Last night’s episode of Media Watch had Jonathon Holmes sitting at the helm of his havoc-wreaking journalism watchdog throne, smug as ever as he ripped in to Today Tonight’s routine distortion of the facts. It seemed like your ordinary Monday night barrage against journos—a cheeky raised eyebrow from Holmes here, a sarcastic commentary there as he disapproved heavily with virtually every piece of news splayed across the media this week. Everything in its right place. However, all was not well, and last night was different; there was an ever so slight twinkle of exhaustion in Holmes’ eye, usually reserved for only the strongest of shoddy-reporting destroying. Last night was Jonathon Holmes’ last ever Media Watch, and this certainly wasn’t our reaction to his departure. Go home, Glen Coco:
@jonaholmesMW good riddance asshole
— Glen Coco (@glencoco1964) July 1, 2013
The trauma of Holmes’ exit aside, his departing words on paying for news services were particularly resonant, as today marks the first day that Fairfax newspapers (Sydney Morning Herald and The Age) introduce their paid subscription news service across all platforms. The days of freely fawning over lengthy editorials and Clementine Ford’s musings are most definitely over, as non-paying readers will only have access to read 30 articles for free per month.
On Media Watch, Holmes’ said that ~young people~ consider that they never have paid for news, and never will, so subscription based services will create no impact on a younger demographic. That’s probably true.
Holmes conceded that, referring to quality investigative journalism, “Media Watch regularly shows you the worst: but the best, I still believe, is worth paying for.”
He ended by saying, “So my parting plea is this: whatever your politics, or your preferences, and even if you’ve never bought a newspaper, start subscribing to at least one media website: whether it’s the Herald Sun or New Matilda, Crikey or the Sydney Morning Herald, old media or new, pay just a little to keep real journalism alive. “
Let’s remember Holmesy by the that time he pretended to be a Serengeti vulture on national television <3
