Thursday 14 August 2008

Quick and Loose with the Facts

CairnsBlog contributor, Syd Walker writes that the new blog in town by former Mayoral executive assistant, Denis Quick, is a bit quick and loose with the facts.


There’s a video gallery in the new website of Dennis Quick. That's cool, Dennis! We sure do live in a multi-media era! At present, there's only one video on offer. It’s an excerpt from Cairns Win TV News, several months back. CairnsBlog readers will be familiar with this intriguing clip if they recall a blow by blow account of the saga from back in February.

Here’s the wrap....

On January 30th, Win TV News in Cairns carried a story about the Myola development controversy, including an accurate reference to a “closed meeting” of Mareeba Shire Council the previous day. Then (presumably following pressure from persons unknown?), Win News followed up with an untruthful, inaccurate ‘correction’. Win TV's correction would have been, er... correct - had it said “we now accept that part of the meeting was open” (the much smaller part, actually!)

But no, Win's on-air correction said “in fact, the entire meeting was open to the public”. That is untrue. Incorrect. False.

As the previous CairnsBlog article indicated, there is simply no doubt that part of the Mareeba Shire Council meeting in question was closed to the public. Two residents – including the author – were not allowed into the meeting for a couple of hours. We are witnesses. We can provide affidavits, if need be. But why is this even being debated?

The Minutes of the meeting in question make it abundantly clear that the meeting was closed to the public shortly after 8am.

It didn't re-open until after 10 o’clock. To claim that “the entire meeting was open to the public” is to assert a falsehood. If the untrue ‘correction’ was issued in full knowledge of the facts, it amounts to a deliberate lie. In our society, it’s hard to eradicate lies. But most folk have the smarts not to brag about them too openly. Win TV's anomalous false ‘correction’ is an irritating loose end from a bygone era.

Clarifying the historical record may not be quick, but it is worth taking the trouble. Speaking of Quick, I presume that now the facts have been clarified for his benefit, Dennis will discretely remove this absurd video clip from his ‘Video Gallery’? Surely giving prominence to an inaccurate and false 'correction' is is a severe embarrassment to the key protagonists? If it isn't, it should be.

However, should Dennis keep it up on his website, an explanatory note is in order. I have two suggestions:

1/ “The ‘Correction’ shown on this video clip is no ordinary correction - it's a BLATANT FALSEHOOD!”

Or, more topically: “Like the Georgian Foreign Minister, I never learnt when to shut up!”

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank You CairnsBlog for clarifying this issue. I was a litle confused by this only film clip on Dennis' website. At the time I understood that a part of the meeting was closed. Why is Dennis publishing something that is inaccurate and what else is he publishing that is false.? He needs a disclaimer accompanying the clip. Lets see if he does it. If he does not then his blog has lost credibility to this reader.

Anonymous said...

Cairnsblog is a joke! What sort of blog doesn’t even have a section devoted to military history?

Ha, ha, ha, Major(3rd degree) Burns and, me couldn’t help but have a huge bellylaugh over a whopping, glass of red down at Villa when we realised what a dunderhead Moore is to have neglected that and given us our own opportunity. Even George, thought it was funnier than Maccas wig! Maybe Moore will now try and get that Richardson girly to do something on that Krait story she’s been running to try and save that tin dunny down on the inlet. Who would ever believe a girl when it comes go military matters anyway?

There will be no defamatory nonsense at WatchoutCairns! I still can’t believe that idiot pulled out the defamatory lezo label on the Major’s missus when all he had to do was refer to her criminal record. We will focus on issues not people at WatchoutCairns like our, scoop on that bumbler Jim Turnour embarrassing us all over nappy changing protocol in business class! Where did he think he was? Jetstar?

Running a Counsel is serious business and it deserves men who know how to read maps.