The public spat between journalist Peter FitzSimons and Senator Jacinta Price has heated up, with the writer’s friend now joining the fray.
Mr FitzSimons and Sen. Price have been trading media charges over an interview he gave with her concerning her opposition to the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. She accused him of being ‘rude and confrontational’ during the interview, to which the writer retorted that she had publicly misrepresented his behavior.
Now, media personality Mike Carlton, who shares a privileged school background, exalted positions in Sydney’s old media elite, a love for rugby, and virtuous left-wing views with FitzSimons, has chimed in.
‘The Australian and the publicity-hungry Jacinta Price have assaulted my pal (Peter FitzSimons) three days in a row,’ he tweeted.
Carlton, who went to Sydney’s prestigious Barker College and used to co-host a 2UE radio program with FitzSimons and is a former Sydney Morning Herald colleague, also took aim at another Aboriginal leader.
He added, ‘Inevitably, that d***head Warren Mundine jumps in.’
Carlton also took advantage of the chance to criticize the newspaper where he was a famous writer until he departed under dubious circumstances in 2014.
‘However, there was deafening silence from (the Sydney Morning Herald). Which, of course, is known for its feeble unwillingness to support its columnists,’ he said.
The obnoxious When the newspaper started disciplinary proceedings against him for using abusive language in responses to letters from readers who questioned his condemnations of Israel, Carlton quit. The debate between the Northern Territory senator and the multi-millionaire novelist, who resides in the wealthy north shore suburb of Cremore, also covers their opposing and supporting positions on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Country Liberal Party Senator Price stated in a now-deleted Facebook post that the interview with FitzSimons, who is married to TV journalist Lisa Wilkinson, began nicely, but that he became ‘aggressive… arrogant and disrespectful’ to her.
She described it as “talking to a brick wall,” and she felt “insulted.”
‘I’m not a wimp, but he’s a really forceful person, his interview technique is pretty very violent, he doesn’t need to jump in,’ she said.
‘He absolutely misses the point by accusing me of somehow providing power to racists because the topics I address are confronting,’ said Ms Price, who was born to a Warlpiri mother and an Anglo-Celtic father.
She said FitzSimons accused her of ‘providing power to racists because the topics I highlight are uncomfortable – he utterly misses the point’.
“Get down from the damned ivory tower and come down to one of my villages,” I told him.
FitzSimons refuted Sen. Price’s portrayal of the interview and called her assertions “complete and total… rubbish.”
He described the interview as a “professional dialogue.”
After hearing the interview, Sydney Morning Herald editor Bevan Shields chimed in on Wednesday night.
‘I listened to the audio of Peter FitzSimons and Senator Price’s whole interview. There was no screaming or shouting from any side. This was a fascinating interview in which the senator’s viewpoints and opinions were put to the test. Shields stated, ‘The Australian has to move on.’
‘It’s important mentioning that Peter sent Senator Price a transcript of what he planned to print in his column, which she authorized. She also erased her first post about the interview on Facebook.’
However, neither the Herald nor FitzSimons has responded to Senator Price’s demand to reveal the audio of the interview so that the public may judge it for themselves.