I just read a fascinating profile in the Australian Financial Review of Australia’s Security chief, Dennis Richardson Summer 2004 AFR Magazine p 26- not online Richardson talks about the challenges of running a revitalised intelligence organisation in a world where everyone is suddenly watching ... The Spy Master is titled and written by Veron Burgess (not related to the famous spy Burgess) It is pure literature, Richardson “has a pair of blue eyes that drill straight through you. And if those eyes start to blaze, watch out ..." "Courage is certainly not in short supply" (in relation to frank and fearless advice.) He is passionate (rugby fan) about Canberra Raider - league and Brumbies - union... Richardson loves to laugh. Norma Allen, social writer, once said: If you are the director general of ASIO, I am the Queen Mother!
Eye on Politics & Law Lords: Webdiary: Mungo MacCallum's
A debate like no other ...
Margo: When I'm in my late teens I always bought The National Times, even in Queensland. The National Times and Nation Review. And I just wondered why you think that journalism's gone? Because it's like the young journalists today, they haven't really got stuff that they can say - aspire to. As particularly my generation aspired to -
MUNGO: Yeah. Well - definitely the Times - I mean, the quick reason why that sort of journalism's gone is that it was always run at a loss. I mean The National Times and Nation Review both were always on the red side of the balance sheet, with very, very few exceptions.
And these days, when newspapers and the media are run much more by accountants than by journalists, that kind of opportunity is no longer going to be available.
And also, there is a thing about times and places. I mean, as I said at the beginning, I think when you're going through fairly miserable times, as in cultural terms I think we are at the moment, when we're introverted and selfish and frightened and greedy, then there's not much of a place for that kind of a journalism.
I mean, you see the hard - the sort of bludgeoning type satire of people like The Chaser, some of which I think's very good. And there are some other publications around that do it too. And there's some of it on the net. But it was never a commercial proposition in print terms. And I think in these troubled times it'd be even less of a commercial proposition than it was then.
• He opened proceedings with the annoucement that Mungo's would be the last book he published. Demand for serious books had gone down 40% since the GST, he said. End of story End of at least one of his dreams [Dan Gillmor’s announcement that he is leaving the San Jose Mercury News for a news citizens journalism venture is yet another indication of how newspapers cannot retain their most adventurous, risk-taking people. Dan says he is leaving one of the best gigs in journalism not with any ill will toward the newspaper – the Merc has been incredibly good to me – but because the something powerful is happening in grassroots ]
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