Where was the media when we needed them?

Remember back in February when the mainstream media was telling us this was “just like the flu”?

They weren’t asking the Health Minister “how many Australians might die”  or “why don’t we close the borders”. They didn’t want to know whether the PM had calculated the cost of leaving the borders open? They weren’t estimating how many weeks it would be before we ran out of ICU beds.

Nor were they demanding to know whether Australians could make more medical masks, had enough ventilators, or should be stocking up with weeks to go, so we could avoid last minute shopper panic. Australians were still booking holidays on cruise ships and flights to Bali instead of putting spare toilet paper in the shed.

While the tidal wave was weeks away the media was more concerned about protecting the image of China, not calling this the Wuhan-Flu, and making sure we know how wrong it was to make jokes about not shaking hands of Chinese-Australian doctors. Which is poor taste but hardly a national prime time event. The irony being that now we’re not supposed to shake anyone’s hands anyway.

Australians were blindsided by the incompetent media. That’s why they are panic shopping now.  And now the media still wont ask the borders question — those who sold the country into this mess which could have been so easily avoided. The media doesn’t want to go there because it would be to admit they failed too. They kept  it off the table  — presumably to stay fashionably aligned with their academic buddies who were shedding tears about 65,000 student cash cows being stuck at home in China.

Watch the advert at 3:00 minutes –China Global Television Network promoted the spread of coronavirus with a advert.

It’s almost like the media were bought by China….

In Australia yesterday the ABC or SBS chopped Trumps answer so Australians mostly won’t know that Trump calls it the Chinese Virus because China is calling it a virus from American Soldier.

9.5 out of 10 based on 42 ratings

68 comments to Where was the media when we needed them?

  • #

    I have changed my view on this situation because the destructive effect on national health services of even a mortality rate in the region of 1% is unacceptable so that the response has to be ‘whatever it takes’.
    The cruelty of this virus is the proportion of sufferers who get pneumonia and require breathing assistance in order to recover. That is a highly specific requirement and it targets one of the least available health services.
    Even if the mortality rate were the same as flu the additional burden on that specific form of treatment would be unmanageable yet here we see a rate of maybe ten times that where such treatment can be supplied and much more when such treatment cannot be supplied.
    There was a time when such assistance was not available and those affected just passed away whilst the rest of society continued business as usual but that is not the way we do things today.
    Much harsher steps should have been taken earlier and may well have been taken if the Chinese had been forthcoming earlier about the specific danger presented by this virus.
    Even now, given what we have seen, I do not find it credible that China only had 80.000 infections in a city of 11 million.
    Additionally, China sent out infected people flying around the world for over a month before admitting it had a serious problem.

    242

    • #
      el gordo

      And I’ll have to back down from calling it a beat up.

      ‘The death toll from coronavirus in Italy has surged by 627 in a single day, New York ordered all the state’s nearly 20 million residents to stay at home, while Britain has closed its pubs, cafes, and gyms.’ SMH

      121

    • #
      Mike Jonas

      I think everyone has changed their view on the Wuhan virus at some time. In such a changing situation, it’s inevitable. China for example has changed its line over time.
      1. Conceal the news, punish anyone who speaks out.
      2. Admit that Wuhan has the virus, use Xi’s control over the WHO to export it to the rest of the world as fast as possible.
      3. Make headline-grabbing gestures to impress the population with how much Xi was doing for them. (eg new hospital in 7 days).
      4. Suppress all information.
      They are in phase 4 now, of course. No information coming out of China can be believed. No new cases? Or headlines demanded by Xi?

      I really genuinely believe that the western democratic governments – including ScoMo’s Donald’s and Boris’s – are doing the best they can. If their words and actions change from one day to another it’s because the situation changes so fast. Yes they have made some mistakes, but that’s inevitable, and they have got some things right too (like early stopping travellers from China at a time that the WHO (ie Xi) was telling countries to let them in).

      140

      • #
        truth

        I agree that Morrison did the right thing with the early ban…although he did allow a last commercial flight from Wuhan that seemed unconscionable…especially with the inadequate self-isolating being the prevailing precaution at the time once they were here.

        But I don’t believe he’s doing his best now…except with the PR…the tone and the hosing down etc…an acting job.

        I want him to succeed because I know the Left’s vultures are hovering ..waiting to use this crisis to convince Australians of the supremacy of Socialism over Capitalism…a mission they’re always on …that can only succeed if their lies are ignored or endorsed by the media…and an aim Rudd tried to achieve after the GFC…and is still trying.

        I’ll only be assured that Morrison did his best with this if he proves that he has used every resource available to him…to ensure enough ventilators and anti-virals are available to save the lives of the most vulnerable.

        91

      • #
        el gordo

        In defence of the dictatorship, the virus came out of the blue and Beijing has lost face over the early bumbling. Finally thay have banned all trade in native wild animals, which should go a long way to prevent future pandemics.

        The collapse of western economies is not of their doing and the top medical people are saying a second wave cannot be ruled out. This will drive the US back to isolationism.

        22

        • #
          Analitik

          What about the absolute denial early on about even the existence of an unknown disease? That’s more than mere “bumbling ”

          And it seems the deception continues

          In Wuhan, ground zero of the epidemic, residents witnessed long lines at hospitals while more facilities were reportedly being set up to accommodate ill patients

          all roads are still blocked, and businesses have not resumed production in Wuhan,”

          https://www.theepochtimes.com/while-chinese-regime-claims-no-new-virus-infections-citizens-say-many-are-still-sick_3278515.html

          30

        • #
          WXcycles

          This will drive the US back to isolationism.

          It won’t, the US economy, international relations and strength can not survive strategic isolationism. If MAGA is the policy of the next US President, isolationism can not and will not be on the policy agenda.

          30

          • #
            Richard Ilfeld

            Gosh, I can think of a bunch of countries that would like to trade with us and us with them.
            Some speak English, and have a similar understand of basic English common law. We can move China to the same arm’s length
            as Russia for a bit. The resouring can- with common purpose and the war power act, happen far more quickly than the outsourcing.

            20

            • #
              WXcycles

              Richard, do not confuse non-essential globalism aspects for strategically open and non-isolationist foreign relations and trade. Globalism is and extreme, and Isolationism is another extreme, both produce counterproductive results. Trump’s stance has been that all countries should act in their own best interests, but this hardly suggests engaging widely in the world is not within a country’s best interests. No one will be keeping the doors closed.

              10

      • #
        WXcycles

        (like early stopping travellers from China at a time that the WHO (ie Xi) was telling countries to let them in).

        Even a Xi was locking up Chinese cities.

        Scumbag.

        40

    • #
      Meglort

      The CCP has been applying Sun Tzu principles from the start by limiting the information available to their enemy which is Western democracy. This has been going on for a while.

      Using their minion, in this case the WHO to further push the misinformation to encourage complacency in their foes with the MSM applying local level effect.

      It is called assymetric hybrid warfare and as is always the case in war, the truth is the first casualty. I am expecting this to escalate now that the detente has become unworkable through accident or intent.

      The feudalism the world has rapidly deconstructed to is most interesting, especially when we may need to unite against a shared fascist foe.

      90

    • #
      Rolf

      I do not find it credible that China only had 80.000 infections in a city of 11 million

      There is a lot coming out of China that is not Credible. Never trust a one party country for anything ….

      50

    • #
      Rod

      One thing that has been consistent is Jo. She pointed out months ago that precautions should be taken ASAP… now the precautions are just “flattening the curve”

      00

  • #
    Raving

    Recovering COVID-19 patient describes what it was like to have the virus

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/coronavirus-patient-1.5502501

    40

  • #
    el gordo

    Auntie id overjoyed that Donald is becoming a socialist.

    ‘He abandoned his push for stimulatory income tax cuts, instead moving to a socialist model of mailing out cheques to those in need — a crucial step to avoid panic and potential unrest on the streets of America.’ Lipson/ABC

    51

    • #
      Bill In Oz

      Come on EG, why do we need to be reminded of
      The Australian Brainwashing Corporation’s anti Trump propaganda ?

      81

    • #
      Meglort

      You are confusing social democracy (paternalistic capitalism) with socialism.

      They are entirely different.

      The ACT and NT however do tend towards socialism by virtue of the fact that there is no land ownership other than by the state, but the states far less so while private land title and common law protections remain.

      60

      • #
        truth

        Fabians …as our ‘democratic’ Socialists are…are not paternalistic…they’re full-on elitists who use Fabian gradualist and ‘sheep’s clothing’ principles to herd the rest of us into Global Socialism…always their ultimate aim…under pretext of whatever threat…real or confected… that they find useful….’to mould the world’.

        Land ownership is something they allow us to have…for now…part of the ‘boiling-the-frog’ tactic.

        Fabian principles …when finally achieved…preclude ownership by us…the herd…of anything at all…especially not property….not of any choices over our own lives….the herd is at the mercy of the elite.

        The CAGW hoax has been a great opportunity for the Global Socialists and we must not allow this crisis to empower them even more.

        82

    • #
      Doc

      That cash is coming from capitalist debt, and it depends on
      Capitalist economy to pay it off – Trump’s capitalism. Imagine
      Bernie’s socialist government being in charge with his
      huge overspending, $Trillions, and every decision marked
      by racial , sexist and every other woke division instead
      of one in, all in. All decisions now have to be judicious
      and practical. To paint things as ideological is really
      the line of thinking that still hasn’t recognised the
      dimensions of the problem we are faced with. It is really also a
      reflection of the stupid thinking processes that got us
      here in the first place.

      41

      • #
        Richardw

        Gold is the standard under Capitalism, and unchecked credit does not exist. The financial system as it stands is not capitalist.

        00

  • #
    Robber

    The mainstream media provides sensational entertainment, nothing to do with reporting the facts.
    From Gerard Henderson in The Australian:
    Australia has a clear line of ­advice as to how to respond to COVID-19, from the AHPC to the CMO to the national cabinet, which acts in accordance with ­expert advice. Or do we? Early this week Dr Norman Swan, the producer and presenter of The Health Report on ABC Radio National, put in a claim to provide alternative medical advice to Australians on the public broadcaster saying schools should be closed.
    And in a separate article from Gerard: The Age’s page one story commenced: “Up to 150,000 Australians could die from the coronavirus under the federal government’s worse-case scenario….” The Herald-Sun’s Page 3 story commenced : “About 50,000 Australians could die from the coronavirus, even under the most conservative forecast by the federal government’s medical reports.”
    And last week the HeraldSun and Channel 7 ran a headline story reportedly from a Victorian health officer saying everyone should stockpile two weeks of food.

    Notice the parallel with climate change reporting? The most sensational and catastrophic scenarios get the headlines. Don’t panic is not a story.

    162

    • #
      Mike Jonas

      The ABC’s reporting of the bushfires was an absolute unmitigated disgrace. They committed 24/7 to showing as much flame and smoke and burning buildings and distressed citizens as they possibly could, and at no time gave any useful information. My wife couldn’t take it any more (“it” being my anger at the ABC) and wrote to the ABC asking them to at least show a map. The next day they showed a map for the first time. I can’t be sure, but I don’t think they showed it again.

      120

  • #
    Treeman

    Morning Jo

    You say

    the media still wont ask the borders question

    but Greg Sheridan goes the whole hog in The Australian today.

    Merkel will go down in history as an immensely destructive polit­ician, whose bland, stoic visage concealed an almost complete ­absence of political principle, and who showed not the slightest ­skerrick of consistency. She fairly quickly reversed herself on the open door and started paying huge sums to Turkey to detain or turn back North Africans and Arabs from Europe.

    Now Greece is actively turning boats around and, far from criticising, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says: “I thank Greece for being our European shield.”

    He interviewed Howard and Abbott and writes

    Howard’s position on national sovereignty and borders has been slowly vindicated even as he, Abbott­ and Morrison were routinely denounced by every woke commentator in the world.

    210

    • #
      truth

      I would exclude Morrison from any credit there.

      Morrison delivered Australia into chaos by delivering the PMship to Turnbull…with the Morrison/Alex Hawke Photios faction giving the decisive numbers to the Paris candidate for his coup designed to sell Australia out to the EU and UNIPCC.

      Having been Abbott’s point man on the border policy…and he did that well..backed to the hilt as he was by a strong and gutsy PM in Tony Abbott…he went from that to vetoing the Australian people’s vote…destroying democracy and the fibre of the Liberal party…destroying TA…and virtually handing dominion over Australian sovereignty to the dysfunctional EU and UN.

      I have to hold my nose to vote for him…don’t know if I can next time.

      Unfortunately Greg Sheridan also betrayed his long-time friend Tony Abbott back then…sunk the knife in and twisted it…seduced as he was at the time along with almost all of the media …by the massive pulsating ego of the narcissist.

      So while Sheridan’s judgment appears to be sound now on borders…it wasn’t sound enough back then for him to have the courage to back his friend…who had just delivered Australia almost watertight border security while under unprecedented attack and defamation in Australia and from around the world.

      On the contrary …Sheridan …having on his own admission been the beneficiary of great kindness from Abbott…was in the end Brutus to Abbott’s Caesar….IMO.

      151

  • #
    Treeman

    I’ve been tabulating in excel the cases in Australia which have been doubling every four days since March 6th. There is a glimmer of hope with two recent falls in total new cases, 13th to 15th March and again 18th to 20th March. Unfortunately i can’t place the chart here and Worldometers does not have a chat for Australia as far as I can see.

    70

    • #
      Robber

      See this daily report on Australian cases.
      Since Australia reached 100 cases on March 10, by March 15; 297, March 20; 876.
      The site also contains numbers by State.

      70

      • #
        Bill In Oz

        That’s an excellent website Robber.
        Two weeks ago there were just COVID 19 cases in SA
        This morning there are 50 !
        Now that is exponential growth in COVID 19 cases.

        So far three schools ahev ben closed down because of this disease
        And one nursing home at Parkside is in full lockdown.
        Small beer compared to NSW, Qld & Victoria !
        But it is exactly that which tells me
        We need to close the state borders NOW.
        And start doing mass testing
        To kill this disease dead !

        40

        • #
          Meglort

          We have had some popups in schools here (ACT), but mostly associates of travellers who have returned from holidays into infected countries.

          Other ones here were from the mardi gras but that fact has been suppressed by the MSP. I still believe that event was a key spread vector for NSW which is now bearing fruit.

          Very non-PC to mention any of this though.

          80

      • #
        Treeman

        Thank you Robber. That’s an excellent site.

        20

      • #
        Bill In Oz

        Web site now updated to 1050 ‘diagnosed’ infected people in Australia !
        Four cruise liners with thousands of people on board
        Have docked or are about to dock at ports in Australia
        By special dispensation of MinisterHunt.
        Already people who disembarked have been diagnosed
        But have already flown all over the country !
        Utterly bloody wonderful !

        Hunt you are an incompetent Fvckwit !
        Will someone, anyone, move a no confidence motion please ?
        Sack the fool !

        10

    • #
      DevonshireDozer

      I’ve just looked at Worldometer & there’s quite a bit of info on Australia now if you click on the country name to get more detail.

      The site you linked to is also excellent, but I find it useful to compare the situation in various places & the Worldometer site makes that easier.

      20

    • #
    • #
      LightningCamel

      Also a couple I have posted previously
      https://corona.help/
      And
      https://avatorl.org/covid-19/ This one repays some exploration.

      00

  • #
    truth

    I couldn’t agree more about the media….with a handful of exceptions.

    Their only reason for being is to get the truth out …on everything…but all we get from them is political gossip….much of it ‘in-house’.

    That cutting-off of the responses from important experts on important subjects …in order to go to their own flippant commentary…is always infuriating when it so often happens …but now…with this…it leaves viewers who are hanging on every word of the expert…with wrong…incomplete or ambiguous messages…left to fill in the gaps ourselves.

    Then …with great hilarity and sneering contempt …the hacks gossip amongst themselves about the stupidity of their viewers.

    The on-air media amplify the fear….and the confusion.

    Only they can ask the politicians and health experts what is being done about shortages of ventilators and anti-virals…but they ask them about everything but that.

    Apart from the self-isolation…. only those items can save the very vulnerable cohort that includes many young parents…and ‘journalists’should be asking the questions about supply and manufacture of them all day at this point…like rottweilers …until they get answers…asking… if the government has not been orchestrating an unprecedented effort to ensure supply of those lifesaving items…and they must not be , otherwise they’d be saying so…for exactly what reason are they neglecting to.

    They don’t even ask them what is the use of telling the vulnerable to self-isolate when they make no provisions to see that they can get food without have to negotiate the aisles of supermarkets…an exercise which is impossible for some…and dangerous for them all.

    The authorities use the WW/Coles early morning run as an example of problem solved for the vulnerable…but there are many who have no way of getting there…are not up to it anyway…and in any case…self-funded retirees are precluded from that hour…can’t get in….if they have no health card…on top of which..the service that should have been stepped up…ie home deliveries of grocery orders…left on the doorstep…has instead been shut down …just to make things as hard as possible.

    Does Morrison know about this? Who knows…because no high-paid media hack is asking.

    100

  • #
    Bill In Oz

    Tucked way on the ABC online this morning is a major story about how to STOP this COVID 19 disease. It is about a small village named Vo in Lombardy where they tested every one of the 3000 people !
    “…One small town in the country’s north says it is doing surprisingly well. Vo, in the region of Veneto, is right in the middle of what Italy is calling its coronavirus red zone. But local officials say there hasn’t been a new case of COVID-19 there since March 13.

    The town had the first confirmed COVID-19-related death in Italy — a 78-year-old man on February 23. It was one of 11 villages in the country’s north which were shut down as the country’s outbreak began.

    The town swung into action — and its measures appear to be working.

    What did Vo do?
    Researchers from the University of Padua, along with Veneto regional officials and the Red Cross, decided to test all residents for COVID-19.Around 3,300 people were tested, even if they had no symptoms. We tested everybody,” Andrea Crisanti, professor of microbiology at the University of Padua… We found that an alarming portion of people were already positive for the virus.. Nearly 3 per cent — or 89 Vo residents — were infected with COVID-19.

    Even more alarming for Professor Crisanti and his colleagues was that many of the patients had no symptoms. Professor Crisanti said Italian health authorities did not seem concerned by Vo’s infection rate.So the town took charge.

    Vo put all COVID-19 patients in lockdown Every Vo resident who tested positive for the virus was put in quarantine in their homes.
    They were asked not to go out, and not to have contact with any other people,” Professor Crisanti said.The researchers decided against sending patients to hospital to prevent them spreading the disease there. In principle many people in the hospital were infected. Many doctors, many nurses, many patients. This could be a major source of infection,” he said.

    After two weeks of quarantine, the researchers carried out another round of mass testing in Vo. The rate of COVID-19 infection had dropped from nearly 3 per cent to 0.41 per cent ”

    That’s the guts of the story. But good luck trying to read it all. The ABC has inserted about 20 odd disruptive links to other stories…
    And the ABC has NOT given it any prominence in it’s news feed. But the journalist in Italy deserves a gold elephant stamp !

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-21/one-italian-town-is-bucking-the-countrys-coronavirus-curve/12075048

    THIS IS HOW THIS BLOODY DISEASE CAN BE STOPPED HERE IN AUSTRALIA IF OUR GOVERNMENTS HAVE THE BALLS TO BITE THE BULLET !

    VERY BLOODY DOUBTFUL !

    140

  • #
    David Harvey

    Media was focused on their primary objectives – making western countries seem racist, denigrating Trump (for banning flights from China) and Morrison. Operations normal.

    81

  • #
    robert rosicka

    Anyone on Facebook need to look up the Hodge twins for a comedic view on the media , after one reporter tried to ask some got ya questions and Trump called him out .
    Their take on it is that any leader of any country will not front up to the media and announce your all about to die its time to panic .
    Leaders will ( rightly or wrongly) play it down to avoid panic .
    How does a PM or President get it right ? I have no idea but Morrison has been slow and has made mistakes, this latest cruise ship that docked should have been sent to Christmas Island .

    40

    • #
      Bill In Oz

      If a journalist is rude, or stupid
      Order the security to throw the idiot out of the presser.
      SIMPLE !

      40

      • #
        Kalm Keith

        I totally agree.

        Our best mate Captain ugger wouldn’t put up with that sort of thing.

        SIMPLES.

        50

        • #
          robert rosicka

          Just watched a press conference in the White House where Trump told the journalists there were too many of them and ordered some of them out , absolutely hilarious.

          50

  • #
    Kalm Keith

    The Tucker Carlson clip is insightful and the message could relate just as readily to the Australian situation.

    The Elites of both nations have sold off control of too much of their respective countries for any hardworking taxpaying citizen to be comfortable with.

    The great recent comment by Harry Dale shows what is needed urgently. Everyone should carefully assess their next vote and screen out those who are Not acting properly.

    The Big problem is, how do people do that when they are bombarded with media hype and misinformation that is there to endorse victimhood and emotional entrapment.

    KK

    60

  • #

    “Trump calls it the Chinese Virus because China is calling it a virus from American Soldier.”

    Two wrongs don’t make a right.

    17

    • #
      Bill In Oz

      It is a CHINESE VIRUS
      End of story !

      41

      • #

        Oh look, let’s stop the racism of calling it the Chinese Virus, eh! (just to be certain here, /sarc)

        As soon as they stop calling it The Spanish Flu.

        As soon as they stop calling it The West Nile Virus.

        As soon as they stop calling it Ebola Virus.

        As soon as they stop calling it The Hendra Virus.

        As soon as they stop calling it Ross River Fever.

        As soon as they stop calling it Marburg Virus.

        And so many others, eh!

        Political Correctness begone!

        Tony.

        120

        • #
          robert rosicka

          We call Chinese food – ( “Chinese Food”) are we being racist ?
          Arguably it should be called the Wuhan flu but as Tony points out the Spanish flu is a great example of how these things are linked to locality and named after the country or region they first appear .

          30

          • #
            Wayne Job

            It is indeed a Chinese virus just read a large report of a Chinese lady scientist who has spent 30 years collecting these viruses from Bat caves and small animals.Her research lab was located over-looking the courtyard where this virus first appeared. She was of the opinion that it came from her lab.

            Knowing to a small extent how the government over there works I would imagine she has disappeared.
            Been reading about flu epidemics and one of them i think the Spanish flu killed somewhere between 50 and 100 million people. This virus has a long way to go to catch those figures.

            41

  • #
    Meglort

    The public via the main stream propagandists has been fed lots of social conditioning narratives since the beginning of this.

    It started with hijacking the bushfires in the name of the climate change god.

    The MSP has been instrumental in destabilising governments, skewing elections and society here for a while. Definitely since the GFC. But when main stream Australia did not vote to the woke narrative at the last election these woke awoke.

    What is interesting is that there is more mainstream commentary on what would appear to have been truth. Truth readily available since early Jan on (at the time), relatively uncensored platforms like twitter and youtube.

    Guo Wengui stated this was happening months ago specifically, and he alluded to it in 2017. The spear of the CCP Virus being thrown into the hearts of western democratic nations and western democracy itself and triggering a cataclysm. This coming from urgent CCP discussions on the strategy following situational clarity of what was transpiring in Wuhan.

    Whether the main stream propagandists are just enamoured with socialist ideals or driven by an evil, global anti-human totalitarian fascist regime is an unknown. But in not confusing incompetence with conspiracy let it be a coin toss.

    Irrespective, they continue as a public health risk for sure.

    Italy is doing it tough:
    https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-they-call-it-the-apocalypse-inside-italys-hardest-hit-hospital-11960597

    21

  • #
    Big Moose

    Our media has certainly been hypocritical in that it ridiculed anyone at the beginning who took sensible precautions, now those precautions are not enough. Remember weeks ago the today show tried to connect racism and bigotry with Australians because Chinatowns restaurants were empty. I have developed a visceral hatred for some of the reporters and their attempts to skew a crisis to their own agendas.

    50

    • #
      yarpos

      Journalism is no longer a profession. The news is just a giant drama fed views and clickbait machine. Nothing useful or positive is delivered by MSM news. We have stopped listening and watching.

      70

  • #
    WXcycles

    Australia = 928, up 172 overnight. Last Sunday (259) I said we’d have 1,000 by the following Sunday. It looks like it’ll be about 1,100 or so. So around 3,000 to 4,000 by the following Sunday, then 10,000 to 12,000 in two weeks, then 3 weekends from now we’re at Italy’s level. We’re about 1 week from a light lock-down and 2 to 3 weeks from a hard lock-down.

    70

  • #
    DOC

    The media was full of the same complacency that affected the government at the start of this pandemic.
    In the USA, to be more worried about offending China over naming the disease when those reporters are
    at the same stage of the disease as the nation, when NYC is going into tight lockdown and the National
    Guard has been called up elsewhere, shows these idiots are still showing no sign of appreciating just how
    bad things are getting. They have Italy to give them a kick in the proverbial, and they still don’t go.
    One just has to shake one’s head in disbelief. They are still playing the ‘sides’ game when even the Democrats
    have come to the Party. The level of obvious ignorance, or totally out of place ideological compartmentalisation
    of thought processes, still playing the gotcha game, is just mind-boggling.

    I will applaud one person in particular and that’s the governor of NYC, Cuomo. It’s hard to believe he’s
    the brother of the CNN frontman. He’s straight from the shoulder, strong, takes the responsibility and acts
    boldly as required. To listen to him is mesmerising, even for an old right of centre head like me. His
    Italian accent is just straight out of the Godfather movies. Terrific guy, and I reckon would be a hot
    Presidential contestant (Democrat, unfortunately – but maybe just what they need to come back to earth) if he wanted it.

    10

    • #
      Richard Ilfeld

      Ah yes, a second generation, whose father Mario, also a governor of New York, ran for the Democratic Nomination & lost several times.
      He’s what New York needs, perhaps….similar substance with a different style plays better in the midwest. I’d say the majority of US governors, half of whom run jurisdictions larger than many of the countries we often pay considerable attention to, are doing a good
      job of providing nuanced leadership within a larger framework, as are many of our much reviled private businesses.

      Freedom is hard to deal with, as Australians know. An undocumented population of 20 Million is tough. They won’t be on the aid lists,
      won’t want to queue up and be tested, etc. etc. But they are people, and we both need to stop then from being spreaders, and care for them if they are ill.

      We have undocumented border crossings in the tens of thousands every month. We have transitory farm workers who follow the planting
      north and the harvesting south and are loosely rooted otherwise.

      And so on and so on. When our federal and state folks have to deal with these real problems, then listen to self serving questions from a hostile press that has openly declared for the opposition and seems to take pride in ignorance, its a wonder than anyone who is really trying continues to bother. Mr Cuomo has been perceived as corrupt and second rate for much of his career, but has been one
      who has certainly risen to the circumstances, understood the gravity of the situation, is clearly doing his best, and has probably settled his career ledger firmly on the plus side. So have many many others, most lower level civil servants, some of whom will literally die doing their best for us.

      30

  • #
    markx

    Hmmm. Blame the media?

    Sure, there’s a lot of eye grabbing headlines, and a lot of gabbling talking heads, and a lot of repeating of the same information..

    … but there’s also a helluva lot of good solid data, a lot of information on the latest advice and laws, and a lot of technical information on the virus and the treatments.

    Don’t start shooting the messengers.

    The only people who do that are those with something to hide.

    30

    • #
      yarpos

      Nice words but the low IQ half of the population rely on the MSM and the MSM are quite frankly crap.

      50

    • #
      el gordo

      The messengers have been sensationalising and need to practice self restraint, for the good of humanity.

      10

    • #

      markx, the good solid information came a month too late. The media could have saved us from this disaster if they did the research properly in January just like I did.

      Instead they pandered to political correctness, and raved on about the SportsRort.

      Responsibility for this disaster goes straight back to SlowMo, but if the media had been doing what I was doing, even SlowMo would have acted.

      Same for the Labor Party. If they exposed how late, pathetic and unprepared SlowMo was, they could’ve saved the nation. Instead “SportsRort”. How useless does that look now?

      60

  • #
    el gordo

    ‘Test results from a cruise ship 24 hours after it docked in Sydney have left health authorities facing a “serious” situation after the 2700 people on board were free to scatter across Sydney.’ SMH

    10