Sometimes even in these dark times the news cycle throws up a quiet giggle.
In the Murdoch-Morrison War on the ABC, Australia's public broadcaster......
First salvo
L'l Scotty Morrison routinely swats away a journalist during a doorstop on 29 June 2020:
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you’ve spoken about the need for tax reform out the back of this crisis. Will you consider taking to the next election either an increase in the GST or a broadening of the base of the GST in order to get rid of and decrease other taxes or is that something you would rule out?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I'm focused on at the moment is the decisions the Government has to make in relation to JobSeeker and JobKeeper and they’re important decisions as we move to the next phase post September. And I've got to say, Andrew, that's where my attention is right now.
JOURNALIST: So it’s something you might consider down the track?
PRIME MINISTER: No, Andrew, I'm not going to let you put words in my mouth. I've said what I've said. You know, we're focused on the questions that Australians are most interested in at the moment. And that is, frankly, the next phase beyond JobSeeker and JobKeeper. There is still a lot of work to do there and that's what we're focused on now.
JOURNALIST: Were you concerned…
PRIME MINISTER: No, it's not a one on one today, Andrew, there's many other journalists here. I'm happy to give you another one later.
Supporting salvo
News Corp's own NCA Newswire decides this exchange is a perfect opportunity to take another potshot at the ABC:
However there is one small problem with this 'news' report.
Return fire from opposing trenches
And that small problem was at matter of identity:
It would appear that News Corp mixed up Andrew Clennell a political editor over at its own subsidiary, Sky News Australia with an ABC political editor Andrew Probyn.
Thus managing to bring down one of its own media soldiers in a volley of friendly fire.
In future skirmishes perhaps Murdoch's troops could check mugshots before firing off a round - the Andrews are easy to tell apart.
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