With nearly one month since the release of NHJ, and the book still riding high in the Top Five of the national non-fiction chart, the mainstream press appears to be finally waking up to this best-seller. The Herald profiled Margo last Saturday and a review is supposedly pending.

The Age reviewed NHJ last Saturday. Written by Katherine Wilson, co-editor of the literary journal, Overland, there is no link available, but below are some highlights:

'The book's strength is that it investigates those in power through the lens of liberal democratic ideals rather than any ideological prism.'

'...Kingston gives a breadth of detail not available in the mainstream media, and a fascinating insider's perspective of the ways Howard and his minders reward compliant journalists and stonewall inquisitive ones.'

'NHJ will appeal to general readers of any political stripe, especially those who see themselves as moderates. Yet while it emphatically distances itself from 'the old, outworn left-right rhetoric', the book's findings (including those of its conservative contributors) are precisely those the Left and Greens foresaw as inevitable consequences of a neoliberal government, and just occasionally Kingston's incredulity seems itself incredible.'

As we'd hoped, the broadsheets can only (virtually) ignore our message for so long.

In other news, The Age's ecomonics editor, Tim Colebatch, has penned a powerful argument for the ALP rejecting the FTA. He argues the Howard Government has rushed into the deal, leaving us exposed, and re-inforces the message of media diversity expressed in NHJ:

'It is only possible [to re-examine the FTA] if Labor has the guts to defy the Murdoch empire - half-owner of Australia's pay TV network, and hence a major beneficiary of the deal - vote this agreement down, and restart negotiations in 2005.'