Kevin Rudd addressed the Copenhagen conference at 8 o’clock (our time) last night. Crikey liveblogged it on Rooted.
How did the mainstream media go covering Kevin, or for that matter the entire conference?
Early this afternoon, The Australian’s website was continuing its extensive coverage of, and commentary on, Copenhagen, following on from its front-page treatment in its print edition. The SMH and Age sites had a mix of parochial stories, mostly involving criminal trials, and updates on a philandering American golfer, the public interest of which we have not been able to discern despite 24/7 coverage for weeks.
Perhaps Fairfax knows its audiences better than News Ltd. Its top five stories are:
Not a Dane in sight.
But that’s not to say all is lost. The Oz’s most-read stories show that if you provide quality coverage (as well as Dennis Shanahan’s commentary), readers will respond.
Whatever biases The Australian might have, it takes public affairs seriously and throws substantial resources at its coverage. And that commitment stands in dire contrast to that of Fairfax. Both media companies talk a lot about the need for quality journalism and its importance in attracting readers in a parlous environment for the mainstream media. Only one appears to back up its words with resources.
Crikey is committed to hosting lively discussions. Help us keep the conversation useful, interesting and welcoming. We aim to publish comments quickly in the interest of promoting robust conversation, but we’re a small team and we deploy filters to protect against legal risk. Occasionally your comment may be held up while we review, but we’re working as fast as we can to keep the conversation rolling.
The Crikey comment section is members-only content. Please subscribe to leave a comment.
The Crikey comment section is members-only content. Please login to leave a comment.