INTERVIEW with Denis Muller – Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne
When Prime Minister Scott Morrison accused Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese of being a Mancurian Candidate in Parliament last month, it caused a ruckus across the media.
But just what is a Mancurian Candidate? And how does hyper-partisan, gutter politics undermine the notion of democracy?
RTRFM’s Allan Boyd caught up with Journalism guru Dr Denis Muller to find out more…
During the final sitting days of federal Parliament last month, we witnessed a feverish attack by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Labor party leader Anthony Albanese.
In what has been described by ASIO boss Mike Burgess as the “weaponisation of national security”, Mr Morrison – and defence minister Peter Dutton – unleashed an unprecedented tirade on Albanese – suggesting China had chosen the Labor leader as their preferred candidate – indeed that members of the opposition front bench are “Manchurian candidates”
To discuss the merits of a Manchurian Candidate and the role of the media in all this – and maybe a bit more – I’m joined by media and journalism guru, Dr Denis Muller – from The University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism.
Denis argues in a recent Conversation article that Morrison and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation are attempting to do to Australia’s democracy what Murdoch and Donald Trump did to America’s between 2016 and 2021…