Media Dragon: Identity theft resource center releases annual report/survey; theft of social media accounts up 1000%

The political/media class may seem like one big blob at times but there are some people you should be able to tell apart. Federal Labor MP Graham Perrett, who’s a bit of a Twitter celebrity, was sorting through the summer mail in his suburban South Brisbane office when he found a most peculiar letter from right-wing think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. It was addressed to a Perrett, indeed to a Perrett MP, but not to him. “To Ms Janine Perrett MP” the front of the envelope read. Yes, someone thought Janine, the new host of Sky News’s Heads Up, was actually in parliament. How anyone could mix up the black-haired, male Labor MP and the glamorous blonde journalist is beyond us. Maybe it was wishful thinking on the IPA’s part: anyone who has seen a Janine Perrett monologue on Sky — along with the notorious eye-rolls at her bete noire,Ross Cameron — knows she’s tough as old boots and makes a lot of sense. She worked at this august organ for years, after all. The Labor MP tells Strewth he was pleased to know the journalist had stepped up to the parliamentary plate. “I’ll be sure to invite Janine Perrett MP on my Sky News show. If she gets my job, I get hers … That’s how it works, right?”

Strewth: Think tank finds a parliamentary place for journo Janine

Review and Recommendation: I just finished The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough. A fascinating tale of how two young brothers (and their sister) solved the mystery of flight. Hard work, development of basic principles and experiment to test those (at Kitty Hawk) did the job, to their eternal fame. Well written (of course) it is great read.