[The Knighthood’ as collective authors of this herein website, comply with the Australian Copyright Act 1968, No. 63, 1968 (Compilation No. 58) amended from 16th January 2019, Part III, Division 3, Clauses 41, 41A and 42 in our ‘regurgitating’ the cohort of published media outpourings on Julian Knight in this section of this website ‘Media Scrutiny’. We do so for the purpose of review, criticism, satire and correcting the fake news reporting and propaganda. The Knighthood’s critique are included in the context wrapped in square brackets, bold italic text.]
This webpage menu header ‘MEDIA SCRUTINY‘ on this website, is an account of the media reporting since 1987 Hoddle Street about Australian prisoner Mr Julian Knight; and having served out his imposed criminal sentence by May 2014. Yet politicians, unelected politician Denis Napthine, and his conservative media lackies have vetoed the Judiciary by condemning Julian to be a ‘political prisoner’ in indefinite detention.
Now does that ring some High Court hypocritcal bell?
The media content is extensive across multiple news outlets, much mutually plagiarised. So, perhaps the heading instead of one suggesting “scrutiny” could be more aptly described as copycat negative propaganda. Most of the media commentary is not journalistic reporting , but rather biased and sensationalist, since such ‘tabloidism’ sells more newspapers and advertising. We choose not to use the term ‘tabloid journalism‘ because it is an oxymoron and only serves to discredit the qualified, trained, objective and independent Journalism profession. Biased journalists age and become cranky old columnists, shock jocks, presenters and ‘personalities’. Some even think of themselves as ‘celebrities’ – Neil Mitchell, Ray Hadley, George Donikian, Waleed Aly, Kyle Sandilands, David Koch and the same OMG gossip lathering clique.
Many old Melburnians may recall this sordid rag, not journalistic, but intentionally scurrilous:
This website is not journalism, nor scurrilous. It is opinionated. It remains intentionally dynamic, so regularly updated with content. This shall remain so, so long as the Victorian Government maintains its perpetuation of treating Julian Knight as a political prisoner. It’s ad hominem legislation persecuting Knight in 2014 was corrupt conduct by former unelected Premier of Victoria the dishonourable Denis Napthine, morally blackmailed by now retired Melbourne’s Radio 3AW notorious bullying shockjock Neil Mitchell.
By us ‘regurgitating’ the cohort of published media outpourings on Julian Knight in this section of this website ‘Media Scrutiny’, we do so for the purpose of review and criticism.
Under the Australian Copyright Act 1968, No. 63, 1968 (Compilation No. 58) amended from 16th January 2019, Part III, Division 3, Clause 41 ‘103A Fair dealing for purpose of criticism or review’ reads:
“41 Fair dealing for purpose of criticism or review:
A fair dealing with a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work, does not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the work if it is for the purpose of criticism or review, whether of that work or of another work, and a sufficient acknowledgement of the work is made.”
In every media outpouring that we regurgitated, we acknowledge the original source and even given the reader a photo of the ‘media person’ where possible, but we don’t consider them journalists per se. The photos of Julian have long become labelled by various media as “file photos” anyhow.
So, this means herein we comply with 103A Fair dealing for purpose of criticism or review.
In addition, Clause 41A states:
“41A Fair dealing for purpose of parody or satire:
A fair dealing with a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work, does not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the work if it is for the purpose of parody or satire.”
For the most part, the media reporting about Julian Knight, almost to the point of his every move and court hearing, is not objective journalism or news reporting, but typically biased slurs and opinion writing repeated express contempt towards Julian Knight as a co-ordinated political hate campaign against Julian. The media are playing the proverbial ‘judge, jury and executioner‘. This website has existed since the Victorian Parliament (the legislature) overruled the Judiciary in May 2014; an act of flagrant breach pof the Separation of Powers as enshirined in the Australian Constitution under Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act commenced on 1 January 1901.
In addition, Clause 41A states:
“42 Fair dealing for purpose of reporting news
(1) A fair dealing with a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work, does not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the work if:
(a) it is for the purpose of, or is associated with, the reporting of news in a newspaper, magazine or similar periodical and a sufficient acknowledgement of the work is made.”
This we do.
Various media swap and regurgitate the same tired old 30+ year photos of Julian bandied around between themselves across mastheads kowtowing the same anti-Julian Knight messaging like chewing gum foot cards. The photos are invariably each a media ‘file photo’ anyhow. Such photos are typically stored in standard web-friendly formats like .JPG on press hubs for ready availability for willy-nilly re-use and distribution.
Hey, the Medianet platform states:
“If you are trying to find and manage media photos, logos, or digital assets within the Medianet platform, you can attach visual assets to your press releases to significantly increase their impact on journalists.”
[SOURCE: https://www.medianet.com.au/knowledge/should-i-include-an-image-or-video-with-my-press-release ]
Medianet (now Mediality) is not surprisingly owned by major media networks News Corp Australia and Nine Entertainment. So, just copy-paste you fake media working from home (aka ‘casually employed’) and Bob’s-you’re-uncle for lazily tarting up of dubious articles, press releases, and biased marketing campaigns.
We at this website instead runs a counter campaign, which the hate media don’t seem to agree with – funny that. It’s nothing about copyright, but rather our counter content, ain’t it? So, News Corp (New York City), Lachlan Murdoch (Hillbillies and Buttermilk), and its cosying up with pitbull associate Visual Rights Group (Belgium – the balding psycho below) can all shove their scam and sham crocodile tears about copyright up their proverbial jumper.
Those crocodile tears are purely hissy-fit outpouring of hate by one fake under-employed media opinionist Charles Miranda, who’s since gone into hiding, but we know he’s purportedly observed regularly drowning his sorrows in a dark corner of the public bar at the Dolphin Hotel in Surry Hills.
And yet also, the photo authors are typically sourced from ‘AAP’ anyway, not News Corp mastheads, so they’ve already been copy-pasted from AAP. AAP (being Newswire Australian Associated Press (AAP) which since 2020 happens to be owned by some secret investment clique helmed by former News Corp chief executive Peter Tonagh. Now that’s a coincidence or what Charlie?
Further, it is pointed out that this website and its authors, collectively ‘The Knighthood‘, do not benefit from this, including no financial gain whatsoever, since this website julianknight.com.au is a benevolent venture of citizen journalism and free speech by The Knighthood in support of the plight of Julian Knight as a political prisoner since 2014. The domain of this website was first on registered on 30th March 2021, the website published 1st February 2022, and the business name Julian Knight registered from 12th August 2025.
As such, having researched media scrutiny articles on line and in newspaper archives, we have come to realise that we need a better way of capturing that media record, and importantly capturing it, as is! However, due to other project commitments, this is expected to take us some months to setup and populate with the content. It’s all in the public interest by the way – and we seek nor will accept payments of any kind. We just wish and welcome others to question as they so choose, as this website seeks to provide a public service – including especially to the victims of Duntroon’s Hoddle Street psychosis.
We emanate from Melbourne and this includes an old Army mate of Julian Knight as regular contributor of The Knighthood to this website.
We don’t embellish most of the media articles as being ‘news reporting’ nor ‘journalism’. Most instead are ‘opinions’, ‘bias’, and slurs by opinionated ‘columnists’ and newspaper editors with a contemptible yet ignorant prejudice against Mr Knight. All cowardly have failed to undertake investigative journalism into the backstory of WHY Julian Knight, an immediately sacked elite Australian Army Officer Cadet of the Royal Military College Duntroon could and would have committed such heinous unprepared random shootings of unknown civilians. A spontaneous whim Duntroon suggests – nothing to see here at RMC!
In our media research, we are yet to discover even one media article that holds Duntroon in anyway culpable for Julian’s state of mind at Hoddle Street on Sunday night 9th August 1987. So, the media has a lot to answer for by kowtowing the governmental propaganda that somehow a seven month sustained torture by Duntroon Bastardisation (assault, battery and bullying, your name it) had nothing to do with Julian’s psychotic, delusional and drunken temporary state of mind on Hoddle Street just two weeks later – not a good mix for anyone!
Irresponsibly, the media just want to earn revenue from sell newspaper and radio advertising at the expense of Julian Knight. The most vitriolic and hateful being Melbourne 3AW shock jock Neil Mitchell and Melbourne TV Channel Nine’s George Donikian, both aged 72 (in 2024) and retired from media campaigning. The two should right a joint book in their retirement on Duntroon Bastardisation and investigate how it caused Hoddle Street.
This website seeks to reveal some uncomfortable and telling truths about the backstory and the post-story which the media have avoided to dutifully instead provide honest, fair, independent journalism, respecting the rights of others – pertinent to the Hoddle Street case: particularly the victims, their families and friends, the witnesses, the first responders, the perpetator.
But also to investigate how society can learn and change from this dreadful unnecessary event, so that the risk of such a rage crime happening again in some future scenario by someone else from (or still at) Duntroon is mitigated substantially so hopefully it does not happen again. Yet, Duntroon Bastardisation culture by senior cadets bully junior cadets has not change since 1911.
“The ultimate ignorance is the rejection of something you know nothing about yet refuse to investigate.”
~ Dr. Wayne Dyer
The following is supposedly the journalistic ethical standards set by the leading media industry body in Australia.
MEAA Journalist Code of Ethics
Respect for truth and the public’s right to information are fundamental principles of journalism. Journalists search, disclose, record, question, entertain, comment and remember. They inform citizens and animate democracy. They scrutinise power, but also exercise it, and should be responsible and accountable.
MEAA members engaged in journalism commit themselves to:
Honesty
Fairness
Independence
Respect for the rights of others
Journalists will educate themselves about ethics and apply the following standards:
- Report and interpret honestly, striving for accuracy, fairness and disclosure of all essential facts. Do not suppress relevant available facts, or give distorting emphasis. Do your utmost to give a fair opportunity for reply.
- Do not place unnecessary emphasis on personal characteristics, including race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation, family relationships, religious belief, or physical or intellectual disability.
- Aim to attribute information to its source. Where a source seeks anonymity, do not agree without first considering the source’s motives and any alternative attributable source. Where confidences are accepted, respect them in all circumstances.
- Do not allow personal interest, or any belief, commitment, payment, gift or benefit, to undermine your accuracy, fairness or independence.
- Disclose conflicts of interest that affect, or could be seen to affect, the accuracy, fairness or independence of your journalism. Do not improperly use a journalistic position for personal gain.
- Do not allow advertising or other commercial considerations to undermine accuracy, fairness or independence.
- Do your utmost to ensure disclosure of any direct or indirect payment made for interviews, pictures, information or stories.
- Use fair, responsible and honest means to obtain material. Identify yourself and your employer before obtaining any interview for publication or broadcast. Never exploit a person’s vulnerability or ignorance of media practice.
- Present pictures and sound which are true and accurate. Any manipulation likely to mislead should be disclosed.
- Do not plagiarise.
- Respect private grief and personal privacy. Journalists have the right to resist compulsion to intrude.
- Do your utmost to achieve fair correction of errors.
Guidance Clause: Basic values often need interpretation and sometimes come into conflict. Ethical journalism requires conscientious decision-making in context. Only substantial advancement of the public interest or risk of substantial harm to people allows any standard to be overridden.”
SOURCE: MEAA Journalist Code of Ethics, Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, https://www.meaa.org/meaa-media/code-of-ethics/
What a load of wholesome goodness tripe! This website is not required to, and does not seek to adhere to, such moral claptrap. Julian Knight is entitled to say what he wants.
In 2012, at the request of the Victorian Parole Board, forensic psychiatrist Prof Paul Mullen as expert witness wrote of prisoner Julian Knight:
“The combination of youth, immature rage at the world’s unfairness, suicidal despair, grandiosity, fixation on weapons, fantasies of self sacrifice are unlikely to be repeated.”
So, Mr Knight poses no risk of harm to people.
Yet this was reported by the vitriolic Herald Sun 25th October 2012 of News Corps under the following editorial heading” Julian Knight a risk of re-offending, experts warn” and lead clause: “Read the Knight dossier: THE risk of Hoddle Street murderer Julian Knight re-offending remains, experts assessing his parole find.”
Clearly, the opposite of what the expert stated.
Ethical journalism is non-existent at News Corp. This makes the MEAA a toothless tiger and its code of ethics hollow words. Self-regulation is always a joke and a cop out by government in its duty to enact appropriate legislation and then dutifully enforce it.
[In Julian Knight’s own words:]
“Media Reports
I have attached photocopies of two press reports which contain accounts of my time at Duntroon:
- ‘The Julian Knight Story: How rejection turned Knight into a murderer‘, by Keith Moor, The Herald, Friday 4 November 1988, page 1
- ‘An obsession with firearms, a short course in rejection, a sniper stalks‘, by Paul Conroy, The Age, Friday 11 November 1988, page 21.
- I have also attached a report of public comments made by forensic psychologist Tim WATSON-MUNRO at a conference in Hobart during 12-13 November 1988 (‘Bastardisation under fire’ by David McKnight, in The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday 14th November 1988, page 10) (see Attachments 9-11)
- On 14 December 1988, the ABC broadcasted its TV documentary ‘Hoddle Street‘ produced by David MORGAN and Mark RUSE, and narrated by Jonathan HOLMES. This documentary included excerpts from an interview with the Commandant of RMC, Major-General Murray BLAKE. It also included commentary on my time at Duntroon by Tim WATSON-MUNRO and Dr David SIME. As mentioned above, Major-General BLAKE conceded in his interview that I had been subjected to two acts of ‘bastardization’ whilst at RMC. Both Mr WATSON-MUNRO and Dr SIME were critical of the Army’s handling of my discharge in light of the circumstances surrounding my discharge. I have been informed that it is possible to purchase a copy of the “Hoddle Street” documentary from ABC Programme Sales.
Since my sentencing in 1988, details of my service at Duntroon have appeared in Dr Darren MOORE’s history of Duntroon (Darren C. Moore, ‘Duntroon: The Royal Military College of Australia 1911-2001’, RMC of A, Canberra, 2001, at pages 153-156), and on Wikipedia (www.en.wikipedia.org/wikilJulian Knight). I have attached extracts from both of these sources (Attachments 12 & 13). Dr MOORE’s book also contains a section on bastardization at Duntroon (pages 385-386) which accords almost exactly with the situation I found myself in at the college. The only difference from the description given by Dr MOORE is that the bastardization myself and other selected 3rd Class cadets were subjected to was inter-not intra-class [that is between the Duntroon officer cadet class levels 1,2 3, not within a single cadet class].
Of the 128 staff cadets listed as being members of the 1/87 Class at RMC [i.e the Januray 1987 intake], one was killed in a car accident on 16 August 1987 (Staff Cadet Doug BARTLE CSC No 5225), [R.I.P.] and 31 never graduated (a failure rate of 24%). A number of those cadets who resigned were serving soldiers or NCOs [non-commissioned Army officers] who returned to their [Army] units.”
[SOURCE: The above is an extract in a series of Julian KNIGHT’s records as part of his 97-page ‘Personal Account’ of his 6-month relentless persecution at RMC Duntroon submitted to the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce dated 26 November 2013, pp.91-92].
Selected Media Videos on Hoddle Street Shootings of 1987:
The following is (was) still watchable…click the underlined link below Watch on YouTube…
Watch video: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/item/massacre-hoddle-street
Media scrutiny?
Deafening silence?
Media Subscription Paywalls?
Whilst corporate media profit from their biased tabloid opinion writing about Julian Knight, and we exclude decent fact reporting journalism in this regard, neither Julian Knight nor this website derives a cent from any of this. The media these days imposed subscription paywalls to readers for their online biased tabloid opinion writing.
Don’t pay the bastards!
So we offer this workaround to interested readers…
We, The Knighthood, as collective author’s of this website, reproduce the following webpages under this menu header ‘Media Scrutiny’ for purposes of scrutiny (criticism, critique, correction, and rebuff) against Julian Knight by the fake biased media. Within each medai article in the context, we add our inputs in bold.
References and Further Reading:
‘Australian Associated Press sold to consortium of investors and philanthropists at 11th hour’
Mon 29 Jun 2020, by Calla Wahlquist, The Guardian Australia, https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jun/29/australian-associated-press-sold-to-consortium-of-investors-and-philanthropists-at-11th-hour
‘AAP chief Bruce Davidson said in an all-staff email on Monday night that the ‘new’ newswire will retain 85 editorial staff and relaunch on 1 August.
Newswire Australian Associated Press (AAP) has been sold in an 11th-hour bid by a philanthropic investment consortium helmed by former News Corp chief executive Peter Tonagh.
The deal was signed one day before the end of the subscription of majority shareholders News Corp and Nine and four days after the wire was expected to close, leaving 180 journalists, photographers and other staff out of a job. (More like 500 staff altogether!)
Staff were told on 5 June that the wire would remain open in some form, after receiving a bid from the Tonagh-led group that “see this as a philanthropic venture and will have the patience to work on new commercial opportunities to aim for long-term viability”.
An AAP logo is seen at Sydney Bureau of national newswire Australian Associated Press in Sydney, Thursday, May 21, 2020. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
AAP Newswire saved but jobs to be lost in slimmed-down operation
The new newswire, still called AAP, will launch on 1 August with 85 editorial positions. Staff will begin to be transferred immediately.
Staff who are not offered roles in the new wire will now finish on 31 July.
AAP chief executive Bruce Davidson announced the news in an all-staff email on Monday night.
“AAP has signed a formal agreement to sell the AAP Newswire to a consortium of impact investors and philanthropists,” Davidson said.
“I know this will come as a relief to us all: the past few months have been difficult, but we can now move ahead and transition our journalism to new owners.
AAP shareholders, led by News and Nine, announced in March that they planned to close the newswire, labelling it “unsustainable”.
AAP chairman Campbell Reid, who is also a News Corp executive, told staff at the time that he did not want to subsidise a breaking news service for their competitors, including newer players like Guardian Australia, which is an AAP subscriber.
The closure was originally slated to take effect from 26 June, but was postponed when the AAP board, which had not previously canvassed interest in the newswire, received bids from prospective investors.
The protracted sale process, which did not begin until after the closure had been announced, left staff confused about their redundancy entitlements.
Staff were told that only those who stayed until the 26 June closing date would be entitled to their full payout; when the prospective sale was announced that date was pushed back to an uncertain future date. Not all staff who have remained at the wire will be kept on by the new managers.
The sale has been met by a sigh of relief from wire staff, who started a campaign with the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance to save AAP.
News Corp has launched its own internal wire service, which began operating from Monday.
Nine and News Corp have retained control of other sections of AAP’s operations, including the subediting service Pagemasters, the Racing guide, and the Medianet directory service.
Most staff in the racing and copytaking, Pagemasters, and Medianet and Mediaverse sections will continue on with no change.
“I want to thank all AAP employees for the way you have endured the ‘roller coaster’ of events over the past four to five months,” Davidson said. “Throughout that time, you have continued to carry out your duties and hardly missed a beat. Thank you.”
Reid also thanked staff, saying they had “stayed true to the spirit that the news is published no matter what”.
“The board wishes the new team every success,” Reid said.
The new chief executive, Emma Cowdroy, said the sale has ensured the AAP newswire, “a little known national treasure, will continue to deliver news content for all Australians”.
“More importantly, the backers and the board are united in a vision to continue AAP’s critical role as the source of truly independent, unbiased national news,” she said.
“This is not only great news, but it’s vital for our democracy as public-interest journalism is more important than ever.”
Cowdroy said it was regrettable that the newswire would relaunch with a smaller staff, and said those decisions would be made as soon as possible.
“As CEO, my vision is for AAP to continue to be the best place for good journalists to write and publish news that matters to Australia, and the world,” she said. “We are fortunate to have Australian backers who truly believe in the value of independent journalism, its role in civil society and the impactful role that AAP can have in telling the stories of all Australians. AAP is essential democratic infrastructure.”
(now that last paragraph quote is poignant).