Jonestown: The Power and the Myth of Alan Jones
Encyclopedia
Jonestown: The Power and The Myth of Alan Jones is a controversial 2006 biography
of radio personality Alan Jones
by Chris Masters
. The biography deals in part with Jones's sexuality; Masters asserts that Jones is homosexual, something that Jones does not self-identify with. Masters began Jonestown in 2002 after profiling Jones for an episode of the current affairs program Four Corners.
and Phillip Adams
.
Mike Carlton
, Jones's rival Sydney
radio broadcaster, suggested on 2UE
in his show on 5 July 2006 that the book might detail homosexual encounters on Jones's part and Jones's lawyers had told the ABC that Masters' materials were "replete with false and inappropriate sexual innuendo".
In the introduction to Jonestown, Masters describes Jones as having concealed his sexuality "more for the sake of preserving a dishonest power base" than for reasons of personal privacy, an explanation he repeated later when accused of being motivated by prurience. Additionally, Masters advances the theory that Jones's attempt to mask his sexuality is a defining feature of his personality and provides an explanation for many aspects of his behaviour. In the book's final chapter, Masters quotes a study performed by Roy Morgan Research
that reported that "46% of [Jones's] listeners believe that homosexuality is immoral, compared to 35% of all Australians." Masters' attempts to explain so much about Jones by reference to his sexuality leaves caused commentators to see his book as homophobic.
The ABC's decision not to publish the book did not delay it for long; Publisher Allen & Unwin Australia
released it in October 2006. The book sold 12,700 copies and earned almost A$600,000 in its first 6 days since publication - allowing it to top the bestseller list.
On 20 October 2006, The Sydney Morning Herald
published a seven-page edited extract of Jonestown. The extracts, with italicised links by former Media Watch host and author David Marr
, concentrated largely on claims that Jones was homosexual, his questionable behaviour while the senior English master at The King's School
at Parramatta
in Sydney
and a "cottaging
" incident in London
. The lead paragraph makes Masters' claim that the masking of his homosexuality is "a defining feature of the Jones persona".
James Packer
has vehemently stood by Jones who is also affiliated with the Nine Network
for his editorials. Jones's radio colleague and close friend Ray Hadley
went on record on-air, saying that he and Jones have been close friends for more than 20 years and that the book was written by someone who has not met Jones. Masters details his meetings towards the beginning of the book.
The Chaser
team have a signed copy of Jonestown, "probably the only signed copy of Jonestown by Alan Jones," and Julian Morrow
stated on The Chaser's War on Everything
that they intended to "auction it off to raise money for troubled homosexuals."
In a review in The Australian, David Flint says that "Masters is entitled to investigate and challenge Jones's influence and role, but he is not entitled to intrude into his private life based on purloined correspondence, amateur psychoanalysis and irresponsible journalism. No wonder the ABC board wrote off the public money poured into this vengeful project by the nomenklatura. The result is no credit to its author, its publishers and the two newspapers that featured the most salacious bits."
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of radio personality Alan Jones
Alan Jones (radio broadcaster)
Alan Belford Jones AO is an Australian radio broadcaster, former rugby union and rugby league coach and administrator.Jones hosts Sydney's most popular breakfast radio program, on radio station 2GB...
by Chris Masters
Chris Masters (writer)
Christopher "Chris" Wayne Masters PSM is a multi-Walkley Award winning and Logie Award winning Australian journalist and author.-Life:Chris Masters was born in Grafton, New South Wales...
. The biography deals in part with Jones's sexuality; Masters asserts that Jones is homosexual, something that Jones does not self-identify with. Masters began Jonestown in 2002 after profiling Jones for an episode of the current affairs program Four Corners.
Nominations
The book was nominated for the 2006 Douglas Stewart Prize for non-fiction for its "depth of research, fluency of narrative and professional engagement."Awards
The book won the Australian Book Industry Awards, Australian Biography of the Year 2007Controversy
ABC Enterprises announced on 29 June 2006 that it was cancelling the publication of Masters' manuscript; ABC Enterprises director Robyn Watts stated that this was because it would "almost certainly result in commercial loss, which would be irresponsible". This statement was widely believed to be a veiled reference to the fact that Jones's lawyers had threatened an expensive defamation lawsuit if the book reached publication. ABC program Media Watch reported that the decision to cancel publication had been made not by ABC Enterprises but by the ABC Board. Many ABC personalities criticized the Board's decision, and a petition against the decision circulated, with signatories including ABC radio personalities Richard GloverRichard Glover (radio presenter)
Richard Glover is an Australian talk radio presenter, journalist and author.Glover graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts degree with first class honours. He lives with the playwright Debra Oswald and they have two sons...
and Phillip Adams
Phillip Adams
Phillip Andrew Hedley Adams, AO is an Australian broadcaster, film producer, writer, social commentator, satirist and left-wing pundit. He currently hosts a radio program, Late Night Live, four nights a week on the ABC, and he also writes a weekly column for the News Limited-owned newspaper, The...
.
Mike Carlton
Mike Carlton
Mike Carlton is an Australian media commentator and broadcaster. He formerly co-hosted the daily breakfast program on Sydney radio station 2UE with Peter FitzSimons and later Sandy Aloisi. He is a columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald, having been sacked from the position on 29 August 2008, for...
, Jones's rival Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
radio broadcaster, suggested on 2UE
2UE
2UE is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by Fairfax Media. It is Sydney's and Australia's oldest commercial radio station, first broadcasting on 26 January 1925 on 1025 kHz AM before moving to 950 kHz in 1935 when virtually all Australian radio stations were assigned new...
in his show on 5 July 2006 that the book might detail homosexual encounters on Jones's part and Jones's lawyers had told the ABC that Masters' materials were "replete with false and inappropriate sexual innuendo".
In the introduction to Jonestown, Masters describes Jones as having concealed his sexuality "more for the sake of preserving a dishonest power base" than for reasons of personal privacy, an explanation he repeated later when accused of being motivated by prurience. Additionally, Masters advances the theory that Jones's attempt to mask his sexuality is a defining feature of his personality and provides an explanation for many aspects of his behaviour. In the book's final chapter, Masters quotes a study performed by Roy Morgan Research
Roy Morgan Research
Roy Morgan Research is an Australian market research company headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria; it was founded in 1941 by Roy Morgan ; its Executive Chairman today is his son, Gary Morgan....
that reported that "46% of [Jones's] listeners believe that homosexuality is immoral, compared to 35% of all Australians." Masters' attempts to explain so much about Jones by reference to his sexuality leaves caused commentators to see his book as homophobic.
The ABC's decision not to publish the book did not delay it for long; Publisher Allen & Unwin Australia
Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin, formerly a major British publishing house, is now an independent book publisher and distributor based in Australia. The Australian directors have been the sole owners of the Allen & Unwin name since effecting a management buy out at the time the UK parent company, Unwin Hyman, was...
released it in October 2006. The book sold 12,700 copies and earned almost A$600,000 in its first 6 days since publication - allowing it to top the bestseller list.
On 20 October 2006, The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
published a seven-page edited extract of Jonestown. The extracts, with italicised links by former Media Watch host and author David Marr
David Marr (journalist)
David Ewan Marr is an Australian journalist, author, and progressive political and social commentator. His areas of expertise include the law, Australian politics, censorship, the media and the arts...
, concentrated largely on claims that Jones was homosexual, his questionable behaviour while the senior English master at The King's School
The King's School, Sydney
The King's School is an independent Anglican, day and boarding school for boys in North Parramatta in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831, it is Australia's oldest school and forms one of the nine "Great Public Schools" of New South Wales. Situated within a site, Gowan Brae,...
at Parramatta
Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and a "cottaging
Cottaging
Cottaging is a British gay slang term referring to anonymous sex between men in a public lavatory , or cruising for sexual partners with the intention of having sex elsewhere...
" incident in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The lead paragraph makes Masters' claim that the masking of his homosexuality is "a defining feature of the Jones persona".
James Packer
James Packer
James Douglas Packer is an Australian businessman.Packer is the son of the late media mogul Kerry Packer and grandson of Frank Packer. He inherited the family company, Consolidated Press Holdings Limited, which controls investments in Crown Limited, Consolidated Media Holdings and other companies...
has vehemently stood by Jones who is also affiliated with the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
for his editorials. Jones's radio colleague and close friend Ray Hadley
Ray Hadley
Raymond Morris Hadley OAM is an Australian talkback radio broadcaster. He presents 2GB Sydney's morning show, and leads the Continuous Call Team, a rugby league-based talkback radio panel program.-Early Life:...
went on record on-air, saying that he and Jones have been close friends for more than 20 years and that the book was written by someone who has not met Jones. Masters details his meetings towards the beginning of the book.
The Chaser
The Chaser
The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedian group, known for their television programmes on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation channel. The group take their name from their production of satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste...
team have a signed copy of Jonestown, "probably the only signed copy of Jonestown by Alan Jones," and Julian Morrow
Julian Morrow
Julian Francis Xavier Morrow is an Australian comedian and television producer from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is best known for being a member of the satirical team The Chaser...
stated on The Chaser's War on Everything
The Chaser's War on Everything
The Chaser's War on Everything is an Australian television satirical comedy series broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television station ABC1. It has won an AFI Award. The cast perform sketches mocking social and political issues, and often feature comedic publicity stunts...
that they intended to "auction it off to raise money for troubled homosexuals."
In a review in The Australian, David Flint says that "Masters is entitled to investigate and challenge Jones's influence and role, but he is not entitled to intrude into his private life based on purloined correspondence, amateur psychoanalysis and irresponsible journalism. No wonder the ABC board wrote off the public money poured into this vengeful project by the nomenklatura. The result is no credit to its author, its publishers and the two newspapers that featured the most salacious bits."
External links
- Chris Masters' reply to critics The author defends criticism of the book, in an editorial in The AustralianThe AustralianThe Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
newspaper.