top of page
Writer's pictureLeonardo Puglisi

Media 'burying' the Concetta Fierravanti-Wells story? Viral claim misses the mark

"Morrison is not fit to be Prime Minister."

Less than 2 hours after Treasurer Josh Frydenberg finished his 2022 Budget speech, the Morrison Government was in the headlines for a different reason.


Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells labelled PM Scott Morrison an "autocrat (and) a bully who has no moral compass."


She went onto declare that Mr Morrison is "not fit to be prime minister."


The story did not make the front pages of any newspapers this morning, leading some to declare that that mainstream media outlets were "burying the story" despite recent extensive coverage of bullying allegations within Labor following the death of Senator Kimberley Kitching.


The front pages, unsurprisingly, were dedicated to budget coverage.


Stephanie Peatling explained print deadlines for Nine's newspapers in a tweet this morning:

Coverage of what Senator Fierravanti-Wells said can be seen in The Guardian, The Australian, Nine newspapers & the Daily Mail, amongst other outlets.


On Twitter, @marquelawyers claimed that the story was pushed back to Page 15 of the Sydney Morning Herald.


It's unclear if they were the first to make the claim - but with over 47K followers, they were the one of the largest amplifiers of it.


But the claim? It's not true.


As seen in the screenshot below, the story was about something else Concetta Fierravanti-Wells had said - not her comments about Scott Morrison.

Marque Lawyers later posted a correction, but did not delete the original tweet - instead making the clarification via quote tweet.


We note that because it means their original claim will still spread online - and when users expand the original tweet, they would not see a correction.


The tweet has continued to receive hundreds - if not thousands - of likes, shares & comments, despite the correction.

Want to help stop misinformation & inform others? Share the link to this story on social media & with your family & friends using the buttons below.


See something you want fact-checked? Send us a DM on social media OR email us: contact@6newsau.com


Help support unbiased journalism & keep us independent: donate just $4 a month on Patreon & receive exclusive benefits.

Comments


bottom of page