The failing Fairfax newspapers are obsessed by evil, wicked, right-wing, racist, Trump-loving “fake news” — obsessed to RUOK? levels.

Unless, of course, it’s fake news that suits the agendas of the supposedly “Independent Always” chain.

There’s no need to rehash the story here about how one poster in a Melbourne laneway allegedly spotted by a friend of a gay activist lead to reports the city’s walls had been plastered with homophobic hate-sheets — to such an extent that Channel 10 had to fake up an example. Media Watch did that perfectly well on Monday night, as has advertising bible B&T (although it’s worth noting that three Channel Nine journos involved in faking a live cross to the network’s chopper in Queensland back in 2011 were fired the news director for the state resigned).

What is significant is that the Fairfax papers have chosen not to report the fake postering story.

On Wednesday the Sydney Morning Herald was happy to carry claims from Bill Shorten that the opening TV shot from the Coalition for Marriage, “no” backers, was “total rubbish”.

The Age devoted an entire story to the same the subject.

But there was no room, apparently, for the real “rubbish”. Funny about that. Although, of course, The Age still managed to cover the big issues:

So it’s one rule for the “yes” case, another rule for the “nos” when it comes to what’s fake.

Meanwhile, look what appeared on The Project website on Wednesday night.

“Dishonest?”

For a Channel 10 to refer to anything to do with the same-sex marriage debate as “dishonest” after their efforts is truly astounding — even by the standards of Waleed Aly’s post-modern circumlocutions with the concept of truth.

Illustration: YouTube.

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