Quite right Belly. "Shock-jocks" are simply actors being paid extremely excessive amounts for stirring up those with minds too feeble to switch off their particular brand of "scream radio!"

However, there are shock-jocks and shock-jocks. Derrin Hinch, love him or hate him, at least appeared to hold some sense of right and wrong. Allen Jones is an entirely different kettle of fish, yet enough people must listen to his rantings. He still has a job and in the world of cut-throat radio, that says something.

It's not the likes of Allen Jones that scares me. It's the fact that so many gullible Australians listen to the rubbish people like Jones spews daily across the airwaves.

I have a friend in Melbourne who hangs on his every word and when he's sprouting about an issue that 'floats her boat' she actually rings him and further inflates his ego. When I visit, his radio show is running in the background all the time, which is one reason I tend not to visit much these days, yet my friend is also someone whom you'd have to call reasonably intelligent. Go figure!

Dear Belly,

The shock jocks can be heard mouthing off
on any controversial issue, particularly if
there are marginalised or victimised people
involved who make easy targets for whipping
up prejudice. Chris Smith, Alan Jones, Jason
Morrison, just to name a few.

The shock jocks don't limit their misinformation
and fear mongering to just one issue (such as
climate change). And the pathetic part is that
they like to pose as if they simply reflect
public opinion.

But their real role is far more insidious.
They whip up fear, prevent open and honest debate,
and in some cases even provoke violence, as
Alan Jones did with the Cronulla riots.

Shadow Minister, Hasbeen -

It's reasonable enough to oppose the carbon tax. It's reasonable to organize your own rally. It's reasonable to bring these truckies from afar and protest for what they believe in. It's reasonable for Alan Jones to appear there.

No argument from me.

What isn't reasonable, is the fact that Alan Jones said that Gillard had made the Australian Federal Police prevent convoys from arriving.

This is false. There wasn't a single truck that was stopped.

http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/jacktheinsider/index.php/theaustralian/comments/alan_jones_greatest_truckin_songs/

Note here, I'm not attacking Jones's right to speak out - but given that this was false, don't you think he should apologize and set the record straight?

Also, when Alan Jones describes this as the greatest ever attack on democracy, wouldn't you say that this is hyperbole?

Would you, or would you not agree that Hitler's Third Reich was a far worse example of an attack on democracy?

Finally, wouldn't you say that when a reporter asked Alan Jones if he was paid to attend the rally, it was not at all reasonable of him to incite the crowd to verbally abuse her? Especially given that Jones has a track record of secretly accepting funds to promote things?

http://media.theage.com.au/news/national-news/alan-jones-intimidates-reporter-at-rally-2575768.html

Three points. I'm curious as to how any of these are in any way justifiable.

Oops, I quoted Jones as saying it was an 'attack' on democracy.

He actually said "it's the most disgraceful thing ever done to democracy".

My mistake.

See, when you make an error, you're supposed to correct it and set the record straight.

That's what credible people do, anyway. Admit their mistakes.

Alan Jones however...

Oh, I think it is a bit of a fashion to attack the "Shock Jocks".
It is all part of the "Look Down Your Nose" at the hoi poloy !

They cannot get too far out of line on the lies dept or they will have
either defamation actions or the SMA down on them.
Someone mentioned conflicts of interest, well ask the Golden Mic about
that as a problem.

The governments long long list of failed projects has made them a fair
target for all that they are now getting. No need for me to list them
as everyone here has discussed them ad infinitum.
The labour supporters have now given up on defending the government
and only have poor Tony left as a target.

The governments attitude to the public is showing through and the
public has noticed it. Frankly it has got to the stage that there is
not much point in either supporting the government or attacking them
as they have become irrelevant.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/1051221/alan-jones-tops-sydney-radio-ratings

At breakfast between 5.30am and 9am, 2GB's Alan Jones strengthened his lead, with growth of 1.5 points to 18.7 per cent. Way ahead of second place 702.

So I would guess that as NSW's most popular radio host, people really like listening to what he says. The more incompetent and disrespectful of the voters the Gillard government, the more angry listeners that lap up what he says.

While all the lefties in this thread are having a group moan, the reality is that he does actually reflect the opinions of a large number of people from NSW, whilst Labor does not.

TRTL - In getting permission for the protest, one of the conditions set by the police was that the large trucks not enter the Canberra parliament circle, So technically AJ was correct.