Bronco Lane I would have hoped you would re enter the debate, it could be an interesting one.
I question your view that the press is not free because it does not think like you or maybe me.
But I look for your views to substantiate your claims with interest.

I don't care much about this specific topic except to state that the free press we are told we have, is not so free at all. Replace government control with private control (under one or two large companies) and you simply assert private agendas over government agendas (which is what we have). And Rudd's government is looking terrible so far on several fronts, including both censorship and control of government department statements.

I have a friend who once worked with the ABC, where they put/spliced together a reel of D-Notice material. D-Notices are sent to media when the Government doesnot want things known. Two I recall being told able were: Fraser with his fly-undone and a now deceased NSW state MP hit his wife across her face. Neither would seem to be Defence related or matters national security to me.

Comrades all and traitors if the public cannot see the the cleverly worded Newspaper Opinion within the West Australian or the Sunday Times as impartial then read it over and over again and again.
Editors are hand chosen by the owners. These newspapers are no less an additional propaganda organ of the Conservative Parties. The Consevative parties have no need to circulate literature these newspapers do it for them. These newspapers campaigned to rid the Liberal Leadership of honest Paul Omedei. Troy Buswell was helped by Robert Taylor and Paul Murray into the Liberal leadership position. If the Liberals are elected in 2009 then we will see the privatisation of the fantastic railway system that Labor has created with the support of the West Australian Public. Not forgetting Sir Charles Court closing down the railway system from Perth to Fremantle.

Understanding these issues involve more than just particularities of the Australian Media. Go back a bit and implictated as well were the high risk lending policies of banks after deregularion in early 1980s.
Alone side we had the capitalists like Bond.
More so now crucial shifts in the direction of the media in our country.

Those changers capable of radically changing our thoughts.
Murdocks domination of press seemed unlikely to be challenged and so on.

eg= 1975 -83 when four major media companies owned most of Australias newspapers, magazines, radio and Tv - most cities still retained three or four competing daily papers , during Frazors leadership.
However dueing Frasors time decions were made which established a pattern of interaction betwen poliitians and owners.
this continued over the many years . Results were owners of major newspapers emerged as owners of TV stations and so on.

Political agreement blurred the role of the press. We ended up with a rather unique political instituion.

Bronco Lane

Well done thanks!

I feel the ABC is still professional and impartial perhaps SBS has drooped maybe because of advertising. seven, nine and ten news segments are woefully unprofessional. I was impressed with the SBS Cutting Edge especially the campaign for compensation due to Agent Orange this epitomises the evil and the heartless policies of Conservative Governments and the money orientated corporations that Conservative governments bolster up. I regard John Pilger as the most pluckiest and sincerely honest Journalist that you could ever find. He has refused to join the easy life of the establishment Journalist that crawl to enhance their careers and do their bidding.
Now we have an improved Government in office that is not within the control of multimationals we must campaign to make them abolish the expoerting of live animals to their slaughter. and enforce stricter policing to abolish whaling these enormous creatures are for more intelligent than those poachers who are slaughtering them.