While
Fairfax Media's share price continues to plunge, down 8% to 48c and with printed circulation dropping around 24% every six months, perhaps it's endless campaign to mimic
News Ltd's more downmarket tabloids is finally beginning to hit home.
The
UK Guardian's local edition has rocketed into the top ten within 4 weeks of opening with an average readership of over a million a day and although
Fairfax's aggregated daily views tops approx 2.8M, the notion that this will continue when they introduce a pay wall for readers to gaze upon their cold potato offerings ( often 48 hours after the tales have appeared on UK & USA sites) is wishfull thinking.
Whilst Fairfax along with most commercial outlets were agonizing over the death of actor
James Gandolfini with their LA based TV critic offering a bizarre load of tripe and an irrelevant eulogy on ABC radio claiming the actor was someone the younger generation "identified " with, real news stories are sliding by them and local outlets are picking up scoops.
And one such story is the explosive claim in the
First Nation Telegraph that the Prime Minister in waiting
Tony Abbott 'inappropriately touched" respected award winning Aboriginal writer
Ali Cobby Eckerman in a Darwin cafe earlier this week. Eckerman says Abbott sidled up beside her and rubbed his finger up and down her arm. NSW Labor MP
Linda Burney is demanding an explanation from Abbott and still, deathly silence from the mass media.
Meanwhile Tony Abbott's main rival in the LNP, multi-millionaire MP
Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) joined 350 others to sleep out on Thursday night at the
Carriageworks to support
St Vincent de Paul's WinterSleepout that raises funds for the homeless. And it was bloody freezing !
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Form An Orderly Queue :
Introducing
Matt Wilson a 24 year old carpenter from Bondi Beach who has just landed a gig as the new 'face' of Diet Coke.
St Vincents de Paul- or Vinnies as they are known, are one of the Shuttle's favourite charities. They raise millions$$ via various activities and their charity shops all over the country. Eastern Suburb's Vinnie shops sell amazing designer outfits and our favourite Paddington store gets a fantastic selection of Savile Row shirts at rock bottom prices. Check them out. 
Their annual sleep out to raise funds for, and highlight homelessness in one of the richest countries on the planet is underway as we speak. Thousands are sleeping rough tonight in cardboard boxes (supplied by Visy) all over the land. The Shuttle's bad back and a prior date with the ABC's new series Carlotta means we can't make it but others are far more generous than us : right : Latte Life newspaper honcho Cris King has already raised thousands of dollars. Above : Mamamia editor Jamila Rizvi sends a message that many woman are homeless tonight
