Murdoch Media is already attacking Hannah Ferguson

Newscorp wasted no time attacking Hannah Ferguson’s plan to challenge Albo’s hold on Grayndler at the next election.  It’s more proof Grayndler should embrace her.

In the upside down world of Australian media, an attack from Lachlan Murdoch’s NewsCorp shills is an endorsement - especially in the safe progressive seat of Grayndler. News24's Paul Murray and Joe Hildebrand (it was Sky News a few weeks ago) wasted no time attacking Ferguson’s candidacy. Hildebrand was unhinged as you can see below.

Check the video.

I wonder whether the Murdochs might pull out a special hostility for Hannah? It could backfire. Grayndler may be the least Murdochable electorate in Australia. Devotees of Peta Credlin and Andrew Bolt are pretty thin on the ground in Marrickville, Leichardt and Newtown.

The early attack on Ferguson should raise eyebrows though. An unlikely Ferguson win would take out a PM who’s maintained steady deference to NewsCorp since he became ALP leader. It’s a deference out of step with Grayndler and progressive voters across the country. It's a deference that buys Albo little mercy from a network that is relentlessly hostile. Why does he do it? Could NewsCorp be any more hostile?

News may be favourably disposed to helping Albo hold on to Grayndler though - in a battle with a candidate already on the record speaking truth to Murdoch.

Albo is probably planning to follow his predecessors K Rudd and M Turnbull and wait till he no longer has power before speaking truths about the half-century of harm the Murdoch syndicate has inflicted on Australian democracy and decency. He may be planning something similar for the gambling and fossil fuel lobbies too.

Grayndler deserves better.

If you still doubt the malignant power of the Murdochs, grab a copy of the recently published Getting Murdoched by Andrew Dodd and Matthew Richardson. It’s a meticulous record of the vicious campaigns run against individuals, governments and organisations by the Murdoch press across Australia, the UK and the US. It reveals a special Murdoch zeal for harming the weak, the vulnerable and those pursuing progressive causes like climate action.

If Ferguson enjoys the success in her campaigning that many of us are hoping for, watch the NewsCorp response.