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Bible Ban Beat Up - Mediawatch
Watch Bible Ban Beat Up - Mediawatch
Religion is fertile ground for a beat up in the mainstream media as well.
Bible ban uproar
BIBLES have been banished from Victorian hospital bedsides and some schools because they may offend non-Christians.
Almost all Melbourne's major hospitals have withdrawn the Holy Book from rooms and several schools have refused to allow their students to be given free Bibles.
The Gideons International Australia, which distributes Bibles free to hospitals, schools and motels, blames political correctness.
- Sunday Herald Sun, Bible ban uproar - The Word goes out at hospital bedsides, 14th May, 2006
The Bible ban story had also spread to Queensland.
Anger over Bible bans in hospital
The controversial move has outraged religious leaders, who have branded the decision "multiculturalism gone mad".
Princess Alexandra [hospital] spokeswoman Kay Toshach said..."We don't have Bibles by the bedside because of the issue of cleaning, and possibly that they may not be in keeping with the multicultural society we are in now..."
- The Sunday Mail, Anger over Bible bans in hospital, 14th May, 2006
This "multiculturalism gone mad" yarn got a huge run.
Radio news bulletins, Channel 7's Weekend Sunrise and the AAP newswire all reported it as fact.
The Queensland Government was forced to issue a denial.
There is no ban on Bibles in Queensland Health hospitals or health care facilities.
Queensland Health Director-General Ms Uschi Schreiber said..."Bibles are available in all hospitals, either at the bedside or on request."
- Media Release, Queensland Government, Queensland Health, 15th May, 2006
Read the Queensland Government's media release in full.
But that didn't matter, the Bible ban story was too good to kill.
2UE's John Laws and 3AW's Neil Mitchell both talked it along. Today Tonight and A Current Affair got in on the act.
While Alan Jones took his concerns to the top.
I have written to Philip Ruddock, who is the Attorney General and I?ve said, "Are you serious?" "Are you serious that we can sell this rubbish at Muslim bookstores at Lakemba and we're going to take Bibles out of hospitals and out of schools? Let's know what side you're on or have you lost your marbles?"
- 2GB, Alan Jones, 18th May, 2006
We don't know what answer the Attorney General has provided to Alan, but Health Minister Tony Abbott put his views on the record.
Abbott bashes Bible ban
The banning of bibles in Queensland and Victorian hospitals was political correctness gone crazy, Health Minister Tony Abbott says.
Mr Abbott told parliament there were enough problems with state hospital administration without adding concern over bibles.
- Sydney Morning Herald, Abbott bashes Bible ban, 24th May, 2006
But the Minister needn't worry: hospitals don't really waste their time debating Bible policy.
Media Watch contacted the same hospitals quoted by the Sunday Mail and the Sunday Herald Sun.
They say there is nothing new about this news story.
The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital tells us there is no Bible ban: Bibles haven't been in bedside tables for years.
the hospital's policy is that Chaplains deliver bibles to patients upon request. This has been in place for at least the last 10 years. Current policy is that when a patient requests a bible one is taken up to them by a Chaplain.
- Tanya Lobegeier, A/Manager Public Affairs of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, to Media Watch
The Royal Melbourne Hospital says the same - no Bible ban.
But the newspapers that kicked off this story, insist that they're right - there is a Bible ban.
Sunday Herald Sun Editor Simon Pristel told us.
Every hospital mentioned in the story was contacted and asked if Bibles were provided at each bedside. Their responses were accurately outlined in the story. Royal Melbourne Hospital spokesman Rod Jackson-Smith confirmed Bibles had been removed from each room.
- Letter from Simon Pristel of the Herald Sunday Sun, to Media Watch, 2nd June 2006
Read Media Watch's questions to Simon Pristel.
Read Simon Pristel's reponse to the questions from Media Watch.
Apparently, those Bibles often went missing, but Rod Jackson-Smith told us what he really emphasised to the paper was that Bibles are available upon request.
Which makes the Sunday Herald Sun's phoney "Bible ban uproar" a beat-up, to put it mildly.
Brisbane's Sunday Mail says their story began with Gideons, though the Bible distributer denies they pushed the yarn.
Editor Michael Prain defended the story.
Royal Brisbane Hospital chaplain John Pryce-Davies, Royal Brisbane spokeswoman Tanya Lobegeier and Princess Alexandra spokeswoman Kay Toshach confirmed that Bibles had been banned from patients? bedsides.
- Letter from Michael Prain, editor of The Sunday Mail to Media Watch, 2nd June, 2006
Read Media Watch's questions to Michael Prain.
Read Michael Prain's reponse to the questions from Media Watch.
But Kay Toshach told us that she didn't tell the paper that Bibles were banned.
The quote attributed to me in the Sunday Mail was a complete fabrication. I made no comment at all regarding the reason for Bibles not being beside the bedside.
- Kay Toshach from Princess Alexandra Hospital to Media Watch
So the things that you're liable to read in the Sunday papers, well they ain't necessarily so.
News and politics mediawatch Alan Jones bible media Victorian Hospital Bible Ban
Religion is fertile ground for a beat up in the mainstream media as well.
Bible ban uproar
BIBLES have been banished from Victorian hospital bedsides and some schools because they may offend non-Christians.
Almost all Melbourne's major hospitals have withdrawn the Holy Book from rooms and several schools have refused to allow their students to be given free Bibles.
The Gideons International Australia, which distributes Bibles free to hospitals, schools and motels, blames political correctness.
- Sunday Herald Sun, Bible ban uproar - The Word goes out at hospital bedsides, 14th May, 2006
The Bible ban story had also spread to Queensland.
Anger over Bible bans in hospital
The controversial move has outraged religious leaders, who have branded the decision "multiculturalism gone mad".
Princess Alexandra [hospital] spokeswoman Kay Toshach said..."We don't have Bibles by the bedside because of the issue of cleaning, and possibly that they may not be in keeping with the multicultural society we are in now..."
- The Sunday Mail, Anger over Bible bans in hospital, 14th May, 2006
This "multiculturalism gone mad" yarn got a huge run.
Radio news bulletins, Channel 7's Weekend Sunrise and the AAP newswire all reported it as fact.
The Queensland Government was forced to issue a denial.
There is no ban on Bibles in Queensland Health hospitals or health care facilities.
Queensland Health Director-General Ms Uschi Schreiber said..."Bibles are available in all hospitals, either at the bedside or on request."
- Media Release, Queensland Government, Queensland Health, 15th May, 2006
Read the Queensland Government's media release in full.
But that didn't matter, the Bible ban story was too good to kill.
2UE's John Laws and 3AW's Neil Mitchell both talked it along. Today Tonight and A Current Affair got in on the act.
While Alan Jones took his concerns to the top.
I have written to Philip Ruddock, who is the Attorney General and I?ve said, "Are you serious?" "Are you serious that we can sell this rubbish at Muslim bookstores at Lakemba and we're going to take Bibles out of hospitals and out of schools? Let's know what side you're on or have you lost your marbles?"
- 2GB, Alan Jones, 18th May, 2006
We don't know what answer the Attorney General has provided to Alan, but Health Minister Tony Abbott put his views on the record.
Abbott bashes Bible ban
The banning of bibles in Queensland and Victorian hospitals was political correctness gone crazy, Health Minister Tony Abbott says.
Mr Abbott told parliament there were enough problems with state hospital administration without adding concern over bibles.
- Sydney Morning Herald, Abbott bashes Bible ban, 24th May, 2006
But the Minister needn't worry: hospitals don't really waste their time debating Bible policy.
Media Watch contacted the same hospitals quoted by the Sunday Mail and the Sunday Herald Sun.
They say there is nothing new about this news story.
The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital tells us there is no Bible ban: Bibles haven't been in bedside tables for years.
the hospital's policy is that Chaplains deliver bibles to patients upon request. This has been in place for at least the last 10 years. Current policy is that when a patient requests a bible one is taken up to them by a Chaplain.
- Tanya Lobegeier, A/Manager Public Affairs of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, to Media Watch
The Royal Melbourne Hospital says the same - no Bible ban.
But the newspapers that kicked off this story, insist that they're right - there is a Bible ban.
Sunday Herald Sun Editor Simon Pristel told us.
Every hospital mentioned in the story was contacted and asked if Bibles were provided at each bedside. Their responses were accurately outlined in the story. Royal Melbourne Hospital spokesman Rod Jackson-Smith confirmed Bibles had been removed from each room.
- Letter from Simon Pristel of the Herald Sunday Sun, to Media Watch, 2nd June 2006
Read Media Watch's questions to Simon Pristel.
Read Simon Pristel's reponse to the questions from Media Watch.
Apparently, those Bibles often went missing, but Rod Jackson-Smith told us what he really emphasised to the paper was that Bibles are available upon request.
Which makes the Sunday Herald Sun's phoney "Bible ban uproar" a beat-up, to put it mildly.
Brisbane's Sunday Mail says their story began with Gideons, though the Bible distributer denies they pushed the yarn.
Editor Michael Prain defended the story.
Royal Brisbane Hospital chaplain John Pryce-Davies, Royal Brisbane spokeswoman Tanya Lobegeier and Princess Alexandra spokeswoman Kay Toshach confirmed that Bibles had been banned from patients? bedsides.
- Letter from Michael Prain, editor of The Sunday Mail to Media Watch, 2nd June, 2006
Read Media Watch's questions to Michael Prain.
Read Michael Prain's reponse to the questions from Media Watch.
But Kay Toshach told us that she didn't tell the paper that Bibles were banned.
The quote attributed to me in the Sunday Mail was a complete fabrication. I made no comment at all regarding the reason for Bibles not being beside the bedside.
- Kay Toshach from Princess Alexandra Hospital to Media Watch
So the things that you're liable to read in the Sunday papers, well they ain't necessarily so.
News and politics mediawatch Alan Jones bible media Victorian Hospital Bible Ban
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