Former editor of The Australian, Chris Mitchell, has penned an opinion piece slamming the influence of triple j and its former employees, who’ve supposedly spread their tendrils all over the ABC and ruined Australia, or at least the Australia that Mitchell remembers.
In his latest opinion column, Mitchell says triple j has infiltrated the ABC and is implicitly shaping Australia’s opinions on culture and politics, which he doesn’t see as a good thing.
The problem has stemmed from this previously mentioned infiltration of the ABC, according to Mitchell. “I blame the ABC,” he says.
“In my view, the ABC has been slowly taken over from the inside, culturally at least, by Triple J. The anti-establishment ethos of the ABC’s home of alternative music eventually infiltrated television and radio.”
“It is fascinating to see how well the Triple J crowd has done. From European correspondent Steve Cannane, to radio broadcaster Angela Catterns, science commentator Dr Karl, comedian Wil Anderson, radio duo Roy and HG, radio announcer Robbie Buck and many more. There are prominent exceptions such as Leigh Sales and Chris Uhlmann but even Q&A and occasional Lateline presenter Tony Jones, admittedly not a graduate of Triple J, affects a Triple J kind of radical chic.”
Among other things, Mitchell criticises triple j and its graduates (who apparently wield almighty power over the masses) for moralising too much and getting up in arms about things like same-sex marriage and the subjugation of French Muslim women.
“Why defend the subjugation of French Muslim women as an exercise in those women’s rights to cultural identity? Politics,” he says. “The new cultural leaders turn out to be a pretty moralising, humourless bunch who actually oppose freedom of thought and expression. For political reasons mind you.”
Mitchell finishes his piece by wistfully longing for the day when bands made up exclusively of straight white males could release sexist record covers without triple j and Twitter going into meltdown. He has a point though, who doesn’t miss the good old days when only old, straight white men shaped opinion?
