Even before Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced his unprecedented nine-hour curfew, one hour a day limit for exercise and prohibition on travelling more than five kilometres from home at the start of August, journalists who dared probe the wisdom of his government — wisdom on display in recent weeks at the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry — have been subjected to the vilest threats on social media. Vile, incoherent threats that largely show complete ignorance of how newsrooms operate and newsgathering is done

Yet their union, the Media, Arts and Entertainment Alliance, has refused to condemn them, as far as The Spectator Australia can determine by working through its media statements and Twitter trail.

These threats, of course, have come from the compassionate and progressive left.

Despite virtual silence elsewhere, the SpecOz has covered this shameful abuse and intimidation, as recently as last Tuesday.

On Saturday, to its great credit, The Guardian Australia came to the party with a report on the twisted harassment and defamations, yet even that only sparked further frothing from Twitter’s tar and feather mob (including, disgracefully, a once-significant figure in our nation’s politics, Cheryl Kernot).

Only after The Guardian blew the whistle, did the journalists’ union appear to finally put journalists and journalism ahead of the Cult of Dan and its Twitter goon squads.

In other words, it took nine whole weeks plus more — plus the prompt of an article in a high profile, left-leaning publication beloved by many of its members — for the MEAA to unambiguously condemn attacks on its members or potential members. All it had provided before was one pissy little retweet, offered without comment.

The MEAA and its leading luvvies when, say, discussing dubious figures such as Julian Assange, likes to proclaim “Journalism is not a crime”.

The concern it has shown for less glamorous (if that’s the right word) media workers and their welfare in this epidsode, however, appears criminal.

Charles Caley is a working journalist and a member of the MEAA. A pseudonym has been used to protect their privacy.