AUSTRALIA
The Australian
MAY 22, 2015
Gerard Henderson
Columnist
STOP PRESS
THE INVINCIBLE IGNORANCE OF SOME JOURNALISTS CONCERNING GEORGE PELL
The abysmal ignorance of some Australian journalists has seldom been more evident than in the coverage of the hearings of the Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse which are currently underway in Ballarat. Especially in Fairfax Media, the ABC, The Guardian Australia and Sky News’ Paul Murray Live. Here are some “highlights”.
Last night on Paul Murray Live, presenter Paul Murray seemed unaware that Cardinal George Pell had already appeared twice before the Royal Commission as a witness and that the Royal Commission has been advised that he is willing to co-operate with it as required. Cardinal Pell appeared as a witness on one occasion in Sydney and via video-link from the Vatican on another occasion. Yet Paul Murray, in his ignorance, called on Cardinal Pell to front up before the Royal Commission.
Then the following exchange took place:
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Paul Murray: … I just believe that all of the people involved in these organisations — and there are some phenomenally important organisations, like the Salvos, who had to own up to terrible things in their past that have nothing to do with how they currently deal with things. But they had to front, they had to explain how they’ve learned, how they’ve changed. He [George Pell] has to do this as the most visible leader of the Australian Catholic Church.
Dee Madigan: Not only the most visible leader but someone who, according to the testimony this week, was quite complicit in it. Frankly, I think he should be back and facing charges. And I say that as a Catholic. Probably not a very good one [laughs].
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This is hopelessly wrong. There was no new testimony before the Royal Commission this week concerning George Pell. The allegations made against him by victims David Ridsdale and Tim Green — concerning George Pell’s (alleged) responses to their complaints — are old. The David Ridsdale matter is referred to in Tess Livingstone’s George Pell (2002) and the David Ridsdale and Tim Green matters are referred in David Marr’s The Prince (2014).
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