Lexi Metherell reported this story on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 06:05:00

TONY EASTLEY: The Opposition's communications spokesman has again tried to distinguish himself from his leader, this time over the Alan Jones affair.



In a speech in Melbourne overnight, Malcolm Turnbull, attacked the broadcaster's claim that he's been the victim of cyber bullying, after an aggressive social media campaign contributed to advertisers pulling out from his radio program.



Mr Turnbull says Mr Jones is simply receiving a dose of his own medicine. That view is in stark contrast to that held by the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.



Lexi Metherell reports.



LEXI METHERELL: Alan Jones says he's been the victim of cyber bullying. On that front, he has the sympathy of the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.



TONY ABBOTT: I think there are a lot of people who are looking for every possible opportunity to victimise and demonise people who they don't agree with politically.



LEXI METHERELL: But far less sympathetic is the Opposition's communications spokesman, Malcolm Turnbull.



MALCOLM TURNBULL: Mr Jones has complained today that he's been a victim of social media bullying, saying, and I quote: "If it happened anywhere else in society, this kind of bullying or harassment or intimidation or threatening conduct, the police would be called in."



But it is difficult not to believe that he is getting a dose of his own medicine. After all, Mr Jones has waged more than a few onslaughts against individuals and businesses and encouraged more than a few email campaigns of his own.



LEXI METHERELL: It's not the first time Mr Turnbull has sought to differentiate himself from Tony Abbott. Last month, he took a veiled swipe at the Opposition's focus on people-smuggling and the carbon tax in Question Time.



He also led the backlash against the Liberal Senator Cory Bernadi, over his suggestion that same-sex marriage could lead to bestiality.



And now Alan Jones.



MALCOLM TURNBULL: Just when you thought he had already exhausted the reservoir of abuse he reserves for Julia Gillard, he outdid himself.



LEXI METHERELL: Tony Abbott initially described Mr Jones' comments about the death of Julia Gillard's father as "out of line". He later said they were "wrong, unacceptable and offensive".



Last night, Mr Turnbull suggested Tony Abbott had little choice but to condemn the comments.



MALCOLM TURNBULL: The avalanche of condemnation which followed was delivered by thousands of Australians expressing their views online, especially via Twitter and Facebook, making it very difficult for Mr Jones' friends and supporters in the media and politics to brush that out first off as just another example of Alan being Alan.



LEXI METHERELL: Malcolm Turnbull says the Alan Jones affair shows more control over the media is unnecessary, with the Federal Government still considering its response to the Finkelstein Inquiry into media regulation.



He says social media has shown itself to be a much more powerful regulator than the actual media watchdog, the Australia Communications and Media Authority or ACMA.



MALCOLM TURNBULL: Even if Mr Jones had made his remarks about the Prime Minister's late father on air, I doubt if ACMA would have found a breach of the code. Mr Jones has frequently urged the Prime Minister be thrown out to sea in chaff bag and no breach of the code has been found.



But in this case, the effective response to Mr Jones was not regulation or less media freedom, but rather the use by thousands of citizens of the enhanced freedom afforded them by the technology of the social media.



LEXI METHERELL: But while social media has been used in support of the Prime Minister Julia Gillard in the face of Alan Jones' comments, she was also subject to some vicious attacks during a question and answer session on Facebook yesterday.



A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister says there were only a handful and they've now been removed.



TONY EASTLEY: Lexi Metherell reporting.