4 ms·

It will be interesting to see the range of comments here as Europe and the US wakes up. Assuming it doesn't get flagged. It appears to me that Australian users

It will be interesting to see the range of comments here as Europe and the US wakes up. Assuming it doesn't get flagged. It appears to me that Australian users are very supportive of this (but I could be wrong) but are there any reasons why, culturally? Edits: we hear and understand the political reasons. I'm wondering about the cultural reasons. In other cultures around the world, people wouldn't be so supportive of a tech platform banning a news broadcaster.

alfiedotwtf 5y ago
Because Murdoch is probably the worst person in the world, and Sky is his Australian TV propaganda channel. We don't want it to be a political weapon like Fox News turned into with Trump
- thinkingemote 5y ago
  I think this gives a good political reason but does it explain it culturally? For example the right wing, I've heard but could probably be wrong, is quite pro censorship generally? Compared to the USA that wasn't the case. It's a bit puzzling. For example an American Democrat might say "I hate sky/fox news with a passion but I think Google shouldnt be making these decisions"
  - shard972 5y ago
    here the left doesn't really go beyond fuck Murdoch tbh.
  - fivefifty 5y ago
    Yes Australians in general are quite accepting of authority. America fought a war of independence to be free of the British Monarchy. We got offered a vote to leave the monarchy and be a republic and we voted no. There is no bill of rights or anything in Australia, most of our freedoms are largely implied and the government can pretty much prevent us from doing whatever it wants whenever it likes and does so frequently. For example, the government has essentially banned us all from leaving the country for the past almost two years due to the pandemic and despite some grumbling we mostly just accept it and in fact many people are quite supportive of the lockdowns as although it keeps us in, more importantly it keeps everyone else 'out'. As long as we feel comfortable and safe in our homes we seem to have been fairly happy to accept whatever restrictions the government imposes on us. Perhaps ironically one of the reason for this is that we largely haven't had much of a diverse media to push back on this, the Murdoch press has a very large influence on the governments that get in and what they do. Any government that doesn't align with the Murdoch press isn't going to get very much done at all and one that does will get most anything it want through with at the least minimal opposition if not wholesale support.
  - hedora 5y ago
    > For example an American Democrat might say "I hate sky/fox news with a passion but I think Google shouldnt be making these decisions" American Democrat here. I would have said that 10 years ago, but nowadays, Fox News is actively working to dismantle people’s right to vote, committing economic sabotage by spreading anti vaccine propaganda, and enabling people that are actively making the planet uninhabitable. At some point, this crosses the line from freedom of speech to acts of war. It’s completely reasonable for the US to enlist domestic corporations to fight back against foreign aggression. If that includes going after Murdoch in Australia, great.
- tzs 5y ago
  Speaking of FOX, they have gotten so bad that in what surely is a sign of the apocalypse Steve Bannon and Mike Lindell now recommend that their followers watch MSNBC instead. According to Bannon, "Watch Chris Hayes or Rachel Maddow. They get better coverage every day". He adds, "They're blowing us off and they hate you in the audience, but they're still doing real coverage". https://www.newsweek.com/mike-lindell-steve-bannon-urge-supporters-watch-msnbc-over-fox-news-better-coverage-1610758 https://www.newsweek.com/mike-lindell-steve-bannon-urge-supp... https://news.yahoo.com/pillow-ceo-mike-lindell-steve-200046800.html https://news.yahoo.com/pillow-ceo-mike-lindell-steve-2000468... https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/07/19/steve_bannon_and_mike_lindell_watch_msnbc_they_have_better_coverage_than_fox.html https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/07/19/steve_ban...
aryonoco 5y ago
Sky News peddles everything from flat earth conspiracy to vaccine FUD. I blame a lot of the US's problems with polarisation and truth losing its meaning to its culture of cable news talking heads which pander to anything and invite anyone just to prop up their ratings. We in Australia have mostly avoided that, and Murdoch, via Sky News, is intent on changing that. As an Australian, I want Sky News to disappear because its success would bring a kind of politics to Australia that causes harm.
aaron695 5y ago
Australian's somewhat proudly consider themselves apathetic. They often don't have strong convictions and if they like something they don't think it through. When someone headbutted a former Australian Prime Minister, people generally thought it funny. To be fair most Australia thought it funny to call that Prime minister a cunt (The official reason given for the headbutt) even if they voted for his party. Jim Jefferies on the incident - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1759051187728612 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1759051187728612 Generally a physical attack on a ex-leader of the county would be considered serious and a danger to democracy. Here the Ex-Prime Minister's only media recourse was to say the guy was a bad headbutter, he really said this. (The attacker did eventually get 2 months prison) Overall if the apathy is good or bad is a hard call, it's somewhat anarchistic, but ironically gives those in power more control.
tonfreed 5y ago
It's the intellectual class that are going to be generally supportive of this. The same people that are currently telling the people that have lost everything in the lockdowns that they're being selfish protesting. While I was a little irritated that I was constantly getting their content pushed onto me and autoplayed even though I've blocked the channel, it's disgusting that a Yankee company is effectively playing politics here.

alfiedotwtf 5y ago

Because Murdoch is probably the worst person in the world, and Sky is his Australian TV propaganda channel. We don't want it to be a political weapon like Fox News turned into with Trump

thinkingemote 5y ago
I think this gives a good political reason but does it explain it culturally? For example the right wing, I've heard but could probably be wrong, is quite pro censorship generally? Compared to the USA that wasn't the case. It's a bit puzzling. For example an American Democrat might say "I hate sky/fox news with a passion but I think Google shouldnt be making these decisions"
- shard972 5y ago
  here the left doesn't really go beyond fuck Murdoch tbh.
- fivefifty 5y ago
  Yes Australians in general are quite accepting of authority. America fought a war of independence to be free of the British Monarchy. We got offered a vote to leave the monarchy and be a republic and we voted no. There is no bill of rights or anything in Australia, most of our freedoms are largely implied and the government can pretty much prevent us from doing whatever it wants whenever it likes and does so frequently. For example, the government has essentially banned us all from leaving the country for the past almost two years due to the pandemic and despite some grumbling we mostly just accept it and in fact many people are quite supportive of the lockdowns as although it keeps us in, more importantly it keeps everyone else 'out'. As long as we feel comfortable and safe in our homes we seem to have been fairly happy to accept whatever restrictions the government imposes on us. Perhaps ironically one of the reason for this is that we largely haven't had much of a diverse media to push back on this, the Murdoch press has a very large influence on the governments that get in and what they do. Any government that doesn't align with the Murdoch press isn't going to get very much done at all and one that does will get most anything it want through with at the least minimal opposition if not wholesale support.
- hedora 5y ago
  > For example an American Democrat might say "I hate sky/fox news with a passion but I think Google shouldnt be making these decisions" American Democrat here. I would have said that 10 years ago, but nowadays, Fox News is actively working to dismantle people’s right to vote, committing economic sabotage by spreading anti vaccine propaganda, and enabling people that are actively making the planet uninhabitable. At some point, this crosses the line from freedom of speech to acts of war. It’s completely reasonable for the US to enlist domestic corporations to fight back against foreign aggression. If that includes going after Murdoch in Australia, great.
tzs 5y ago
Speaking of FOX, they have gotten so bad that in what surely is a sign of the apocalypse Steve Bannon and Mike Lindell now recommend that their followers watch MSNBC instead. According to Bannon, "Watch Chris Hayes or Rachel Maddow. They get better coverage every day". He adds, "They're blowing us off and they hate you in the audience, but they're still doing real coverage". https://www.newsweek.com/mike-lindell-steve-bannon-urge-supporters-watch-msnbc-over-fox-news-better-coverage-1610758 https://www.newsweek.com/mike-lindell-steve-bannon-urge-supp... https://news.yahoo.com/pillow-ceo-mike-lindell-steve-200046800.html https://news.yahoo.com/pillow-ceo-mike-lindell-steve-2000468... https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/07/19/steve_bannon_and_mike_lindell_watch_msnbc_they_have_better_coverage_than_fox.html https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/07/19/steve_ban...

aryonoco 5y ago

Sky News peddles everything from flat earth conspiracy to vaccine FUD. I blame a lot of the US's problems with polarisation and truth losing its meaning to its culture of cable news talking heads which pander to anything and invite anyone just to prop up their ratings. We in Australia have mostly avoided that, and Murdoch, via Sky News, is intent on changing that. As an Australian, I want Sky News to disappear because its success would bring a kind of politics to Australia that causes harm.

aaron695 5y ago

Australian's somewhat proudly consider themselves apathetic. They often don't have strong convictions and if they like something they don't think it through. When someone headbutted a former Australian Prime Minister, people generally thought it funny. To be fair most Australia thought it funny to call that Prime minister a cunt (The official reason given for the headbutt) even if they voted for his party. Jim Jefferies on the incident - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1759051187728612 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1759051187728612 Generally a physical attack on a ex-leader of the county would be considered serious and a danger to democracy. Here the Ex-Prime Minister's only media recourse was to say the guy was a bad headbutter, he really said this. (The attacker did eventually get 2 months prison) Overall if the apathy is good or bad is a hard call, it's somewhat anarchistic, but ironically gives those in power more control.

tonfreed 5y ago

It's the intellectual class that are going to be generally supportive of this. The same people that are currently telling the people that have lost everything in the lockdowns that they're being selfish protesting. While I was a little irritated that I was constantly getting their content pushed onto me and autoplayed even though I've blocked the channel, it's disgusting that a Yankee company is effectively playing politics here.