CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Local print journalist, Patrick Charleton (55) has today stepped out of the uber, taken one last sip of his oat flat white, and removed the lid – before disposing of it in the respective bins – separating the cardboard and plastic of his $4.50 morning coffee, to make they aren’t carted off to land fill in the same truck.
As he jogs up the steps to the newsroom, there’s an extra spring in his step.
That’s because it’s election time, his favourite kind of news cycle.
As he enters the sprawling open plan office that makes up the major media conglomerate that pays him to cover politics, he grins at the unpaid teenagers creating TikToks about MAFS recaps. He chuckles at their pop culture rubbish, hopefully one day they’ll understand how important the role of the 4th estate is. Hopefully one day they’ll understand how important HIS role is.
He sits down at his desk and cracks his knuckles. It’s week two of the popularity contest known as the 2022 Federal Election, what will he write about today.
Maybe he’ll keep digging into the number one election issue, should trans women be allowed to spear tackle our daughters? Because apparently there’s about 3 to 4 trans women in the entire country who want to do that.
Or maybe he’ll write another think-piece about how the Opposition leader overshot the unemployment rate by 1% close to a week ago – a fatal error that has seen Patrick pen at least six articles about ‘Albo’s Nightmare Week’.
He could also go back to accusing Penny Wong of murdering Kimberley Kitching with a frosty comment 18 months ago, but that’s only if things get desperate.
However, one thing he won’t be talking about is how there is a sitting Liberal MP currently on twitter begging NSW residents to vote for the Greens over Scott Morrison. (Catherine Cusack)
Or the fact that the PM is still in court with thousands of his own party members over his decision to handpick up to 12 NSW poorly-vetted NSW candidates who believe suicide isn’t that big of deal for gay kids.
He can’t cover Albo’s appearance at Bluesfest, unless he changes ‘Rock star welcome’ to ‘met with deafening boos’ – according to his editors.
One thing he definitely can’t write about is the 500 plus resignations the NSW Liberals have seen this last week, or the fact they still haven’t picked candidates in certain marginal western Sydney seats.
He doesn’t know why he can’t report on this, but it’s come from above, might have something to do with his newspaper being kept afloat by Harvey Norman advertisements or something, or it might be because the TV station that owns his newspaper can’t afford Labor banning their gambling advertisements that pillaging the working class every free-to-air football match.
”I’ve got it” he says.
”New poll numbers are out. Oh man Albo’s taken a big hit because of that gaffe”
”Haha. Can he come back from here. Only time will tell. Probably not. He’s just not up to it”
”Morrison on the other hand, he’s an experienced leader. Better the devil you know I suppose”
