I'm Antony Loewenstein, one of the collaborators and contributors to Not Happy John!. It's been a wild couple of weeks, and the response by all you out there to the book and its message has been really encouraging for us all. The media coverage has also been telling. Who's covered it, who's ignored it, who's praised it, who's trashed it and who has simply engaged in personal attacks. It's clearly much easier to hammer the writers and their personalities than actually talk seriously about the issues raised. So be it.

It's times like these, however, when greater media diversity in this country is sorely needed. Packer and Murdoch control a hefty percentage of what we see and hear. And if the Howard Government has its way, we'd soon be watching more Fox News style 'investigation' and less real investigation. I recently read a well-known Aussie blogger once again talking about privatising the ABC. Can you seriously imagine a book like this being covered in an organisation funded by a Packer or a Murdoch? The last few weeks have already answered this question as resoundingly 'no'!

My chapter is about Hanan Ashrawi, the Palestinian woman who won last year's Sydney Peace Prize. Many elements of the pro-Zionist lobby attacked Ashrawi and those who defended her, claiming she was anti-Israel, pro-violence against Jews and antagonistic towards the state of Israel. The facts suggest otherwise. Since the book's release on June 21, elements of the Jewish community have attacked Margo and my chapter, claiming we are attempting to question the right of Jews to lobby. Nothing could be further than the truth.

The Australian Jewish News (AJN), one of this country's largest papers aside from the major broadsheets and tabloids, has touched on the issue, but ignored the central tenet of the work, namely that powerful individuals and groups in the Jewish community, close to the Howard Government and big business, want to silence dissenters who question Ariel Sharon's policies, US support for these policies and the current make-up of the Middle East. Needless to say, a democracy is about diversity of views. Or so we think, anyway.

This week's AJN features an article by Colin Rubenstein, an unelected leader of AIJAC, one of Australia's well-known right-wing pro-Zionist think-tanks. He attempts to smear Margo and my credibility, yet wilfully fails to engage in the central points of my chapter. It's worth checking out the full piece, as only a small portion resides online. Margo and I will be responding in next week's AJN. Stay tuned.

So, keep those comments coming. And remember, this book is only as good as all of us talking, getting involved and making sure our elected representatives, media outlets and businesses are accountable. Why not write an email today to your local MP?