Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

"However, we are a delegation of women, concerned that one serious mistake by this young man, not for his own benefit but for that of a family member, will result in the loss of his life if Singapore proceeds with this sentence." MPs Judi Moylan, Julia Irwin, Kay Hull, and Annette Ellis.

G'day. I'm back on deck and ready to report the next few weeks of action in federal parliament. We can't call it 'our' parliament any more - that much us clear from the Government's behaviour in the two great issues on the table, the terror laws and industrial relations. In both cases, the government has refused to publish its draft laws and wants them to rush through parliament without scrutiny by the people all of us elected to represent us after input from interested citizens provided with the legislation on offer.

You can support the work of Webdiary through a regular donation which will help build our capacity for planning and development; to strengthen independent publishing and achieve long term change. Or you can make a one-off donation whenever you feel like it...

"Sedition and treason are ancient crimes (Crimes Act 1914) here defined as including 'bringing the Sovereign into hatred and contempt'; urging disaffection against the Constitution, the Government of the Commonwealth or either House of the Parliament; promoting 'feelings of ill-will or hostility between different groups so as to threaten the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth' (Schedule 7-4, 80.2). While there is provision for acts done in 'good faith' as opposed to 'recklessness' (80.2 and 80.3), this is a rich potential field for the suppression of opinion." James Jupp

"I made the final decision to publish the draft on the day I went to address hundreds of local Muslims at the Canberra Mosque, to explain to them my September 27 decision to agree to the Commonwealth's proposed suite of counter-terrorism laws. It occurred to me that I was asking Canberra Muslims to trust me, without extending the same courtesy to them. I was asking them to put their faith in me, without putting my faith in them. Why shouldn't they see these laws, to which I had committed the ACT on their behalf? Why shouldn't they know whether the assurances I believed I had extracted from the Commonwealth were reflected in the draft I had been provided? Why shouldn't they see what was in store for them and for their fellow Canberrans?" Jon Stanhope, Chief Minister, ACT.

Australians have three weeks to protect our human rights for the next ten years, or more. Once the legislation is passed there is no turning back. Dissent will effectively be outlawed. Webdiary is committed to using all the skills and resources available to us to stop the legislation being passed without thorough, honest and transparent debate accross the nation. The contribution of all Webdiarists is vital.

Chief Minister Jon Stanhope has made the Commonwealth’s draft counter-terrorism legislation publicly available on his website, to encourage community discussion and awareness of the incoming laws.

"The Law Council says that there is an escalating groundswell of opinion in the international legal profession against draconian anti-terror laws - there is a rapidly growing international view that more faith needs to be shown in our traditional legal protections." Media release.

"The community relies heavily on information that comes to it through the media. In modern times, the media has become the gateway to information. It largely determines what the public does and does not know on most important matters. Indeed, how many in the community think about a wide range of matters and many important decisions they make is determined largely on the basis of messages that come through the media." Friends of the ABC (Vic) Inc.

On Tuesday we asked if the Government is acting lawfully in advertising its IR policy with taxpayer's money or is it breaching Australia's Constitution? Today we find out.

G'Day. I interviewed Mark Latham by phone yesterday morning, when he was still working on his speech for last night's lecture. Here is the transcript.

"Can I simply say that this has been a very positive meeting. I want to thank the Premiers and the two Chief Ministers for supporting the Commonwealth’s proposals. Can I say that we have agreed today on unusual laws for Australia. We’ve done that because we live in unusual circumstances. In other circumstances I would never have sought these additional powers, I would never have asked the Premiers of the Australian states to support me in enacting these laws. But we do live in very dangerous and different and threatening circumstances and a strong and comprehensive response is needed. I think all of these powers are needed; they go no further than is needed, but they go the necessary distance to do all we can to protect the Australian public." Prime Minister, John Howard

"It doesn't give me any pleasure to say this, but I need to be honest with you. The system is fundamentally sick and broken, and there are other more productive and satisfying ways in which you can contribute to society. Whatever you do, don't get involved in organised politics. Let me give you ten good reasons why you should do something else with your time." Mark Latham

The problem as I see it is that Fairfax had given over editorial control of a space it had believed was marginal, but then realised was at the forefront of a trend that would revolutionise the paper itself. Issues of 'control', paramount in big media, are knotty to negotiate in this new era, and Fairfax distanced itself from Webdiary as part of my change of status from employee to contractor, and by inserting on my home page: 'The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of the Sydney Morning Herald or John Fairfax'. Yet eight months later in April 2005, global media baron Rupert Murdoch proclaimed himself dead wrong about Internet media and pledged to embrace it, and blogging, in an effort to maintain his dominance in the industry.

"This year will be the 150th anniversary of the Eureka Stockade. It helped secure the diggers' suffrage, which led seamlessly to manhood suffrage and more flexibility in qualifications for members of parliament. Manhood suffrage in turn was the template for later grants of suffrage to women and indigenous people. It was this substantial, although still incomplete, democratising of parliament, which spread throughout Australia, which gave egalitarian theory political expression. It also formed the bedrock upon which our founding fathers instituted our federal system, marked by the division of power exemplified in section 5 of the Constitution." Susan Crennan, Australia's new High Court Justice, last year

"I think the public's got a sense that it's a bit artificial. I think in modern politics we've got too much reliance on polling, spin doctors, professionals telling people what to say, and not enough straight talking and straight shooting... My opposite number, Peter Costello, the other day said that in politics you shouldn't reflect too much because you might say what you think. But from my point of view, I think it's part of the problem. From my point of view, why be in politics, why spend all that time — and a lot of it away from family — unless you're going to say what you think?" Mark Latham to Andrew Denton, July 28, 2003

As Webdiarists know, I've always liked Mark, and I've always liked the fact that he was a thinker, a dreamer. I still do. I know he's blokey and that he's dished it out a lot over the years yet is super-sensitive to criticism himself, but he's REAL. I don't like some of the things he's said in his book about others, and one day I think he'll regret saying some of those things. But as he so rightly pointed out tonight, at least he's had the guts to put his name to what he says.

STOP PRESS AGAIN: Craig Rowley reports: "News just to air on ABC. NSW Supreme Court lifts injunction on Lateline interview going ahead." (The Enough Rope one ran in place of Lateline)

STOP PRESS: Interview pulled at last minute for legal reasons after Murdoch injunction, ABC reverts to normal programming.

Urgent and interesting news. The Andrew Denton Enough Rope interview with Mark Latham has been brought forward to 8.30 pm tonight Thursday 15 September.

Why is this? Margo suggests this is because "the Murdoch papers broke their contract with MUP re when they'd run extracts. Supposed to be Monday morning, I think - Crikey stories today will confirm."

It is breaking news on the Enough Rope website.

Webdiarists. Watch the interview. Write a < 500 word review on Latham's interview. Or make a comment. Tell us what you think the future holds for Labor and the Labor leadership. The mike is open. More information and links will be published during the evening.

G'day. While Parliamentary Democracy crumbles around him, Howard's handpicked Speaker of the House of Representatives, David Hawker, worries about dress codes. Perception and reality. And it looks like he's cracking down hard and making up new rules. I tended to wear jeans and T-Shirts in Parliament House, as a statement was I was not in the club. I thought most journos in the place looked like politicians or big business lobbyists. My male colleagues were peeved - once a Parliamentary attendant tapped me on the shoulder when I was in the reporters section of the House of Reps gallery to ask me to leave because of what I was wearing, and apologised when he realised I was female. But for the boys, jackets and ties are compulsory. Here is Hawker's statement to the People's House on Tuesday.

G'day. Here is the transcript of the discussion between Fran Kelly, Glenn Milne and I which started to explore the multi-faceted and fundamental ethical issues confronting journalists in the wake of the Brogden matter. It aired last Friday on RN Breakfast. Thank you to the mysterious Webdiarist who transcribed the audio.

G'day all you journos. I offer the position of Webdiary journalist for one year, all up payment $50,000 for an all-up payment to you of $50,000. In return, you get the freedom to showcase the best you can do as a journalist, with support from Webdiary experts, researchers, designers and all sorts of other talented Webdiarists. In other words, you would be the director of your work from beginning to end, including choice of headline! You'd report to me, of course, and we'd be answerable to each other and to Webdiarists for your work published on Webdiary. I'd take care of the legals. All applications will be totally confidential to me. I will email or speak with applicants if I am interested in their expression of interest, queries, jokes or other correspondence. If you'd like to engage in some preliminary banter, contact me here. Only I will read emails at this address.

"Most media groups are extremely loathe to print corrections. They're by nature defensive, partly because they don't want to undermine confidence in them, partly because there's effectively no accountability for their breach, and partly because they fear getting bogged down with complaints from relentlessly partisan players. Who do you complain to? What's the process for resolution? Suggest setting up and publicising a process for accountability, and everyone runs a mile. Apart from defamation law, we're not used to accountability, and we don't like it... As ethical questions have been raised and debated on Webdiary, I've realised that ethics - when laid on the table for open discussion between writer and reader - can be a tool of empowerment, not constraint, and a confidence builder, not destroyer." Margo Kingston in Remote Control: New Media, New Ethics

"Margo Kingston has a unique position in Australian journalism. She's one of our most senior reporters but over the last three years her focus has been a weblog on public affairs - Webdiary. Until last week, Webdiary was the property of Fairfax but no longer. After spending most of her career at the company, Margo Kingston is unplugged. We find out why she left and what she plans for Webdiary." ABC Radio National's 'Media Report'.

"I understand that Fairfax has received a number of complaints from people who contributed to my former WebDiary on the Fairfax website. Those complaints relate to an email sent to those contributors directing them to my new Webdiary. I wish to inform everyone that Fairfax was not responsible for sending those emails, which were sent on my behalf solely for information purposes." Margo Kingston

Recently, my understanding of the nature of Webdiary and that of Fairfax suddenly and dramatically diverged, and as a result I ended my relationship with smh.com.au.

Webdiarists, please feel free to ask any questions you like about what happened and why in comments to this statement. I will answer all bona fide questions unless I am unable to do so due to legal considerations arising from the termination of my contract to write for, edit and publish Webdiary for smh.com.au for three years.

We've arrived in Futureworld now.  In this new world, the people will be empowered by technology to redress the power balance. For a long time, the powerful have been concentrating control.  Media in Australia is less diverse, less independent, and less interesting than ever. Politics seems more cynical than ever and business seems more ruthless than ever.  Media, politics and business work in ways that only a short time ago were considered unthinkable.

"I was going to write another piece for this new genesis of Webdiary, a piece about anger and my want to change the world and how Webdiary has allowed me to express my opinion to a large audience and why I was connected and driven to help change and extend the ideals and ethics of those who had been long term Webdiarists.

However, during the initial writing and the re-writing and editing the world changed. What is it that John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you whilst busy making other plans"?" Marc MacDonald

G'day. In March this year I advised Webdiarists in Club Chaos general meeting that I could no longer cope with Webdiary on my own, and several people offered to help. Discussions continued in comments to Club Chaos GM: my thoughts, Jack R to pull beers at Club Chaos and Upgrading Webdiary: a call for volunteers. When it became clear that Webdiary would need to go independent to pursue its vision interested Webdiarists rallied to make it happen.

I'm the buck stops here person. I set the overall direction for Webdiary and have overall responsibility for the content of the site and the direction we take. Harry Heidelberg created our temporary home and threw a sensational 5th anniversary party for Webdiary which brought those of us dreamers who could get to Sydney a chance to meet for the first time. Jack Robertson was contributing editor at a crucial time - the time when I would have given up without assistance to meet the demands and expectactions of Webdiarists. Hamish Alcorn is our transition manager, Kerri Browne is our comments manager, Marc Macdonald is our strategist and PF Journey has taken charge of the challenging task of working out how to make Webdiary financially sustainable. David Roffey is our troubleshooter and Polly Bush is our official historian and pisstaker. Caroline Compton looks after planning and administration. Carl Baker is our website designer. Ian McPherson, David Browning , Nigel Sim and James Woodcock are building our permanent home and Roger Fedyk is our archivist. John Augustus found me a fantastic lawyer and David Roffey, Roger Fedyk, Craig Rowley, Michael Ekin Smyth and Caroline Compton pitched in to edit comments.

We haven't finalised the structure of the independent Webdiary yet, and I'll let you know all about it as soon as we do. Webdiary is not a a political party, a lobby group or a charity. It is not lefty and it is not righty. The priority here is independent media.

If you'd like to join the team, or help in any capacity you wish, let me know.

Margo Kingston

G'day Webdiarists, and thank you for visiting Club Chaos at this chaotic time.

While we're here, please let me know about any hassles you have using the facilities by posting  a comment. And if you're a Moveable Type whiz who has ways to improve on what we've done, please post!

A small team of  volunteer technical whizes are building Webdiary a new and permanent open-source home (if you'd like to help let me know) and after we move in we'll develop your ideas and mine to further Webdiary's Charter. Webdiarists, we've now got our hands on the levers of  content AND and the publishing platform. If we build the foundations right for Webdiary's home I reckon we'll have fun creating it together.

Come back any time,

Kingo

kingstonmargo@yahoo.com.au

MARGO NOTE: I am reviewing my charter in the light of the move. All input welcome.

First published April 26, 2001, in Webdiary entry "What's the point?"

I believe:

* that widely read broadsheet newspapers are essential to the health and vibrancy of our democracy

The mission of the Webdiary is:

* to experiment in the form and content of the Herald online