Anyway, I’ve been planning to take stock of my first year here—a retrospective, if you will, of the things that I love about this country and the things that kind of suck. So, over the next few days, maybe weeks, I’ll lay out the good, the bad and the ugly. Some will be long, like this one, and some will be short. Some may include more than one per post. I may get lazy and devolve into lists. Whatever.
All of these are, obviously, the subjective opinions of a smart-ass, Generation-X American snob, so if you don’t like them, too bad.
Also, I realise that I should probably start out with something from the positive category—because let’s be clear, I do love Australia and living here—but Drew and I were discussing this subject this morning, so I am in the frame of mind:
Things That Suck About Australia #1: Newspapers
There are no newspapers in this country that are worth the paper they’re printed on. They don’t print news; they print drivel that passes for news. Want to know what the newly elected centre-left government plans to do in the upcoming legislative session, which starts in two weeks? Don’t look here. Want to know what the Société Générale story means for global markets, or even the local one? Nope.
Want to know what Heath Ledger’s mother’s aunt’s neighbour said about the famous Australian actor who (maybe) offed himself in Manhattan? Banner headline, above the fold, Page One. Want to know which AFL star was arrested for something involving his girlfriend in a Miami hotel room? Lead story. (And I’m not even looking at the tabloid papers.)
The new Australian foreign minister, Stephen Smith, met with a number of people in his first official visit to Washington the other day, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Vice-President Dick Cheney: Page seven, below the fold, 12 paragraphs. (Although there is a small colour picture.)
Contrast that with a story about the hearing held by the International Cricket Council, on whether Indian player Harbhajan Singh should be punished for an alleged racial insult against Australian Andrew Symonds: banner headline (with editorialising subheads (“Australia caves in to India’s threats”)), above the fold, Page One, 16 paragraphs, 1/4-page colour photo, plus an additional 13-paragraph analysis in the sports section.
Let’s do a side-by-side comparison of headlines in The Sydney Morning Herald, the most sombre, news-driven paper in Australia’s largest city, with those of The New York Times, the most sombre, news-driven paper in America’s largest city. The day is Tuesday, 29 January 2008.
The Sydney Morning Herald
- “Iemma drops the ball again”, again editorialising, but a major story on the NSW premier’s plan for a new bridge.
- “We’re fat because we have to drive”, a story, linked to the Iemma story, about obesity and how, um, driving is bad?
- “Bradman out for duck in citizenship test”, a story about whether the Australian citizenship test should include a question pertaining to cricketing legend Sir Donald Bradman.
The New York Times
- “Bush, Facing Woes in ’08, Focuses on War and Taxes”, a story about the State of the Union address, one of the biggest events on the US political calendar.
- “Acrimony Reigns in G.O.P. on Eve of Florida Vote”, a report on the Republican primary race in a crucial state.
- “High Enthusiasm Propels Democrats”, an analysis of record turnout among Democratic primary voters, and what it means for the US general election.
- “French Inquiry: Bank’s Inaction Grows as Issue”, an update on the biggest financial news story in the world, the Société Générale rogue trader scandal.
- “Germany Confronts Holocaust Legacy Anew”, a feature article, on the 75th anniversary of Hitler’s taking power, about current German attitudes of their past.
- “Illegal Globally, Bail for Profit Remains in U.S.”, an analysis of the bail bondsman trade, and how it is unique in world jurisprudence outside of America.
Yeah.
When I lived in Austin, Texas, I never picked up the Austin American-Statesman, because all it consisted of was local stories I didn’t give a shit about and reprints of Associated Press or New York Times News Service stories for national or global news. I might as well read the actual New York Times, I thought, and so I did.
I’d actually have more respect for The Sydney Morning Herald if it took the American-Statesman cop-out shortcut. But I do expect quite a bit more from the broadsheet daily in the nation’s largest city.
