WILD SPECULATION AFTER MURDOCH'S VISIT TO NORTHERN TERRITORY

Ever  since  Rupert  Murdoch  visited  the  Darwin  office  of  the  Northern Territory News-described as  the   wackiest   publication  in    News  Limited’s  swag  of papers because of its  obsession with crocs, UFOs , fireworks up the annus ,  bonking in  various  places    and  the imminent   threat  of  a  cyclone- strange  stories  have  been  circulating  around the   town.

 

Several  Labor  people  vow  and declare  that  the paper has   gone  soft  on the CLP Government  since  Rupert’s visit,  and  attribute  this  to  a meeting   with  the  fairly new   Chief Minister, Adam Giles.  There  is no  doubt  that  the CLP  government  had  been  receiving  a  caning in the paper, much of it  deservedly  so .   Others  say   the “soft “ approach  to the CLP government   is  part  of   Murdoch’s  “war”  against the   ALP   federally .

 However,  what  may  seem  to   be   a  new  easier  line with  the  NT Government  could   be due to the  fact  that  the  chief reporter  ,  award winning  Nigel Adlam ,  formerly of  The Sun  , London,   who  regularly  gave    Wedding  Cake  occupants   a  round  of   grapeshot,   has  suddenly  departed  the  scene.   The   explanation   is   that  he  has   gone  on  long  service  leave  until  the  end of  the  dry.   If  that  be  so, there  will  be  those  on  both  sides  of parliament   who    may  wish   he   does   a   Bonnie  Prince  Charles .   Nigel,  a  hard  worker , churned  out   mountains   of   copy  on  everything  from  politics  to  real  estate  and   birds , he  being  a  keen  twitcher .The  ABC’s   Media  Watch   upset  him   when  they   bestowed    the  Rhino Award  upon  him  and he responded  by referring  to the  "ABC  goon squad"  while  being  interviewed  by  a   local   shock jock  who ,in  a  News  report,  referred  to  “  southern  soft  cocks.”  For  some   odd  reason , Darwin has become  like  Queensland   during the  Joh Bjelke-Petersen   days , suspicious  and  disparaging  of them   thar  southerners .

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 Rupert   was subjected  to   mild media  questioning   in  Darwin  and   seemed  to  express  a  variation  of  the old  American advice to  go West young  man  when  he  said   the  North  was  the  place  to head   for   because of   its  big projects  and  most  of  the nation’s  rain.  He  also took a swipe  at   the   Gillard Government  over  457  visa  workers  , saying  it was   good  for  the nation  to  bring  in people  from all over , like  in  America .  

 
Murdoch   was   photographed  with   the  recently   installed  new  $18million KBA   Comet   press  at   the   News .  Why   spend  so  much money  on  a  small operation  like  Darwin  ? some   asked .   It  was  claimed  that   while  Murdoch  was   in  Australia , Rebekah  Brooks , former chief executive of News  International   and   editor  of  the closed down    News  of  the  World ,  also  quietly  slipped  into  the  country  from  London .  It  was  suggested   she  might  end  up running  the  Australian  newspaper  part  of  the   Murdoch conglomerate –if not  lodged  in the slammer  for  a  lengthy  time  over  the  phone hacking  affair,  to which she has  pleaded  not  guilty .  In  a  wild flight of fancy,   a cranky old NT   journo    suggested   Brooks  could  end up   based   in  Darwin as  part of  a  grand plan   to  cash in  on   the   bright future  that   Rupert   sees  in  the  Top End.   It  is  hard  to  imagine   Rebekah,   a horsey  lady  , becoming   a   member   of  the   Fannie  Bay  Equestrian  Club  or  mounting  one  of those  Clydesdale-  looking  nags  at  the East  Point  Pony Club .