On Monday April 13, 2020 the media gave national columnist and self-appointed ‘know-it-all’ Andrew Bolt an opportunistic free-kick to vilify and demean victims of childhood sexual abuse, denigrating their suffering and trauma as “far-fetched” fantasy inspired by “false memories”.
Bolt, who authored two syndicated articles – ‘Extreme Get-Pell Prejudice Exposed’ and ‘ABC Guilty as Sin of Cardinal Errors’ (The Chronicle, Monday 13 April 2020) – was given a whole page to vehemently spruik his opinion on the treatment, arrest, hearings, criminal trials, jailing, appeals, and finally the release of George Pell on April 7.
As an abuse victim survivor campaigner and advocate I believe the media owed it to victims, their families and support organisations to allow space for a firm right of reply.
Any attempt I had made to address Bolt’s diatribe had been hindered; I was effectively gagged by the mainstream press.
That being stated I went as far as submitting copy for a ‘paid advertorial’. YES – I was prepared to pay hundreds of dollars to get our voices heard, but the press refused to print it citing unspecified “legal reasons”.
I approached the editors of Real News Austalia who were only too willing to publish the story in full; immediately thereafter the story was picked-up by News Corp Australia and syndicated.
Read the advertorial HERE.
Revisions:
Article originally published 4 May 2020. Revised: 30 November 2023; 16 January 2023; 4 January 2022.