The Australian offers unreserved apology to PM over Glenn Milne column in today’s edition
The Australian has this morning deleted an article from its website by columnist Glenn Milne which revealed details about a story he worked on four years ago regarding now Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
In today’s lengthy article in the commentary section of The Australian, Milne tells readers that he was about to reveal information “the lawyers would not allow to be reported” at the time.
The article – headed “PM a lost cause for warring unions” than goes on to make an allegation regarding her former personal life, which Mumbrella is not going to repeat for legal reasons.
This morning, the article was pulled down from The Australian’s website and replaced with the following message headlined “Correction”:
Hey mr Mumbo,
I’d be careful linking to a defamatory article – you may be liable as well
Wow, just when you thought the muck pit could not get any deeper . . . . ?
So who should the public believe?
It is hard to find any good news for Juliar. The high price of being a union muppet. With apologies to the Muppets.
@MattP do you work for Crosby Textor? Or are you just an Alan Jones robot?
People who say Juliar and RAbbot need to be punched repeatedly in the groin.
Doesn’t the papers get the lawyers on staff to check articles first, maybe not on Sundays!!
OMG! When will deomocracy finally cut in and allow the people (as opposed to champagne socialist unions) get rid of this nightmare?
More disgraceful behaviour from Limited News. That apology just is not believable.
Just when we thought the despicable gutter press couldn’t get any lower…now we have their Clayton’s apology for a deliberate and libellous publication. I hope Julia sues.
So many precious commenters on this site. Clearly anyone who has an opinion which differs to theirs must be mocked.
@Tbone and Troll. You both have exceptional senses of humour and are very funny people. Please pursue a career in that field, no doubt you will make millions.
Wasn’t Milne the writer of the article which appeared last week somewhere about Abbott’s use of public funds to flog his book?
I’m wondering what is true anymore.
If this article about Gillard is true, why would it be any less ‘lawyered’ now than six years ago? What makes it worthwhile publishing now, at the same risk level?
Apologies after publication surely wouldn’t sway a judge when awarding damages?
Trust the media? Not likely.
@ Gizzard – she was able to form government. The other side weren’t. Are you implying that if Abbott had been able to form an alliance with the independents it would be ‘more democratic’?
Damnit, I wanna read Milne’s article now! And I missed it. Why can’t we know what assertions he made about the PM that can’t be regarded as the rough and tumble of politics? Is this censorship by the backdoor? Or more transparent than that? Censorship by the frontdoor. Unless there was stuff that was factually incorrect – as opposed to just an opinion – eg asserting that she was a member of the young Liberals before she switched teams rather than expressing an opinion that she made a mistake on the mining tax or something then I reckon it’s fair game. Maybe the Oz is being a tad too precious?
Hi Harlequin,
You could go and buy a paper. It’ll set you back $1.50, unless I’m mistaken.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
@ Harlequin
Less, if you read at a coffee shop!!
Thanks. You guys are far too lateral (thinkers) for me! Some guy at work found me the paper and quite frankly, I don’t get what the problem is. Must be missing something. At the most, it’s smear by association. Wonder where the factual errors are.
That’s the one big problem with our digital future – it’s very difficult to delete a newspaper… unless you have a ‘Ministry of Truth’ at your disposal.
Is anyone surprised that Milne got it wrong. Again. Any pretence of impartial factual reporting is just laughable.
One wonders if Milne (et. al.) recall during the first two years of the Howard government , how many Howard ministers had to resign their ministry for expense claim or travel allowance rorts, or for failing to sell shares when they had a vested interest. I can save Milne the trouble – seven. Tellingly, only one of the seven left parliament during their term, and that was for family reasons. And yes these improprieties occurred when they were ministers of the Crown and not working for a union. One would have thought that was of more importance and publid interest, but apparently not.
Where were all the ‘defenders of the good’ then? Totally silent. This is just one example of the double-standards being applied. I say go get ’em … but go get ’em ALL.
As we’ve explained here (in a hopefully simple summary of the law of defamation: http://skepticlawyer.com.au/20.....r-dummies/), “fair comment”is a defence to an action in defamation, but the publication must not display “malice” (in a legal sense).
Thus, before you start speculating about the actions of a person in a way that may affect their career or reputation, you should contact someone to check your facts. Failure to attempt to make contact with the subject of an allegation suggests malice, because the inference is that you do not have an honest belief in the truth of your publication – you haven’t even bothered to check with the horse’s mouth (as it were).
Reading between the lines, I presume that’s the issue which The Australian had? Perhaps Milne checked with Gillard about the allegations five years ago to get her response, but it seems no one contacted her this time.
A reminder. Youtube Glen Milne/Stephen Mayne.
Oh you drunken sod Milne.
Slightly off topic, however; does anybody know what Tony Abbot’s policies actually are?
Like them or loath them the current government has implemented quite a bit, since being in power.
Abbot just seems to disagree to everything. Who honestly would want Abbot in charge of this country?!!
Doh!!! “Abbott”
Good on the Australian for finally being a newspaper and not opinion based Bias. I only ask for fair reporting and so should the public.
In terms of the trolls in reply to this report haha play your sexist and name jokes all you like as it just reinforces me in believing the right government is in power….
cause you guys scare the hell out of me and i hate to think what this country will become if Abbot got control of it.
Why does Milne still have a job ?
@Sirfire Doh!!! “Abbott” 😉
Why hasn’t the Herald Sun deleted the Bolt article yet ??
Milne and the Australian returning to sup on their own vomit – it’s all they have left.
A Question (if that is your real name) oppositions don’t do policy until an election is approaching. It’s the way it’s been done forever.
It’s all across the internet, all News corp newspapers facebook, twitter etc.
An Australian example of continuing abuses of power by News corp newspapers.
Not only are they unbalanced in their reporting now they’re publishing defamatory articles Australia wide…well they’re at the the top of the heap for sure…the scum heap.
Bolt has shut down ALL political pieces until further notice. This is not good for free speech and democracy. Bolt is already battling a lawsuit. I put my money on anything he’s published of this subject being well researched and scrutinised before print.
Our PM shut down the release of her own autobiography by a LABOR sympathetic author so I’m thinking there’s something stinking the ALP don’t want to let out of the vault!
http://www.news.com.au/nationa.....6073655327
Smith@2UE was censored and barred from even talking to an ex union official with a stat dec that has already been read into HANSARD. His lawyers had given the go ahead. The government censored. Is this the transparent government YOU voted for? It’s nothing near anything I was sold at election time!
http://tex2.parliament.vic.gov.....date3=2001
What SMITH@2UE and BOLT and MILNE have to say about the theft of union funds and the calibre of both union officials and politicians IS of vital importance to all Australians.
These are the people running our country in our name! Who the hell are they?
How did Glenn Milne find out about Julia and Penny Wong trying for a baby together? Stephen Mayne told Andrew Bolt it was confidential. Hush Hush.
I like going down feeds like this and picking Labor and Coalition voters. Thanks for the fun. A wise friend of mine said the only trouble with Elections is that what ever happens and who ever you vote for; a politician always gets in!
:-/ Agree with you Mugobme. Either way we end up getting politicians! LOL.
Not the first time.
Did anyone watch Four Corners last night?
http://www.abc.net.au/iview/?W.....%20Corners
@ good call Ben. Then after the policies are announced and a government is formed a different policy is implemented…
Tony Abbott; I cant take him seriously. Turnball could be a long term leader if the rest of the libs got their act together…; I would love him to run as an independent…
Anyone who’s doing half-decent advertising knows that having ideas involves risk. There will be failures. Criticism is good to keep us focused. But If you have “authority” figures (Murdoch press and Singo’s relentless 2GB ) crapping on every idea, they dry up.Then everyone’s cactus. I see it with overbearing clients -they never end up with decent advertising. They end up with advertising created by grovelling, frightened people. Clever new Ideas have saved humanity over and over. But they only arise if you create a tolerance to failure. So call off your rot jocks Singo!