Credibility

Oh my God! It seems that anyone can be a radio shock jock in Australia, or at least Sydney in Sydney anyway. Watching A Current Affair I saw Ian Maurice give his opinion on some trivial issue. Huh! People actually care what Maurice has to say. He is just an old sports broadcaster but that is obviously enough for him to be qualified to speak out about other issues as well. Similarly Tim Webster is another Sydney radio talkback host who was previously a sports commentator. Could you imagine if that sort of thing happened in Melbourne?! Imagine Rex Hunt or Eddie McGuire talking about current affairs and other issues rather than footy or cricket?! It’s a similar thing with that Sky News Australia show 180, which is supposed to present the other side of the news. You can tell that this is a Sydney produced show because of the lack of credibility of the host and panellists. The host is Paul Murray, a late night DJ for Triple M in Sydney, with panellists including Melissa Hoyer, a gossip columnist and entertainment reporter, Dan Guinane, a rugby league commentator, and Prue McSween who is a social commentator, whatever that is. Do you really think that this motley group is qualified to discuss politics and current affairs?