MP Gibbons backs rival Peter Kennedy for new role at The Advertiser
FEDERAL Member for Bendigo Steve Gibbons played a vital role in the controversial appointment of his Liberal Party opponent as the new Advertiser editor. Less than two months after defeating Peter Kennedy at the federal election, Mr Gibbons acted as a referee for the Liberal candidate for the position. Both men refused to comment on the appointment this week. Mr Kennedy’s appointment came after an election campaign that saw him complain about the perceived Labor Party slant of The Advertiser and its stories. While Mr Gibbons was keen to see Mr Kennedy be given the job, the same couldn’t be said for some of the other local Labor power brokers. State members and ministers Jacinta Allan and Bob Cameron were unimpressed with the appointment, claiming it had created a partisan atmosphere. “I would be looking for an assurance Peter Kennedy has resigned from the Liberal Party and has no intention of standing in any future election as a candidate for the Liberal Party,” Ms Allan said. “I will also be seeking an assurance the new editor’s previous political involvement won’t influence his decision making.” Mr Cameron criticised The Advertiser’s management for a decision he said could create a rift in the community. “I was surprised by the appointment,” he said. “I thought there would have been a phone call to say all will be well, but I haven’t had a phone call. “I was very surprised there was no call to reassure us there won’t be any political games.” Former Labor state and federal member David Kennedy was scathing in his criticism of the appointment. “There is a major conflict of interest here for a newspaper that wants to be seen as independent and credible appointing a high-profile Liberal Party person,” he said. “It is going to be very difficult for people to accept this as a reasonable thing to do. “I think this will be seen by a lot of Bendigo people to be partisan and discriminatory against the Labor Party. “It is hard not to see this as a blatant exercise in favouritism to the Liberal Party.” Bendigo Trades Hall Council secretary and Mr Gibbons’ sister, Karen Kyle, was also sceptical. “It is not at all unusual to have someone who is either a Liberal Party or National Party person in the editor’s seat at The Advertiser,” she said. “It is the usual state of affairs there and it has been that way for years. “The last four or five editors have all been Liberals. If they are good at their craft it doesn’t really matter, but they are usually not. “The Advertiser does display a conservative bias. I don’t know whether or not they are told to do that from on high at Sydney or not.”
Why does Bob Cameron deserve a phone call to get his blessing for the new editor? I wasn't asked for my opinion. All Peter Kennedy has to do is a professional job and what's right for the community. If that upsets Cameron, Kennedy or Kyle I really don't care.
Comment #2
(Posted by Laker)
Hey Stevie, guess you're off Karen's Christmas card list now. Seriously thought, clear the Labor boys and girls are at odds with each other. If you can't run a party, you can't run a city/state/country eh?!
“The last four or five editors have all been Liberals. If they are good at their craft it doesn’t really matter, but they are usually not.
“The Advertiser does display a conservative bias. I don’t know whether or not they are told to do that from on high at Sydney or not.”
Oh yes? And under which rock have you been living?
The Leftist bias of the Addy is one of the reasons the Bendigo Weekly exists today; to provide a view more balanced than the one we've seen from the Addy over the past few years.
A certain former female editor of a nearby Shire local paper was so heavily biased to Green/Labor the local rag became known, as one local wit put it, "A Green Left Weekly clone".
She went on "stress leave", at the end of which got a job - so one is lead to believe - with the Addy.
Peter Kennedy should make a good editor. He may be a Lib, but at least he's capable of being honest and seeing both sides of the story.
That alone puts him well ahead of some editors one could name.
Comment #4
(Posted by Big john)
Wow!
Cat Woman and The Phantom actually came out of hiding and managed to say a few words on the appointment of the new Addy editor and then crawled back into their caves again for another year.
Useless just like this council that can't even reach it's own targets, wouldn't be any good in a Robin Hood movie would they!
Comment #5
(Posted by Cam)
And it's not just leftist bias from editors you should comment on. What about the scribes themselves!
