Guest host
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Congrats Puggo
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That’s actually not a bad idea. Probably not for a regular episode but I wouldn’t mind seeing a special edition of Media Watch with opinions on media from the viewpoint of an adolescent.
I know I’ve become mistrustful of old media and increasingly turn to independent journalism to get a better picture of what’s happening. I’d like to know how the new generation consumes news, what they think about the media establishment and if they see the influence of old media diminishing with the emergence of new sources of information.
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When you return to the forums to see multiple posts have been made in the “Media Watch” thread, you know something big has happened!
Anyway…it goes without saying that I hope Paul Barry won’t be out of action for too long, but one wonders whether the ABC will use this fill-in spot as an opportunity (I guess similar to how Paul himself filled in for Jonathan Holmes during 2010, before taking over as host fulltime in 2013) to trial a host who could potentially host the program on a fulltime basis once Paul retires?
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Interesting choice for a fill-in presenter, no?
I was half expecting them to bring in a former Media Watch host (Jonathan Holmes or Monica Attard probably being the most likely candidates?) for a guest stint if any were available.
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probably cheaper and easier just to second someone who’s already on the payroll and familiar with the current studios etc
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Also the short notice. Expect a more prefered (no-offence to Jeremy) option next week.
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Jeremy Fernandez hasn’t really presented quite an opinionated program like Media Watch before, has he? It would be quite jarring to see a current ABC newsreader on a program that’s meant to be critiquing the media.
It sounds like Paul Barry may be out for the next month or two, at the very least. A fractured pelvis is quite a severe injury, especially for a man approaching 70 years of age…
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Jeremy has presented the odd bit of non-newsy stuff (such as a NYE Fireworks telecast a few years back), but certainly nothing editorial like Media Watch AFAIK.
With that in mind, it’ll be interesting to see how Fernandez handles more sensitive media issues such as dodgy commentary about the pandemic from post-6pm Sky News hosts. On the flipside, Jez doing the inevitable “In Memoriam: Brian Henderson” bit might be really good.
Ellen Fanning would be a good choice.
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I’m would guess tomorrow’s program will be structured in a way that prevents/avoids Fernandez having to be overly opinionated for that very reason (eg; it might mostly be a look back on Brian Henderson’s career)
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It would be a good opportunity to trial a different approach and have someone like Mark Humphries host for a few weeks.
The news is so depressing at the moment, state and federal leadership so comical and coverage from the Murdoch empire so infuriating. It all deserves to be savagely mocked and ridiculed because too much of it makes me want to crawl into a corner and weep in despair.
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Stan Grant and Laura Tingle would also be good choices. Also like the sound of Mark Humphries as a choice from the left field.
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Grant and Tingle are too ‘newsy’, Humphries is too comedic.
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I think Ellen Fanning is a great choice!
Shaun Micallef could give it a go.
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Too comedic.
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The thing about the guest host is that they should be able to balance between harsh/straight-laced critique whilst also be funny when tongue-in-cheek moments appear on the likes of Media Bites. Paul Barry does a great job of both, not sure if the likes of Fernandez, Fanning, Grant, Tingle (or even Holmes and Littlemore) would be able to nail the latter, whilst the likes of Micallef or Humphries won’t be able to nail the former.
Would be interesting to see who takes the chair in place of Barry after Jeremy Fernandez. The likes of David Speers, Annabel Crabb, and Virginia Trioli probably shouldn’t be discounted either.
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Paul Barry’s good, but not Stuart Littlemore-good
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