ABC sings the praises of a slanderous sectarian smear

The Australian
February 18, 2016

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/cutandpaste/abc-sings-the-praises-of-a-slanderous-sectarian-smear/news-story/7d32624a80b872d313c80d9a9e55f56c

Want to attack the Catholic Church? Your ABC is happy to lend a helping hand.

Such a witty ditty. The Guardian Australia, Friday:

Tim Minchin has written a song about Cardinal George Pell, in which he lambasts Australia’s most senior Catholic cleric over the fact he won’t be returning from Rome to testify at the royal commission into institutional child abuse. “It’s a really nice song, the chorus just goes, ‘Come home, Cardinal Pell / We hear you’re not feeling well’,” Minchin said … “There’s also a bit where I call him a f..king coward.”

With the lyrics cleaned up it gets some lovely promotion in news bulletins on the commercial-free ABC. ABC News website, yesterday:

Tim Minchin released a song on Tuesday calling on Cardinal Pell to come back to Australia … “You’re a coward, Georgie, come and face the music,” Minchin sings. “You owe it to the victims, Georgie.”

Plus a handy plug on AM. ABC radio, also yesterday:

Reporter: Singer-songwriter Tim Minchin … wants … Pell to return to Ballarat to face victims of sexual abuse. The cardinal was due to give evidence in Ballarat, but he says he’s too ill to travel, so he’ll instead appear via video link from Rome.