Farewell Matt Price

At around 7pm on the 25th of November 2007 Matt Price died from complications due to brain tumors; survived by his wife and three children. He was 45.

For as long as I can remember Matt Price has been one of only a few journalists who I can honestly say I respect. Writer of the regular column ‘The Sketch’ in The Australian Newspaper, Matt was one of the rare journalists with the courage in the 9/11 world to see the funny side of the political system. Regardless of the situation, regardless of how much it seemed the nation was being swept up in the latest story of peril or fear, Matt Price was always there on page three to be the informative, gently satirical voice of Australian reason. His articles could always be counted on to be witty, cheeky, but at the same time contain just enough serious analysis to make the reader think about their own opinions and what forces have been at play in creating them. It is a rare gift to be funny, satirical and even a little whimsical without straying into the quagmire of frivolity. And yet to do what Matt did was not so much about talent as much as it was integrity. While satire is a difficult art to master, the turn of phrase, the clever lines, the almost brutal precision of his attacks where only part of what made Matt unique and special. For me his true influence and success as a journalist was the integrity to have a daily column in Australia’s only truly national paper and write it day in day out in a manner that wasn’t just a selfish indulgent rant. Regardless of whether or not you agreed with his attitudes Matt Price at no time attempted to manufacture himself as a opinion guru like Andrew Bolt or Greg Sheridan.

Journalism, just like the world of politics it so frequently covers is often a shallow and depressing affair. Even the most reputable papers or airwaves are too often filled with smut, innuendo, hate-mongering, misinformation, deception and the appeal to the most basic of human emotions; fear. I have often heard stories from previous generations that journalism, just like law and even politics, was once an honored profession of integrity and dignity; where your local news source could be relied upon to provide the facts, the truth, and allow you the intelligent listener or reader to come to your own conclusions.

Today journalism is openly and unapologetically opinionated. People aware enough of the workings of this categorize papers by how left wing or right wing they are and then choose a news source that most adequately adheres to their own personal tastes. Even The Australian, which Matt Price worked for, which is regarded by many national and international sources as Australia’s Newspaper or Record has no quams about slanting the news to reflect the homogenised ideology of the Murdoch Machine. On the flipside many of my friends, otherwise intelligent questioning people, will nevertheless only read papers that are self professed ‘green news’; sources that are well written and have good intention which nevertheless do nothing to challenge individuals to think outside their comforts zone or consider alternative understandings. Still more Australians however are not even conscious enough of the choices they are making to realize they are being suckered into sensationalism.

In Australia ratings suggest that over one million people will get their primary daily news from either Today Tonight or A Current Affair. Until I worked at a fairly middle class café during 2006 and 2007 I assumed that the ratings of 1.1 or 1.2 million viewers nightly for these shows where simply an indication that many people compliment their ‘real’ news with relaxing non challenging fluff. However while making customers their lattes or cappuccinos many of them would casually ask “did you watch the news last night”, and proceed to tell me about the latest story of peril and fear ACA or TT. For these people tabloid shows, which alternate between stories on the latest and most fatblasteringest diet program to indiscriminate anti-gay anti-Muslim xenophobic rants masked as patriotism ARE their news. For many people, in their own conceptions of normality and common sense it is perfectly logical to embrace these shows as though they where real news, to refer to the ten minute story on the Butt Blaster 4000 they watched last night, without shame, as ‘the news’. This complimented with Alan Jones as by far the most listened to daily show on Australian radio is an unfortunate indication of the state of journalism and news in this country. Many many Australians and indeed citizens of other countries seem perfectly happy to embrace the quasi informative world of newstainment, with all its connotations of stupifying and dumbening.

In this current climate of Journalism Matt stood out as a witter who avoided appealing to the easy emotions of fear, of sensationalism. Unlike other, more widely read writers, Matt Price never seemed to descend into the “The sky is falling you are all going to die and you will worship and love me because I am so clever to have predicted it” style that seems so prevalent in many news sources. As a frequent viewer of Insiders, and weekly ABC opinion panel show that Matt was a regular guest on, I know for a fact that Matt had strong opinions on many different political issues, and yet readers of his column would never feel that he was trying to push them. In every article, in ever edition of The Australian Matt Price felt like a good mate sharing a drink and a casual chat, gently questioning your opinions and beliefs, and his articles, like this one written just before he developed cancer, where brilliant combinations of cutting analysis and genuine intellectualism. As possible as it is to comment on the character of someone I never actually met, after 5 years of reading his columns I know that Matt was one of the most decent, honest and dignified journalists of the post 9/11 world.

In the words of Oscar Wilde “The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything. Except what is worth knowing. Journalism, conscious of this, and having tradesman-like habits, supplies their demands.” Matt Price, may he rest in peace, was one of the few exceptions to this rule. He will be sorely missed.


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