 On Line Opinion website front page from 25 June 2020. | |
| Type of site | Australian Political commentary |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Owner | Australian Institute for Progress Ltd |
| Editor | Graham Young |
| URL | onlineopinion |
| Registration | No |
| Launched | 7 April 2000; 24 years ago (2000-04-07) |
| Current status | Active |
| ISSN | 1442-8458 |
On Line Opinion, or Online Opinion, is an open access electronic journal, specialising in social and political debate. The journal is published in Australia, although content is not necessarily limited to Australian issues, and extends at times to publication in wider areas, such as, religion, ethics, and philosophy.
Owner and publisher
On Line Opinion is owned and published by Brisbane based conservative political 'think tank' the Australian Institute for Progress Ltd (AIP). The AIP receives funding from property developers, and according to the Executive Director, it is 'ideologically centre-right', with its criticisms favouring right-wing political parties. Prior to 2014 the AIP was called The National Forum. In 2009, The Age reported that the board of The National Forum had editorial oversight over On Line Opinion, and had involved itself in rejecting an article that the editor had previously agreed to publish.
Political links
The owner AIP has strong links to the Liberal National Party of Queensland. Editor Graham Young was once the vice-president of the Queensland Liberal Party. The Australian reported that Young "was shown the door in 2007 for "something like" bringing the party into disrepute on his well-regarded Online Opinion website."
History
On Line Opinion was established in 1999 by political commentator Graham Young. In 2012, the report of the Independent Inquiry into Media and Media Regulation by former Federal Court judge Raymond Finkelstein stated that: "While the start-up costs for new print publications have been prohibitive and inhibited new enterprises emerging, the streamlining of the relationship between content producers and consumers has led to many new websites and web-based services. Among the most important such websites that have grown up in Australia over the last decade are Inside Story, Australian Policy Online, Online Opinion, The Drum, The Conversation, and New Matilda." The journal is referenced by the Australian National Library, with ISSN 1442-8458.
Purpose
The contributors to On Line Opinion constitute a wide range of writers, including politicians, academics, and ordinary citizens with no particular public profile. Research suggested that On Line Opinion had a greater audience interactivity, but lower objectivity to comparable citizen journals because it publishes opinion only. It also suggested that, in comparative terms, publication within On Line Opinion is more timely than is the case with other citizen journals. Graham Readfern suggests On Line Opinion has given a platform to several climate science deniers.
References
- "About On Line Opinion". onlineopinion.com.au. 2003–2019. Archived from the original on 19 June 2020.
- Houghton, Des (31 October 2014). "Free radicals rally to challenge the Left". The Courier-Mail. Qld.: News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020.
- ^ Baker, Richard (15 July 2009). "Net journal cans Turnbull story". The Age. Fairfax. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020.
- ^ School of Law (19 June 2020). "The Australian Institute for Progress Ltd v The Electoral Commission of Queensland & Ors [2020] QSC 54". The University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020.
- "Historical details for ABN 67 101 843 396". Australian Business Register. 1 November 2014. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020.
- ^ Readfearn, Graham (22 November 2017). "The climate science denial promoters behind Queensland's energy scare election headlines". RenewEconomy. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020.
- Walker, Jamie (21 July 2018). "LNP at 10 is imperfect but it's here to stay". The Australian. News Corp. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- "Tony Abbott's Support Page". Facebook. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020.
- Duffy, Michael (20 March 2009). "Many voices in a net spread thin". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020.
- ^ "On line opinion [electronic resource]". Australian National Library Catalogue. 2019. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017.
- Finkelstein, R. March 2012. Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Media and Media Regulation. Retrieved 19/2/16.
- Australian Public Affairs Information Service, Electronic Journals and Conferences
- "On Line Opinion Author Index". onlineopinion.com.au. 2020. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020.
- Taylor, A.; Cokley, J. (2013). "How citizen journalism websites are working in Australia: news and discussion" (PDF). Ejournalist: A Refereed Media Journal. 13 (2): 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2017.