Selective compassion

Mr Sokaluk is entitled, like every person in our democracy, to a presumption of innocence. That entitlement has been torn to shreds, courtesy of the media giving airplay to ignorant and nasty vigilantism.

The ugliness of Australia has reared its head again, just as it did in the notorious Cronulla riots in 2005. Reporters like Channel Seven's Chris Reason wandered around Churchill in Victoria, from where Mr Sokaluk hails, asking people what they wanted to do to him. Their answers were nasty, vengeful, and ignorant. As were the shameful comments left on Facebook and on news websites.

And how about the trashing of the right to innocence by Tim Blair, a right-wing blogger with Sydney's Daily Telegraph? On February 13 he wrote, referring to the charges laid against Mr Sokaluk, "Arson and child porn. This bloke is a real winner." One might have thought that a supposedly educated person like Mr Blair would know better than to write this. But it appears not.

The self-congratulatory tone of media commentators and politicians in patting themselves and everyone else on the back for being such wonderful generous Australians in responding to the bush fires risks becoming nothing more than an exercise in jingoism.

The reality is a little more salutary. We showed our true colours when we allowed vigilantism to take hold and our leaders did nothing to close it down. And we are still selective in our compassion.