Going after the media is a tried and true tactic of diversion
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Tasmania's police minister, Felix Ellis, ridiculed a journalist for questioning the government's stance on gun control.
- The journalist had asked about the link between firearm availability and a recent alleged burglary where guns were stolen and the owner assaulted.
- The article suggests Ellis's response may be a tactic to divert attention from the government's decision not to cap firearm ownership, despite police commissioner recommendations.
Tasmania's police minister, Felix Ellis, publicly dismissed a journalist's question about gun control as something that "irked" him, a response the article argues should raise red flags for voters. The journalist had inquired about the connection between firearm availability and a recent alleged burglary in Coles Bay, where 15 firearms were reportedly stolen and the owner was assaulted and tied up. The article frames Ellis's reaction as potentially dismissive of legitimate concerns regarding public safety and government policy.
This really irked me today.
The author suggests Ellis's comment might be a "dead cat strategy" to divert attention from government issues or a tactic borrowed from Donald Trump's playbook to attack the media and appeal to conservative voters. This interpretation arises amid polling indicating a shift toward conservative viewpoints, driven by cost-of-living pressures and attraction to simplistic solutions for complex problems.
Isn't it the case, though, that if there were more people with more firearms, a robbery like this will occur?
The core of the controversy lies in the Tasmanian government's decision to reject capping the number of firearms a person can legally own. This decision goes against the recommendation of Tasmania's police commissioner, whose letter advocating for such limits was published through right-to-information laws. Ellis's public criticism of the journalist's question, which touched upon the government's controversial stance on weapons caps, is presented as a diversionary tactic.
Can I say, that is the m
Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.