Potty posts and social kettles – Part 2

REFLECTION: StreetWise Media was launched in High Street in Fremantle in 2015, its publishing debut attended by local business leaders, historians, archaeologists, artists, students and filmmakers.
Getting there took more than a year of planning, hard work and ‘prodding’ to enlist support for Freo’s publishing success now headed towards its 17th print issue.
StreetWise readers enjoy access to hundreds of stories and images of people, places and events in the port city, including the annual charity car cruise postponed this year because of COVID restrictions. StreetWise joined Facebook in 2016 and in 2019 launched this website whose high-quality content also is picked up and shared by Australian and overseas media.
Part 2 explores the impact and influence private and ‘community’ online sites can have on important issues such as the ‘tent city’ fiasco.
When StreetWise approached the City of Fremantle in 2015 for support for the new quarterly magazine, the former media mouthpiece Jason Cunningham replied he did not want to waste his time on something that, “would never happen” – that is, StreetWise did not stand a chance of succeeding.
Six years later, after StreetWise published the latest ‘Sullivan story’ revelations, the former Kings Square ‘adviser’ who now works at DevelopmentWA described the publisher as a, “disgruntled journalist”. Nice.
Unfortunately, he is not alone in wanting to attack the man (or woman), not the ball. Deflect the issue by attacking the messenger.
Two online sites which have made it their social media mission to denigrate StreetWise and its readers include the presumptively titled ‘Freo’s View’ and the newly formed Fremantle Community Forum.
As reported in Part 1, social media sites often sours proper debate by selecting and deleting, without explanation or apology, content that does not fit their narrative or agenda (www.streetwisemedia.com.au/opinion-bloggers-vs-journalism-part-1).
They are a blight in a community that now, more than ever, demands and deserves factual, informative and incisive content devoid of personal attacks, racial prejudices and defamatory claims. The challenge is recognising the difference between opinionated blogs and journalistic content.
This is not a blog, it’s StreetWise.

One-eyed piracy

ON November 23, 2015, just three weeks before StreetWise launched its debut print issue, the City of Fremantle launched ‘Freo Story’ magazine costing ratepayers a cool $650,000 plus.
Appropriately, FV’s Roel Loopers photographed the council’s new advertorial publication beside a lemon, and called it, “a nice addition and source of information to the tourist industry”, but no mention of the price tag and obvious lack of any “real” stories in the AD and voucher show.
But when Freo StreetWise arrived on the publishing scene, he announced: “Fremantle has another small magazine … It looks very much like an advertorial publication to me but it does not have the flair the one-off promotional George Street and Wray Avenue newspapers had earlier this year.”
Thousands of print and online readers have joined StreetWise, (issue #17 out at Easter) while Freo Story folded after the council found it failed to attract interstate and overseas visitors to the port city despite the amount it spent on the one hit wonder.
Having stood the test of time, StreetWise remains consistent, colourful, informative and doggedly independent. It will continue to bring readers unique stories and images. Good, bad. Funny or sad.
On Saturday, Acting Mayor Andrew Sullivan posted to FV (not his own personal or council page) a hollow ‘defence’ of why he allowed tent city organisers to use his office to store provisions for the homeless and conduct “de-escalation” training at 11 Pakenham Street (www.streetwisemedia.com.au/acting-mayors-office-staging-post-for-tent-city).
The blog spot has attracted a whopping 15 posts by eight people (as of 9.30am today), including Cr Sullivan who refused to comment on tent city when StreetWise contacted him last week.
Since then, hundreds of people interested in finding out why council allowed tent city organisers to camp in Pioneer Park for nearly a month, not the one day they promised on Boxing Day, continue to post to this and other credible social media sites because the ‘Sullivan story’ still has legs.
“I stand by my statements,” Cr Sullivan declares, his statements unchallenged by FV. Instead, the FV joins Cr Sullivan’s story in trying to shift blame to City staff and deflect questions about Cr Sullivan and other elected members’ role in tent city: “Since this never came before a Council meeting it is clearly the administration who were being too kind and allowed it to happen for a while and that while became far too long and unacceptable.” Clearly? Claims without proof. And an insult to staff who, as reported by StreetWise (www.streetwisemedia.com.au/political-stunt-taints-greens-mayor), told police that Mayor Brad Pettitt and City Ward Cr Rachel Pemberton gave Freo Street Kitchen organiser Jesse Noakes verbal approval after he approached both councillors with his ‘verbal’ request. Dear FV, the matter never got to council because Dr Pettitt, no one, called a meeting to deal with the unauthorised overstay.
Until Boxing Day and during the political ‘stunt’, Mr Noakes even shared space at Cr Sullivan’s Pakenham Street office. The councillors and Cr Sullivan deny they gave Mr Noakes approval.
Cr Sullivan adds with the benefit of hindsight, “there may well have been some orchestration behind the setting up of the camp even if that wasn’t publicised by anyone. What I also strongly suspect (and started to suspect by 31st December as noted in my email that was leaked) is there was an intentional political agenda running parallel with the camp. That wasn’t my agenda/stunt, and as far as I know it wasn’t the agenda/stunt of any other elected member or anyone from the City. That said, from sometime late on the 27th to the morning of the 28th, it had very clearly become a tent city. It had also become our problem to deal with, and one we couldn’t resolve without the coordinated help of many others”.
To this, FV friend Stuart Gunzburg posted: “You (Cr Sullivan) failed to act. You failed to identify and inform of adverse effects of the camp, which were readily apparent at the time of writing your email. You never even questioned the legality of this camp. You are utterly incompetent in your role as a representative of ratepayers. This email is proof of your ineptitude in dealing with this issue, an issue that had been going on for five days. You were informed that the CoF had not given permission and never raise this issue. You are an incompetent hypocrite. Resign you fool!”
Loopers warned Stuart: “I posted your comment in full this time but if you again engage in name-calling I will not publish your comments. That is a rule for this blog.”
This is the same fair-minded blogger who two weeks ago asked whether the Australian PM was brain dead, “or just a racist” and last year described Clive Palmer as a, “big fat Queensland bully” (www.streetwisemedia.com.au/fake-news-alert-freo-streetwise-to-freos-one-eyed-view).

Mamma Mia

AND then there is Mia. StreetWise has never met the Melville resident who last year launched Fremantle Community Forum co-administered by White Gum Valley chef Mark Woodcock.
Promoting herself as a “classy, sassy and passionate” Freo local who “lives in Fremantle” (untrue), Ms Kriznic was until recently secretary of the Fremantle Society and is tipped to run in the local government elections in October.
She also was an adviser in Cr Vujcic’s 2019 election campaign, but now criticises her, in public and privately, over her stance on tent city and the media attention it has attracted.
During production of the Christmas edition of Freo StreetWise, Ms Kriznic, having learnt of StreetWise’s enquiries into the Fremantle Society Committee stoush with Society member Claudia Green (), contacted StreetWise: “I have been advised that you intend to write a story on me next week and are seeking feedback from others. If you have any questions for me you are welcome to contact or call me directly any time. Please be aware if you do print anything that’s defamatory or untrue I will pursue legal action. Could you please provide your contact details and information should I need to forward legal correspondence your way.”
StreetWise responded: “Advise your adviser you are not the story. Kind regards.” Ms Kriznic replied: “I am no longer Secretary of the Fremantle Society, please contact John Dowson for information relating to Claudia Green’s membership issues.”
However, her secretarial retreat was temporary. In an extraordinary online outburst, Ms Kriznic ‘thanked’ the editor of StreetWise for posting her partner’s personal information (untrue).
“Creepy much! I’m not sure if you follow two gay women around but we are advising police of our concerns,” she wrote on FCF, which has about 1700 followers.
Last week, instead of pursuing questions about the City’s role in tent city given FCF’s obvious lack of love for the council, Ms Kriznic posted to StreetWise’s 4100-plus members: “You might want to admit that you are Claudia Green pretending to be Carmelo Amalfi and you love writing negative posts. Plus you are about two weeks too late on the tent city issue if the ABC News, Channel 7, 9 and 10 are anything to go by. How about a positive post about Fremantle, South Fremantle and North Fremantle.” Had she read the latest edition of StreetWise, she’d know South Fremantle was front and centre in its coverage of COVID-affected Freo (www.streetwisemedia.com.au/freo-streetwise-december-2020-edition).
After Ms Kriznic posted, StreetWise follower Saz Cole posted, tongue in cheek: “I’m not Claudia Green. Honestly I’m not!”
Ms Kriznic responded: “Must have posted Uber, the wrong one sorry. Just delete.”
Ms Kriznic this week accused the Fremantle Gazette of not doing its homework when reporter Adam Poulsen quoted Greater Fremantle Business Association member Helen Cox over council’s handling of tent city.
Not bothered to do her own homework, Ms Kriznic’s post describes the incorporated body as a, “sham group”, run by members of Cr Vujcic’s campaign group including Ms Cox, whose financials Ms Kriznic also questioned online before the offensive rant was removed from the Association’s Facebook page.
Ms Kriznic said: “It’s disgraceful when businesses are experiencing tough times like the impacts of COVID and someone would pretend to be in their shoes, when they are employed in the public service and on wages (she means salaries). It would be nice if Councillors just stuck to fighting for Freo and not playing silly games!”
As FCF follower Rod Reynolds put it: “Is this a COMMUNITY forum? Or is it now no more than an echo chamber for admins, their agendas and supporters. Over the last 24 hours I’ve seen certain posts removed, commenting turned off when the heat is turned up on admins, and even people removed for daring to ask important questions and expressing dissenting views. All without so much as an explanation (as far as I can tell) from the admins. Do we live in a democracy? Is this a page for all? Because as far as community inclusion, political motivations and self-interest are concerned, it’s looking more and more like Freo Massive. And that’s not a good thing.”
For a group that effuses transparency and accountability, this is poor form and only undermines its credibility as a community-minded forum. When site rules governing how people describe others are broken, then all that’s left is the law.
Journalist bloggers and credible social media commentators know their limitations when publishing content and images. They understand defamation, libel and sub judice. The rest is fiction dressed up as facts. Fake.

Footnote: StreetWise thanks the many individuals, businesses and community groups which share our commitment to high-quality, accurate and informative reporting and writing. We will correct and update content, including this post, if people believe we have broken the rules or the law. Given the social media climate in Fremantle and inability of blogs and forum sites to enforce their own rules, StreetWise will have to work harder to weed out the facts from fiction.