Reporters have told me that they are beseiged during these press conferences. Those who have their mobile numbers txt. Includes the boss, colleagues from i/state. colleagues from Canberra Press gallery wanting them to pursue a federal angle, suggestions and sometimes attacks from
..their contacts, which yes can include LNP members but also doctors, medical professionals etc. Then on top of that there is the pressure on Twitter, which they do watch. This is what I mean about the moral issues not being clear cut. People can be pressuring them to ask..
..questions for multiple reasons. Or for bad reasons that seem good at the time. Or they might be trying to help a colleague who wants a line for a different story. The pressures are multiple. Winnowing out when a line has been crossed is not simple.
...and to answer some who say that the problem is all @newscomauHQ also not that simple. I linked to this week's @ABCmediawatch which tells its own tale. And you'd have to be living under a rock not to notice the bias in some reports, but ....
... it is rarely black and white even then. There are good reporters within News Corp. Often under great pressure. Even News is not monolithic. And as I indicated earlier, people who think journos never make career choices on these things,
...NB the number of good reporters who have switched jobs in the last 12 months. Those who care about good journalism can help by being a bit more aware of these nuances, and supporting those in the profession who try to make a positive contribution, sometimes at personal cost.
... and that does not mean taking a Stand With Dan viewpoint. It means following the evidence, and doing your best to question and report thoroughly and fairly, heeding the weight of evidence and the public interest.
