Alan Jones' backers fear mob will rule after Gillard father comments backlash

RETAIL magnate Gerry Harvey has revealed he felt he was "joining a lynch mob" by pulling advertising from Alan Jones' radio program after his tasteless comments about Julia Gillard's late father. 
 

Radio presenter Alan Jones arrives at his Saunders Street, Pyrmont office today. Picture: Bill Hearne The Daily Telegraph

But the Harvey Norman chief executive said yesterday he had no choice amid a growing political and consumer backlash after Jones told a Sydney University Liberal Club dinner that John Gillard had "died of shame" because of his daughter's "lies".

Harvey Norman joined Telstra, Hyundai, Momentum Energy, Honda, and seven other businesses in pulling out of the top-rating 2GB breakfast show. The number of people signing an online petition calling on advertisers to dump Jones's show jumped to more than 95,000 last night.

"He shouldn't have said (what he said) but should that stop the bloke from having a radio career?" Mr Harvey said.

And that is what Mr Harvey - who said he did not listen to talkback radio and was not a personal friend of Jones - believes is a possibility if the advertising exodus continues.

"You have to ask are you part of a lynch mob?" he said.

"If 50 per cent of people think he should (continue) and 50 per cent of people think he shouldn't, then I suggest he should. Even if it's just 20 or 30 per cent of people I think he should be able to continue."

However, Jones wasn't without supporters yesterday, with media magnate Kerry Stokes and long-serving Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop among those to offer their backing to the beleaguered broadcaster.

"Thought you cleared the air remarkably well and wanted to let you know you have my support," Mr Stokes told listeners to Jones' program.

Ms Bishop also claimed the attack on Jones was not being driven solely by his comments regarding Ms Gillard's father and was "being beaten into an entirely separate agenda".

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott yesterday also hit back at Labor's attempts to link him to the scandal, saying "the government blames me for everything".

"As far as I'm concerned, as far as my coalition colleagues are concerned, what Alan Jones said was wrong, unacceptable, offensive. He's admitted that. He's apologised," Mr Abbott said.
He said he would continue to appear on Jones' show.
In his first show since the storm erupted on Sunday, Jones yesterday told his listeners he apologised without qualification or reservation.
"The comment that I made was out of order, the comment was wrong, the comment had the capacity to hurt the Prime Minister as a daughter grieving over the death of her father, the comment should not have been made," he said.
Jones said he was astounded at the "hatred and anger" toward him on social media networks.

Numerous callers backed Jones, saying they would boycott the advertisers who had pulled out of his show.

heraldsun.com.au 3 Oct 2012

As in the words of the corporate giants the "lynch mob" which not only applies to this matter but rather relates to society as a whole.