Stutchbury: The Oz’s ‘incompetent’ claims are ‘disappointing’
Editor-in-chief of The Australian Financial Review Michael Stutchbury says he is “disappointed” at personal attacks” levelled at him and senior journalist Neil Chenoweth in today’s The Australian, over a story which News Corp had received $882m tax windfall from the tax office.
On Monday the Financial Review reported News Corp Australia, which publishes The Australian, had received one of the largest cash payments ever made by the Tax Office after the Federal Court allowed the publisher to claim a $2 billion deduction.
In the wake of the article, The Australian has responded with a series of articles including an opinion piece by business editor Geoff Elliott, a news story critical of the original story and also a fierce editorial which denounced Chenoweth as “deranged” and Stutchbury as “incompetent”.
The editorial today calls on Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood to remove Stutchbury and concludes with a paragraph: “Stutchbury, who was considered incompetent by staff of this newspaper before his removal as editor, and his senior editors should be held to account for publishing Chenoweth’s blatantly dishonest reporting.”
Soooo….The Australian and The Fin fighting again. It always amazes me how we give so much airplay to either. Let’s be honest, if you take out free subs and spin on digital numbers, nobody actually reads anymore. It’s like two bald blokes fighting over a comb.
To have provoked such a vicious attack en masse from The Australian clearly gives this story credibility. It is disgraceful that at a time when the country is losing jobs and the Federal Government is farcically making statements like “the age of entitlement” is over and will not dish out corporate handouts that the ATO is paying News Corporation nearly $1 billion as a tax return for transactions nearly two decades ago that may be perfectly legal within the letter of the law but are morally repugnant within the spirit of it! Will Rupert Murdoch put his money where his mouth is and give that money back to the taxpayer?
not quite true Macca, but hey, never let the truth get in the way of your story eh?
Neither of these gangs has any self-respect. It’s appalling.
The persistent and petty sniping at Fairfax on a daily basis by The Oz under Chris Mitchell has become one of the biggest “turn-offs” on the Australian media scene.
If you are genuinely good in any field you don’t need to rubbish your opposition.
It seems The Oz has a gargantuan inferiority complex.
It’s extraordinary how when Rupert’s interests are under scrutiny his editors are so quick to do their master’s bidding. So much for fearless journalism.
Speaking of competence…
“a story which News Corp had received $882m tax windfall from the tax office”
should read:
“a story which SAID THAT News Corp had received $882m tax windfall from the Tax Office”.
Stiutchbury and Mitchell are two peas in a pod.