The Fish rots from the Head

By Arc Aquatic Funk Olfactorist, Snorty Pike

The Arc of Infinity has no desire to join in the moral outrage over the Melbourne Storm controversy. However, it takes exception to the pathetic attempts of the “club’s” owner, News Limited and its chief executive, John Hartigan, to distance itself from responsibility for the actions of the club.

Performing at a media jamboree yesterday, Chief Hartigan described former Storm CEO Brian Waldron (another Chief) as the “architect” of the club’s salary cap cheating, and joined in the outrage over “what appears to be a highly orchestrated, deeply deceptive fraud in which there was systematic and deliberate concealment of unlawful payments to certain players over an extended period”.

Ok. Before we join the Chief in his outrage let’s back this fucking truck up a bit. Hartigan is the Chief of News Ltd, the “architect” of regular moral panics and the grotto of Angela Shanahan. This fine example of capitalist enterprise has exploited and profited from the stories of victims of some of the most horrific events in the world – for example, while the Black Saturday bushfires killed 173 people, injured at least 400 and affected thousands of others, the Chief was lining the pockets of his shrewd comrades on the back of what some have described as “unethical journalism” (Apparently, a report found, because of the lack of guidance for journalists, the latter had to rely on their own “moral compass”).

Chief Hartigan is probably best remembered for his leadership on the “Right to Know Coalition” what won the Chief an award for journalistic leadership.

How fitting then to reflect on leadership at a time when one of the Chief’s “products” is mired in controversy. Under the old chestnut of the “rats in the ranks” the Chief has conveniently deflected blame from the shadowy enterprise. Leaders and bosses are only too willing to take the credit for the “good work” of their charges. But when it comes to deflecting blame, they only too easily defer to the “individuals responsible”. As the proverb says, “the fish rots from the head” and this latest controversy is but another example of behavior from an organisation that exploits , profits, cheats and lies, and the Chief claims (when it suits him)to be responsible for that organisation.

Thankfully, the Chief offered this modest reassurance: “Make no mistake, News does not tolerate this behaviour.” No, it doesn’t tolerate it. It fucking feeds from it. One thing is certain to come out of this controversy: News Ltd will continue to be at the centre of the moral panic, looking to exploit it for all its worth.