Proud of his enemies
By Karen Fredericks
SYDNEY — At a public signing of his new book Distant Voices at Gould's Bookshop in Glebe on October 10, John Pilger elaborated upon his refusal to enter into a public brawl with Ben Hills.
Hills slammed Pilger's work (while freely admitting not having read any of Pilger's five previous books) as poorly researched and biased in a half-page assault in the Sydney Morning Herald on October 6. Pilger said he was proud to count Ben Hills, Gareth Evans and Gerard Henderson among his enemies.
"I'm not sure that we should be too concerned about such people", said Pilger to more than 200 of his readers gathered at the book signing.
"It's the structure of the media that matters. Of course it has its servants, but what matters most is that Australia now has the unique distinction of having the least diverse ownership of media in the Western world.
"With 70% in the hands of Murdoch and most of the rest controlled by Conrad Black and Kerry Packer, it's a tragic situation for a country that has a firm and rich history in journalism, going back into the 19th century. Australia is currently going through, and has been going through for some time, a dark period in the media."
Pilger acknowledged the work of the alternative print media and community broadcasters in Australia and urged his readers to support them in all ways possible. He spoke about Distant Voices in more depth at a forum organised by the Writers In the Park and hosted by Brain Toohey at the Harold Park Hotel on October 11.