By Taylor Stott
IMG: Unsplash.com
Twitter users have begun to critique journalists using the hashtag, “This is not Journalism” following a COVID-19 briefing in Victoria this week.
For a significant portion of the briefing taking place on August 6, premier Daniel Andrews was grilled by journalists about how infected persons were let out of the states hotel quarantine program in May.
During a tense press conference, the Victorian Premier discussed with Journalists that he did not possess the answers on the key questions about the hotel scheme however, declared he would ultimately be held accountable.
Source: 7NEWS
For weeks the Victorian Government have refused to offer detailed responses about how and when cases from the states hotel quarantine scheme infected security guards, in turn contributing greatly to the second wave of COVID-19 in the state.
Australians of Twitter have taken to the Premiers defence, claiming to “stand with Dan“. The trending hashtag consists of the voice of the consumer stating that journalists are not writing to unveil the truth but rather profiting on drama, once again reinstating the war against media.
Australian Journalists have begun to clap back to the hashtag stating that the questioning of politicians is all part of a functioning democracy. Transparency is a right to all citizens in a democracy, especially in a time of crisis such as COVID-19. Whilst questioning and answers are what keeps this democracy alive, journalists have asked readers to reflect on their actions questioning whether personal attacks on journalists provide any benefit.
Freelance Journalist Olivia Platt discusses the matter.
