Janet Albrechtsen
|
|
Janet Albrechtsen is a conservative opinion columnist and social commentator with the News Limited-owned newspaper, The Australian. She frequently comments on legal issues, particularly criticising what she views as unacceptable tendencies towards judicial activism in decisions of both the High Court of Australia and the Family Court of Australia.
Somewhat in the manner of an Australian Ann Coulter, Albrechtsen has attracted vigorous criticisms from various elements of the left (former Labor Party leader Mark Latham once infamously described her as a "skanky ho who would die in a ditch for the Liberal Party"). Some critics have accused her of sloppy journalism or outright misrepresentation and plagiarism. In particular, the Media Watch programme claimed she had misquoted a French psychiatrist, Jean-Jaques Rassial, to make it look as though violence and gang rape were institutionalised elements of the culture of Muslim youths.
Albrechtsen, staunchly defended by her paper, has hit out on all of these critics, particularly Media Watch, as being symptomatic of inherent left-wing bias within the media and public broadcasting, deliberately leading a witch-hunt against contrary views.
In February 2005, in a somewhat ironic development, Albrechtsen was appointed by the Minister for Communications, Senator Helen Coonan to the board of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly owned broadcaster she had previously criticised. The appointment was criticised by (former Media Watch host) David Marr who questioned whether, as an avid opponent of public broadcasting, she was qualified for such a position. [1] (http://www.smh.com.au/news/Breaking-News/ABC-board-appointment-sparks-controversy/2005/02/24/1109180040921.html?oneclick=true).
References
Janet's French Girl (http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/090902_s3.htm), Media Watch program transcript, September 16, 2002