The sinister meme that appeared just hours before the attack on Helen Haines
Social media vitriol is a strange amalgam of public and personalised. It is posted for all to see, but it is deeply silo-ed, which is to say that I don’t know what’s happening in your feed, and you don’t know what’s happening in mine.
Helen Haines, the member for Indi, was allegedly run down in a deliberate attack on Monday at approximately 4pm on Murphy Street. Barber Ricky Jefferies, who was working next to Haines' electorate office in Wangaratta, intervened by grabbing and holding the driver after hearing the crash. Jefferies stated he felt he had "no choice" but to remove the driver from the moving vehicle to ensure safety. The Australian prime minister has described Jefferies as a hero for his actions.
The incident has prompted discussions regarding the state of political discourse. The Guardian Australia reports that the attack has drawn concern from across the political spectrum, noting that the political class bears responsibility for a lack of self-regulation regarding online abuse and personal attacks. Meanwhile, Crikey reports that while some are calling for the attack to be a turning point in discourse, evidence suggests a trend toward further fragmentation.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian Australia, Crikey, The Guardian — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
