Matthew Ricketson, November 28, 2007, The Age

BAD public relations as well as bad journalism will be targeted by ABC television's Media Watch next year, according to the program's new host.

Jonathan Holmes, a veteran reporter with ABC TV's Four Corners, said he hoped to "expose the more egregious antics of the industry that all too often tries to sway, or mislead, or simply stonewall journalists who are trying to do an honest job".

He said the public relations industry permeated government and business at every level and exerted undue "influence these days on what we read and hear and watch".

He pledged the media watchdog program would still be a "scourge of bad journalism".

Yesterday's announcement came after one of the most tumultuous seasons since Media Watch began nearly two decades ago, with the previous host Monica Attard and executive producer Tim Palmer announcing their departure from the show before the 2007 season ended.

The program was attacked repeatedly this year by The Australian. It was criticised by the national daily newspaper for failing initially to cover one of the big media ethics stories of the year, concerning three journalists breaking an agreement with former federal treasurer Peter Costello to keep off the record details of a dinner conversation about his leadership ambitions.