Quote Originally Posted by Art Vandelay View Post
It's definately a press release from Craig Wallace, and yes, unfortunately he is the Minister for Main Roads and more unfortunately he is my local state member for Parliament.

I didn't notice any major news organisations run it.

A quick google found reference to it in the Gladstone newspaper

http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/...t-bruce-tolls/
Mr Seeney, while visiting Gladstone yesterday, hit out at Mr Wallace, who claims a newspaper journalist in North Queensland confirmed reports to parliament that the LNP wants to introduce tolls to the Bruce Highway.
This seems like a long winded way of making, 'I heard that he said - that she said - that the boogie man may had said...'

Modern newspapers, with their massive cutbacks of sub-editors and journalists, increasingly rely of simply reprinting press releases - they set up a shelf 'research centre' or 'institute' which then issues a press release. The media passes these releases off as factual without basic checks. Once a newspaper prints the dodgy release, the faker who released it then points to the newspaper as a credible source.

The ABC's 'Media Watch' ran a segment on this very phenominom just last night. Interesting viewing which is easily available on iView. In fact... http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/tra...s/s3248777.htm

I am sure politicians are not above dirty tricks & hoaxes.

Scotty