Quadrant editor calls for ABC bombing after Manchester attack
Quadrant – “the leading general intellectual journal of ideas, literature, poetry and political debate published in Australia” – is under fire after its online editor suggested the bomb which went off at Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester, would have been put to better use if it was detonated at the ABC’s headquarters in Ultimo.
Roger Franklin published an opinion piece titled ‘The Manchester Bomber’s ABC Pals’ which said “had there been a shred of justice, that blast would have been detonated in an Ultimo TV studio”.
“Unlike those young girls in Manchester, their lives snuffed out before they could begin, none of the panel’s likely casualties would have represented the slightest reduction in humanity’s intelligence, decency, empathy or honesty,” the article continued in reference to Monday night’s Q&A program.
The article has since removed the “shred of justice” comments, however still suggests had there been casualties at the ABC’s panel program, humanity would not have suffered.
Quadrant editor Roger Franklin has changed his disgusting ABC-Manchester paragraph… with, of course, no editor’s note/correction. pic.twitter.com/JBfHLYeWCd
— Mark Di Stefano ?? (@MarkDiStef) May 23, 2017
In response to the article, the ABC’s managing director Michelle Guthrie has come out swinging, challenging the notion Quadrant is “the leading general intellectual journal of ideas” following the “vicious and offensive attack on the ABC, its staff and its program guests”.
“To take issue with our programming and our content is one thing. But to express the wish that, if there were any justice, the horrific terrorist bombing in Manchester would have taken place in the ABC’s Ultimo studio and killed those assembled there is a new low in Australian public debate,” she said in a statement.
Guthrie noted the article had been amended, but took issue with the lack of apology, or even an acknowledgement the article had been changed. She called for the publication to apologise.
The article, which remains on the Quadrant homepage
“Like many others, I am appalled at your willingness to turn an act of terrorism in the United Kingdom into a means of making a political point against those you disagree with. One of the immediate results of this behaviour is that while our staff both here and in Manchester were working long hours to provide extensive coverage of this unfolding tragedy, we were also forced to reassure worried staff who had read your article and call in our own security experts to assess any possible impact flowing from your inflammatory words.
“I ask that this response be posted prominently on the Quadrant website, and I also ask that the article, which continues to contain entirely inappropriate comments about possible bombings at the ABC, be removed and apologised for.”
How could anyone possibly imagine this comment would be appropriate?
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I was completely with Michelle Guthrie until she moaned about her staff “working long hours”. Boo-hoo.
Still, completely inappropriate from Quadrant. Should know (much) better.
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Honest assessment by Roger
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There can be no circumstances, and no excuse for suggesting that anyone of any kind is bombed. I hope that the posting, even if taken down, is deemed to be inciting terrorism, and that the perpetrator of that comment is dealt the same justice as any other person making similar comments – which hopefully involves a very, very long jail term.
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Quardant is gonna Quadrant.
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First thoughts are disgust. Then who the f**k is Roger Franklin?
After a bit of research, it turns out he is an absolute nobody. Looks like he never achieved much as a journalist. His 15 minutes are for calculated attention seeking hatred.
Enjoy – I am sure the extra page impressions were worth it.
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Bad timing, but sarcasm is sarcasm. Get over it.
The ABC luvvies can retreat to a ‘safe space’. They’re very quick to defame and vilify others, but when something comes back which offends them it’s the end of the world, apparently.
If Guthrie had apologised for the disgraceful, ungrateful Yassmin whatsername insulting our defence forces on Anzac Day, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.
The ABC has no idea – literally no idea – how much the majority of Australians hate them and want their budget reduced by 80%.
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The man has no shame.
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Why overreact by some comment even by responsible editor? Was only making metaphorical statement I think. Words have freedom unlike action that can lead to carnage.
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OMG are we ever going to get past these feral moral outrages?
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Mike, you clearly have no empathy or understanding of facts. If you look at most recent surveys of the public aka the majority of Australian’s you see that actually over 76% of Australian want funding to the ABC to be increased – these results are across the political spectrum. That is what you call a majority not pathetic fringe dwelling ignoramus comments spouting from people like yourself…
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Ahh I so love how you feel the need to resort to Ad Hominem to “support” your argument. Maybe you should issue an apology!
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“…the leading general intellectual journal of ideas…and political debate published in Australia”. This statement is the actual satire, not the pathetic and vicious propaganda spouted by the author in this faux-outrage article.
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It’s not to be taken literally. Of course he doesn’t want Q&A actually bombed. Anyone who reads the article in context can see it’s in context of his outrage over left wing bias.
Want an examples where it’s taken further? Check out Milo or Gavin McInnes and you’ll see the line of argument.
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Quadrant didn’t call for the bombing of Q&A. The title of the article is a lie. The article in question stated that it would have been preferable that a bunch of old left Islamophiles were the victims, rather than 22 innocent children. Who could disagree?
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Quadrant = QOFTAM
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Mike can you pls furnish us with a single example of ABC being ‘very quick to defame and vilify others’? The greyhound racing industry, perhaps? Or the kindly stewards of the Don Dale Detention Centre?
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Well, me actually
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Mike your comments are laughable at best.
It’s not surprising the ABC have no idea most people hate them, given that the majority don’t hate them at all.
Unfortunately, like most people on your political shit pile, you mistake your circle jerk of opinion for fact. ‘Trump style.’
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“A new low in public debate.”
“Sick”
“Depraved”
This is the descriptor of Franklin and people who agree with him.
Wear it!
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The point was made saliently with facts. Maybe you should do the same Bill.
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ah yes all that left wing bias that keeps delivering hard right governments.
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I would disagree. It would have been preferable that a vacant lot had been the site of the bombing, without the need for suicide, but the wish that any life or lives be lost to ths kind of senseless action is ungodly
(whoever one imagines god to be) Not insane, not even sick, but gigantically ill conceived.
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Are you forgetting the perfect summation back in 2014 of an absurd story run by the ABC, claiming Royal Australian Navy members had “tortured” asylum seekers by burning their hands on their boat’s hot engine.
The Australian community isfed up with the continual undermining of Australia’s national interest by ABC
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