Deal With Refugees On Our Turf: Fr Frank Brennan

[the following article is rewritten from a News Ltd story, referenced below. It is designed to show how media write their stories to create a particular opinion]

HUMAN rights intellectual and lawyer Father Frank Brennan says that we should deal with people (refugees by boat arrival) “efficaciously, quickly and on our on terms and on our own turf”. Father Brennan is professor of law in the Institute of Legal Studies at the Australian Catholic University, and professor of human rights and social justice at the University of Notre Dame Australia.
"Given that people will continue to do very desperate things for the most understandable of human reasons, what is the moral bottom line below which we will not descend as a nation in terms of the protection of our borders," he told ABC radio.

Father Brennan, a staunch opponent of the use of Nauru for processing of boat arrivals, acknowledged it worked to some extent in stopping the boats, in conjunction with other measures such as temporary protection visas. However, Fr Brennan went on: "To say that Malaysia is morally reprehensible is not to espouse Nauru. It's to say that yes, Nauru is the lesser moral evil.", but questioned whether it would work a second time around.
The prominent Jesuit priest said people in leaky boats would continue to arrive in Australia. "We should deal with them efficaciously, quickly and on our on terms and on our own turf”, he said.
Under the Malaysia plan, the Government wants to send 800 asylum seekers to Kuala Lumpur in exchange for 4000 already processed refugees. Father Brennan said Labor seemed determined to come up with something even more ruthless than the former government, conveying the message to asylum seekers that they would definitely would never get to Australia.

The Coalition says Australia should reopen the Nauru processing centre. But Fr Brennan said "I think it could well be ineffective. (the second time round)"

Meanwhile, no asylum seekers will be sent to Malaysia until a High Court case has been resolved, Federal Cabinet secretary Mark Dreyfus has confirmed.  Mr Dreyfus said the Federal Government would abide by the letter and the spirit of an interim injunction stopping the transfer of asylum seekers. Lawyers for up to 42 people who the Government intends to send to Malaysia have challenged the people swap arrangement.

The High Court will hear the case later in August."We're going to treat (the injunction) as applying to all the people who were to be transferred to Malaysia, even those who are not participating in this court case," Mr Dreyfus told Sky News today.
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Here is the News Ltd version, with a promotional slant for the Coalition’s Nauru Solution. Note the first line – designed to reinforce Coalition’s policy on Nauru.
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/nauru-lesser-evil-than-malaysia-deal-says-father-frank-brennan/story-e6frfku0-1226112194561 

HUMAN rights intellectual and lawyer Father Frank Brennan says the Nauru solution could be considered a lesser moral evil than the asylum-seeker swap deal with Malaysia.

Father Brennan, a staunch opponent of the use of Nauru for processing of boat arrivals, acknowledged it worked to some extent in stopping the boats, in conjunction with other measures such as temporary protection visas.
But he questioned whether it would work a second time around.
"Given that people will continue to do very desperate things for the most understandable of human reasons, what is the moral bottom line below which we will not descend as a nation in terms of the protection of our borders," he told ABC radio.
"To say that Malaysia is morally reprehensible is not to espouse Nauru. It's to say that yes, Nauru is the lesser moral evil."
The prominent Jesuit priest said people in leaky boats would continue to arrive in Australia.

"We should deal with them efficaciously, quickly and on our on terms and on our own turf," he said.
Under the Malaysia plan, the Government wants to send 800 asylum seekers to Kuala Lumpur in exchange for 4000 already processed refugees.
The Coalition says Australia should reopen the Nauru processing centre.
Father Brennan said Labor seemed determined to come up with something even more ruthless than the former government, conveying the message to asylum seekers that they would definitely would never get to Australia.
He said said the Opposition was promising a reopened Nauru processing centre would provide appropriate health and education, prompt processing with proper scrutiny and guaranteed resettlement.
"Then in that situation, the question would be second time round, would it actually work," he said.
"I think it could well be ineffective."
Father Brennan is professor of law in the Institute of Legal Studies at the Australian Catholic University, and professor of human rights and social justice at the University of Notre Dame Australia.
Meanwhile, no asylum seekers will be sent to Malaysia until a High Court case has been resolved, Federal Cabinet secretary Mark Dreyfus has confirmed.
Mr Dreyfus said the Federal Government would abide by the letter and the spirit of an interim injunction stopping the transfer of asylum seekers.
Lawyers for up to 42 people who the Government intends to send to Malaysia have challenged the people swap arrangement.
The High Court will hear the case later in August.
"We're going to treat (the injunction) as applying to all the people who were to be transferred to Malaysia, even those who are not participating in this court case," Mr Dreyfus told Sky News today.
----

Meanwhile Paul Maley, writing in The Australian, wrote:

“Father Brennan … said the Coalition's alternative policy of processing asylum-seekers on Nauru is the more moral option.”

At no stage, ever, did Fr Brennan say, or imply, that the Nauru solution was moral. He did refer to both the Malaysian Solution, and the use of Nauru, as “moral evil”
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/jesuit-priest-argues-malaysia-solution-worse-option-than-howards-pacific-solution/story-fn59niix-1226111970896

I believe that both News Ltd pieces from the Internet and from The Australian show sufficient bias and intent to manipulate public opinion that the News Ltd journalists have abrogated their responsibility to report impartially. They have certainly twisted the intent of Fr Frank Brennan’s opinion. Paul Maley, writing in The Australian, is worse, because he attributes the Nauru Solution as moral, when Fr Brennan described it as a “moral evil”. I believe my re-write is a more accurate representation of Fr Frank Brennan's position and arguments in the interview ... and I'm an amateur!

John

End Of The World – To Save Money

Rupert Murdoch’s son, James, has announced that this Sunday, 10-July-2011, will be last edition of The News of the World (NOTW). NOTW is a British tabloid newspaper which has a prior history of making up the news, and most recently, allegedly hacking phones of up to 4000 people, including: public identities (‘celebrities’ and politicians), actors & actresses, families of men and women killed while serving in the military forces, and murder victims. James Murdoch indicated that closing NOTW was ‘the right thing to do’.

Murdoch is staying loyal to Rebekah Brooks, the Editor of NOTW at the time of many of the alleged phone hacks. She has reportedly said she was “sickened” when told of the phone hack of a young murdered girls phone, including the deletion of voice mail messages so more could be left for the paper to report. As Editor, you would expect that she would have known what her journalists were doing (criminal), or incompetent, if she did not know. Rupert and James Murdoch must believe they have much to lose if she were to lose her job in their empire. Her inside knowledge would be priceless to another media organisation, and invaluable to police or a public inquiry.


But, why close the paper? There are a number of possible explanations:

1. public anger, which might lead to a drop in sales revenue
2. loss of advertising revenue, as companies express their anger
3. Murdoch is ruthless in his business, and his use of journalism. In 2007, Bill Moyers, writing on http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/07/02/the_problem_with_murdoch.php  wrote:
   (Murdoch’s) accustomed to using journalism as a personal spittoon. In the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq, he turned the dogs of war loose in the newsrooms of his empire and they howled for blood. … he’s not the first to use journalism to promote his own interests.  …  His tabloids sell babes and breasts, gossip and celebrities.”
4. closing the paper, and transferring as many assets as possible from News International (the publishing company) to other parts of News Corp, so that any more people who sue NOTW, will be suing a company with insufficient assets to pay. With up to 4000 people/families who might sue, for say, £500,000 it would face a bill of hundreds of millions of ponds, even if News ‘settled’ out of court.

Given Rupert Murdoch’s ruthless business acumen, my money is on option 4.
I believe that closing NOTW is a business decision only, driven by money considerations and the desire to remove a problem. That is, the closure is designed to limit exposure to compensation and punitive damages claims. I believe it has nothing to do with “the right thing”, as James Murdoch expressed it.

John



In researching this article, I also looked at:
1) http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjsavv_news-of-the-world-closes-amid-hacking-scandal_news
2) http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/07/02/the_problem_with_murdoch.php
3) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/behind-ruperts-throne-the-story-of-rebekah-brooks-2307512.html