-taking in Australia's $2.4 trillion mortgage market. Everyday Aussies take the hit, deposit interest exclusions, junk fees, high mortgage rates and low savings rates.Yahoo Finance.
Toll fees gone mad, profits privatised: A $20 toll blown out to $40.60—thanks to admin, video matching, statement, dishonour, and card payment fees. Meanwhile, Transurban posted $3.4 billion revenue (2022), paid $1 billion+ in dividends, and barely any tax. Profits privatised, costs socialised.Michael West Media.
