Fwiw – (nm) – I’m a bit of a non-fan of Ray Crooke. He’s been painting pictures that looked like the last batch he’s painted for about thirty years. They’re nice, but we need something a little more to keep our attention.

I hadn’t gone through to look at the paintings for that reason, but I did note when I first saw it, how much of a change – for the better – the painting that was put up was. On clicking through, I can see the guy has pulled his finger out.

So good on him – not an easy thing to do – ever. So doing it a few times in his life is better than most of us.

I know it’s a parallel issue.

Running with that is what we expect from our mainstream media. To contribute in some way to a blog is, in part at least, a signal to MSM that it’s lacking. To contribute to a blog is not just a sign of solidarity (quite an issue amongst actual bloggers, and goes to this point) but a powerful statement that, given MSM lack, the onus will be taken on board to seek to provide qualities missing. Of course this is not to be definitive of the ‘sphere. But it speaks of the power of blogs. May I emphasise there the word and the power of will.

In other countries, the power of blogs is well known.

In Australia, it is less so, due to our small and rather insular MSM not wishing to embrace it. This episode of MW effected one more step towards a better acceptance. There is some food for thought in this.

And if you wish to exercise some thoughts, imagine the environment MW broadcasts into. Blog criticisms of MW are good and clear, yet this clarity I’d guess would be pretty much at the sole domain of the Australian ‘sphere. How often has our ‘blog community’ criticised, correctly, the MSM? In fact it’s an ongoing narrative in the blog community to do so, with good grounds – reasons for which are ignored or otherwise ridiculed or,rarely, begrudgingly acknowledged by MSM, let alone the sheer act of doing so given the chorus of this valid national voice.

MW broadcasts, still, into the land of mini-culture. That’s the way our MSM has grown. MW serves that particular populated island: the mainstream media’s audience. It does so, from that island’s perspective, entertainingly and with courage and insight. Ah, to reveal the secrets of the island inhabitants!

So this (parallel) discussion in the ‘sphere is heightened in regard to another MW failing, to yet again beseech of the MSM to reach into and accept the ‘sphere’s claiming of ground well- trodden by the blogosphere, while I hope also seeing that another wall between the two has come crashing down.

That further breaking of the walls, that redefinition forced upon MSM by the power of blogs, in this country, is a valuable positive all parties can take from all of this.

Now if we could all go back to evincing the good manners for which Troppo is renowned, Blogdom – if not the world – would be a better place.

mine too, james. That they would better off the air and we taxpayers get a refund by clawing back all their backpay for impersonating honorable scribes.

Never made a mistake in your life, David? Never done anything wrong? Never ever?

Somehow, I don’t think Adams is a particularly humane person, Nick. I’m politically different from him, so therefore denied the usual courtesies.

The gratuitous reference to “Helen in her latest incarnation” is, in addition to being cowardly, dehumanising.

Is she owed an apology or not?

Tee-hee. It is really writing the obvious, I suppose. But it was fun (don’t usually blog elections).

Joining the chorus here, but yes, that was my first thought also.

I’ve had a chat to Media Watch (they even bothered to ring me in the UK!), and the woman I spoke to said she’d speak to him. Have to wait and see, I suppose.

Helen, I listened to that LNL program. As soon as Adams said ‘chilling’ and ‘blood freeze’ I knew he was mixing you up with Anu Singh. I’ve heard him describing his interview with her in the same terms (and it’s a fair assessment). The confusion was confirmed when he made another reference to Singh at the end. It’s also ironic that in the same interview he talked about Manning Clarke’s false – but in Adams’ view genuine – belief that he’d witnessed Krislallnacht.

So maybe Adams was momentarily disoriented by the blend of themes – literary hoaxes (you and Khoury), manipulative charmers (Khoury and Singh), notorious young women in general – or maybe he has an illusory memory of interviewing you. In any case it’s a tad unfair to you, since to the best of my knowledge you haven’t murdered anyone.

Whether or not this theory is correct, obviously he should correct the mistake and apologise if he hasn’t already. I’ve written to him and I suppose others have, so he must know about it. If he ignores the whole thing I’ll be disgusted.