Journalists aren’t ‘selfish’ to strike for a more audacious vision of their industry

Journalism in Australia needs a new kind of audacity. Not the kind that expects workers to “toe the line”, as former ABC chair Ita Buttrose believes, champagne-toasting (and torch-bearing) for the Olympics while their livelihoods fizzle out. Nor the kind that criticises striking journalists as “selfish and entitled”, as The Australian’s James Madden quipped, for daring to fight for fairer compensation.

To hand-wring and pearl-clutch about the strike’s timing during the Olympics is also terribly unimaginative and unkind. What’s more important: two weeks of sports coverage or the future of a profession dedicated to informing the public and holding power to account?

It’s crucial to remember that journalists have no moral obligation to prioritise their audience over their working conditions.