October 14, 2003
POOR LITTLE KILLER
The ABC’s Greg Jennett is offended by reaction to a terrorist’s death:
The Australian Government's enthusiasm for al-Ghozi's death bordered on the ghoulish.
Not mentioned in Jennett’s report: al-Ghozi admitted carrying out bombings that killed 24 people in the Philippines and Indonesia. And here is the alleged ghoulishness of Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer, to which sensitive Greg refers:
It is with great delight that the Australian Government has learnt that al-Ghozi has now been, um, has now been, um ... well, he's actually been shot. Perhaps one shouldn't say we're delighted that someone's been shot, but nevertheless, we are delighted that he is no longer on the loose.
As Matt Hayden writes:
I'd describe his reaction as "bordering on the subdued" myself.
Me, too. More ghouling, please.
Posted by Tim Blair at October 14, 2003 01:10 PMHa! That's brilliant. I find myself liking Downer more and more.
Posted by: Pig Head Sucker at October 14, 2003 at 01:34 PMAs a sports fan, I am allowed to be ghoulish. I laughed my arse off when Port Adelaide choked in the finals yet again, too. Not to mention the grand final....
Posted by: Scott Wickstein at October 14, 2003 at 01:47 PMAh shit, I wanted to get all my mates together as he was being led out to the last wall he'd ever see. We'd have many beers, speak loudly in 'strine, laugh at the funny hats their soldiers wear and generally enjoy ourselves. Just to be sure that we would piss of the holier-than-thou crowd at the ABC, we would give them a call straight afterwards and bag the shit out of them. Oh well, guess we have to smarten up our plans for the next one. Any idea when that will be?
Posted by: Todd at October 14, 2003 at 02:26 PMWhat's so wrong about being *very* happy a murdering scumbag is dead? I'd be worried about someone who wasn't. Seems like a normal reaction to be happy.
What alternate universe do some people inhabit? It certainly can't be plant Earth if they get offended due to a happy response for something like this.
Celebrate! Have a party! One less scumbag terrorist walks the Earth.
Posted by: Chris Josephson at October 14, 2003 at 02:52 PMNormally, I believe that an execution should be a somber event. However, in his case, I think that any Australian who wished should to participate should have been given his head for a game of rugby.
Is that ghoulish enough for you, Gregg?
Posted by: Geoff Matthews at October 14, 2003 at 02:59 PMHow pathetic. Exactly the same lockstep reaction as when OUR Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, gave his tacit approval to the Bali bombers' death sentences. My God, the outrage - Howard was the 'moral equivalent of the bombers'. They actually wanted him to appeal the sentence!
By the way, the ABC independent bias thing was unfair because no-one asked Linda Mottram, who usefully informs us that sound effects are invisible to the naked eye. Sorry, no link so here's the whole thing:
No justice in ABC war review.
There are a number of salient points to make about the ABC's Independent Complaints Review Panel, which looked into Senator Richard Alston's complaints about AM's Iraq war coverage (11-12/10).
The panel did not at any time contact me or any of the other presenters and reporters involved. Nor did it seek the views of the AM's executive producer, or ABC news and current affairs management. In other words, there was no due process. Natural justice was denied.
The review panel has also displayed a complete lack of understanding of the job of journalism. As your columnist Mark Day noted, this is a process of sifting, assessing and reassessing vast quantities of information from diverse sources, in a constantly shifting news environment.
For radio, and especially radio current affairs, this means not only reporting uncontestable facts, but also describing atmospherics which the listener cannot see.
The panel has in some of its findings not understood dictionary definitions of words and yet still delivered findings of serious breach.
The panel also provided only the slimmest of rationales for its findings, with no sources given to back up its conclusions.
This is in stark contrast to the scholarship and forensic research evident in the initial investigation into Senator Alston's complaints conducted by the ABC's Complaints Review Executive.
Linda Mottram
Compere, AM
Ghoulish? Actually, linking to a photo of his bullet riddled corpse, as did the Philippine Inquirer, would be ghoulish. Any ghouls reading this comment can find the link at the top of the article here.
Posted by: Conrad at October 14, 2003 at 03:19 PM
Jeez, if Greg thinks _that's_ ghoulish, then I guess dropping a dook on Ghozi's grave after a bacon-heavy breakfast would be out of the question.
Nearly as good as hearing that rotten old Commie, Jim Cairns karked it.
Busy week.
2 graves on which dancing is required.
Well, as long as it's only borderline evil corpse feeding...
Main Entry: ghoul
Pronunciation: 'gül
Function: noun
Etymology: Arabic ghul
Date: 1786
1 : a legendary evil being that robs graves and feeds on corpses
2 : one suggestive of a ghoul
- ghoul·ish /'gü-lish/ adjective
- ghoul·ish·ly adverb
- ghoul·ish·ness noun
So, it's okay if several thousand Palestinians dance in the streets to celebrate jets crashing into the WTC and the Pentagon, or tens of Israelis being killed by a suicide bomber, but this is ghoulish? Just so we get it straight, you know.
Posted by: JorgXMcKie at October 15, 2003 at 11:13 AMLook it's pefectly simple - it's only ghoulish if you're celebrating the killing one of the Arab Broadcasting Corporation's heroes. It's not ghoulish at all if you're celebrating the death of human beings.
Posted by: Clem Snide at October 15, 2003 at 10:40 PM