Andrew Bolt (born 26 September 1959) is an Australian newspaper columnist and conservative pundit. Bolt is a columnist and associate editor of the Melbourne-based Herald Sun. He also writes for Brisbane's Sunday Mail, and regularly appears on the Nine Network's Today programme and the weekly Australian Broadcasting Corporation panel programme, Insiders as well as Melbourne station 3AW. In 2005, Bolt released his first book, The Best of Andrew Bolt - Still Not Sorry.^[1] is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A columnist is a journalist who produces a specific form of writing for publication called a column. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and the Internet. ... Ths article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the Australian city; the name may also refer to City of Melbourne or Melbourne city centre. ... The Herald Sun is a newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that is published by The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. ... The Sunday Mail is Brisbanes only Sunday newspaper. ... The Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney. ... View of the Today set during filming Today is an Australian morning television program broadcast weekdays from 6am on the Nine Network. ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ... 3AW is a radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693KHz AM. It began transmission in February 1932 as Melbournes fifth commercial radio station. ...

Background

Born to newly-arrived Dutch migrants, Bolt spent his childhood in remote rural areas such as Tarcoola, while his father worked as a schoolteacher and principal. After graduating from secondary school, Bolt travelled and worked overseas before returning to Australia and completing a year of university studies. He quit after obtaining a cadetship at The Age, a Melbourne broadsheet newspaper. Tarcoola (30°42´S 134°34´E, postcode 5710, altitude 204 m) is a town in the Far North of South Australia 416 km north-northwest of Port Augusta. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Newspaper sizes in August 2005. ...

He worked for The Age in various roles, including as a sports writer, prior to joining The Herald, which in 1990 merged with The Sun News-Pictorial to form the Herald Sun. Bolt also worked as a political advisor to members of the Australian Labor Party. The Herald was a broadsheet newspaper published in Melbourne Australia from 1840 to 1990. ... The Sun News-Pictorial, commonly known as The Sun, was a morning daily tabloid newspaper in Melbourne established in 1922 and closed in 1990. ...

He is married to Sally Morrell, a fellow Herald Sun columnist. They have three young children.

Controversy and criticism

Bolt often supports economically liberal and socially conservative views. His statements have often been seen as controversial; he says that his columns are well researched and based on fact, rather than popular opinion. He is sceptical of the hypothesis of a racially motivated Stolen Generation of Australian Aborigines, argues that the dangers of global warming have been greatly exaggerated, and supported the Iraq War in 2003. Portrayal of The taking of the children on the Great Australian Clock, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney The Stolen Generation (or Stolen Generations) is a term used to describe the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, usually of mixed descent who were removed from their families, under the rationale of... Aboriginal Flag Australian Aborigines is a name used to collectively describe most of the indigenous peoples of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. ... Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earths near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ...

Bolt has been criticised for his reporting about a piracy case in 1998, when he was based in Hong Kong. The case involved an oil tanker, the MV Petro Ranger, which was taken by pirates, then held by Chinese authorities in Haikou Harbour after the pirates were apprehended. Ken Blyth, the captain of the tanker, claims in his book Petro Pirates: The Hijacking of the Petro Ranger (Allen & Unwin 2000, ISBN 1-86508-368-2) that Bolt's reports were fanciful, that Bolt signed a statement admitting his story was "seriously inconsistent with facts" and wrote an apology, and that Bolt’s "irresponsible and inaccurate" reports worsened his situation. Bolt has described Blyth's claims as "a falsehood", writing that he "signed a statement agreeing that what Blyth had told me about the hijacking of his ship was seriously inconsistent with what the Chinese navy and police told me" (Bolt's emphasis).^[2] Haikou on the map of China Haikou, situated at the north of Hainan island, is the capital of Hainan Province of the Peoples Republic of China and has an estimated population of 830,192 (2006), therefore by far the largest city on the island. ...

Bolt became involved in a heated dispute with David Marr following the 21 July 2003 episode of Media Watch in which Marr claimed that Bolt's column "A Kick Up The Arts" (2 June 2003) had unfairly represented author Alison Broinowski. Bolt had claimed Broinowski, a recipient of three taxpayer-funded arts grants, had written a book saying the 2002 Bali bombing "was largely Australia’s fault". Marr said Bolt had misquoted the author, who had in fact written that "racist bigots in Malaysia" thought Australia deserved the Bali bombing, and that he had also erred on the number of grants Broinowski had received. (Marr later retracted the second accusation). In a bitter exchange aired through both the Herald Sun and Media Watch, Bolt demanded Marr apologise for lying about him, while Marr countered that Bolt liked dishing out criticism, but could not take it himself.[1]. Bolt frequently accuses the ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and some other newspapers of strong left-wing bias.[2] David Marr (born in Sydney 1947) is an Australian journalist and author. ... is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The name Media Watch is used by several different organisations and at least one TV series. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 2002 Bali bombing occurred on October 12, 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... “Leftism” redirects here. ...

In June 2003 Bolt published an article criticising Andrew Wilkie in which he quoted from a classified intelligence document written by Wilkie as an intelligence analyst for the Office of National Assessments. It was claimed, but never proven, that someone in Alexander Downer's office had leaked the document to Bolt.[3] The Australian Federal Police says it doesn't have any "admissible evidence" to identify the culprit.[4] Andrew Wilkie resigned from the Australian intelligence services in March 2003 in opposition to the misuse of intelligence during the Australian contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Classified information is secret information to which access is restricted by law or corporate rules to a particular hierarchical class of people. ... The Office of National Assessments (ONA) is an Australian government intelligence agency responsible for the analysis of intelligence. ... Alexander John Gosse Downer, MP (born 9 September 1951), Australian politician, became Foreign Minister of Australia in March 1996 This makes him the longest serving Foreign Minister in Australian history. ...

Bolt accused journalists of "passing on as fact the propaganda of terrorists" in their coverage of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, especially claims that wrote an Israeli missile had been fired through the roof of a Lebanese Red Cross ambulance.[5] He cited photographic evidence from media coverage to argue that the initial reports were clearly false, noting an essay[6] at the Zombietime website "whose research I’ve drawn on". He followed up with posts on his blog, including a detailed rebuttal[7] to two stories criticising him in The Australian, an independent debunking of the "hoax" by an Australian military source[8] and a detailed analysis of contradictions in newspaper reports.[9] Combatants Hezbollah Amal LCP  Israel Commanders Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary General of Hezbollah) Imad Mughniyeh (Commander of Hezbollahs armed wing)[5] Dan Halutz (CoS) Moshe Kaplinsky[12] Udi Adam (Regional) Strength 600-1,000 active fighters 3,000-10,000 reservists[6] 30,000 ground troops (plus IAF & ISC)[13... zombietime is an online photo archive that has become well known for documenting anti-war demonstrations and other left-wing public protests, as well as for analyzing controversial claims made by the media. ... The Australian is a national daily broadsheet newspaper published by Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. ...

Bolt also denounces the state Labor government of Victoria (led by Premier John Brumby) for its refusal to dam the Mitchell River, which is prone to serious floods, or re-direct rivers to deal with the on-going water shortage crisis. He commonly refers to those who espouse left-wing and green ideas (university students in particular) as victims of "groupthink" and is a relentless critic of broadcaster and journalist Phillip Adams. He sometimes writes of his liking for cycling and poffertjes. John Mansfield Brumby (born 21 April 1953), Australian politician, is the 45th Premier and outgoing Treasurer of Victoria. ... Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. ... Phillip Adams AO (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian broadcaster, film producer, writer, humanist, social commentator and satirist. ...

Bolt has frequently clashed with Robert Manne, Professor of Politics at La Trobe University, notably about the Stolen Generation. Bolt claims that there were no large-scale removals of children "for purely racist reasons". After Bolt challenged Manne to "name just 10" children stolen for racial reasons,[10] Manne gave him a list of 12 names which, Bolt contends, includes children rescued from sexual abuse and removed for other humanitarian reasons.[11] Manne has recently argued that Bolt's failure to address the wealth of documentary and anecdotal evidence demonstrating the existence of the Stolen Generation amounts to a clear case of historical denialism[12]. Bolt has noted multiple incidents of contemporary Aboriginal children being left "in grave danger that we would not tolerate for children of any other race because we are so terrified of the 'stolen generations' myth."[13] Robert Manne is a professor of politics at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia and one of Australias foremost public intellectuals. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Political Science is the field concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behaviour. ... La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. ... Portrayal of The taking of the children on the Great Australian Clock, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney The Stolen Generation (or Stolen Generations) is a term used to describe the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, usually of mixed descent who were removed from their families, under the rationale of... Denialism is a term used to describe the position of governments, business groups, interest groups or individuals who reject propositions that are strongly supported by scientific or historical evidence and seek to influence policy processes and outcomes accordingly. ...

Bolt argues that taxpayer-funded arts grants, particularly in Victoria, are in spent on "festivals for the wealthy elite," and funding for left-wing writers. He denounces the Greens, claiming that they preach "Gaia worship" and has drawn parallels between the anti-humanism of Greens and Nazism.^[3][4] He is highly critical of Global Warming and climate change proponents such as Tim Flannery. Bolt has also been extremely critical of the Earth Hour environmental event which was promoted by another newspaper, the Sydney Morning Herald. “VIC” redirects here. ... The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is a Green Australian political party. ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal         Nazism, or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the totalitarian ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earths near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 450,000 years For current global climate change, see Global warming. ... For the baseball player, see Tim Flannery (baseball). ... Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House during Earth hour Earth Hour was a campaign backed by WWF Australia and the Sydney Morning Herald, asking all Sydney corporations, government departments, individuals and families to turn off their lights for one hour from 7:30pm to 8:30pm on March 31... ...

Defamation case

In 2002, Magistrate Jelena Popovic was awarded $246,000 damages for defamation after suing Bolt and the publishers of the Herald Sun over a 13 December 2000 column in which he claimed she had "hugged two drug traffickers she let walk free". Popovic contended she had in fact shaken their hands to congratulate them on having completed a rehabilitation program. “Libel” redirects here. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

The jury found that the article was not true, that it was not a faithful and accurate record of judicial proceedings and that it was not fair comment on a matter of public interest. It found that the column had, however, been reasonable and not malicious.^[5] Bolt emerged from the Supreme Court after the jury verdict, insisting his column had been accurate and that the mixed verdict was a victory for free speech. The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. ...

His statement outside the court was harshly criticised by Supreme Court judge Bernard Bongiorno, who later overturned the jury’s decision, ruling that Bolt had not acted reasonably because he did not seek a response from Ms Popovic before writing the article and, in evidence given during the trial, showed he did not care whether or not the article was defamatory. Justice Bongiorno included $25,000 punitive damages in his award against Bolt and the newspaper for both the "misleading" and "disingenuous" comments he had made outside court and the newspaper’s reporting of the jury’s decision. The Court of Appeal later reversed the $25,000 punitive damages, though it upheld the defamation finding, describing Bolt’s conduct as "at worst, dishonest and misleading and at best, grossly careless."^[6] Punitive damages are damages awarded to a successful plaintiff in a civil action, over and above the amount of compensatory damages, to: punish the conduct of the civil defendant; deter the civil defendant from committing the invidious act again; and deter others from doing the same thing. ...

On-line forum

In May 2005, Bolt established an on-line forum in which readers could offer comments, feedback and questions in response to his columns. He posted some of these comments, together with brief responses, in the late afternoon of every business day, on the Herald Sun website. (The forum does not appear in print.) Despite its low-budget format, the forum was a pioneering experiment in Internet-aided "interactive journalism". The Herald Sun is a newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that is published by The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. ...

Bolt's forum changed to a more conventional blog format in July 2006. The blog covers a wide variety of topics, including climate change, Australian politics, the ABC and issues concerned with multiculturalism and Islam. Comments are open and do not require registration, but are moderated to remove defamation of third parties, obscenities and so on. Bolt states that abusive commenters will be banned, but opposing voices will not. The majority of posters on the site support Bolt's positions, but he is criticised by a minority. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ... The term multiculturalism is used to describe the recognition of cultural and ethnic diversity within the demographics of a particular social space. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ...

References

1. ^ Andrew Bolt (2005). Still Not Sorry: The Best of Andrew Bolt. News Custom Publishing. ISBN 1-921116-02-1. 
2. ^ Andrew Bolt blog post, "WikiPeddler of Smears", February 26, 2007
3. ^ "Hitler: Green guru", Herald Sun, 17 July 2003, page 21
4. ^ "Dangerous fanatic", Herald Sun, 27 October 2003, page 19
5. ^ Popovic v Herald & Weekly Times Limited & Anor (No. 2) [2002] VSC 220, 6 June 2002
6. ^ Herald & Weekly Times Ltd & Bolt v Popovic [2003] VSCA 161, 21 November 2003

is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Andrew Bolt's Herald Sun site.
• Andrew Bolt's Blog
• Boltwatch - A blog which criticises Bolt and his writings.
• Transcript of the Bolt/ Popovic Case
• June 2004 Interview with Bolt by the Institute of Public Affairs