Childish claim

Australia had great hope for its Tennis champion Ash Barty, the world number one, to win the Australian Womens Open but it didn’t happen (“Djokovic storms into final as Barty party over at Oz Open,” Jan.31, Gulf Today).

She went to the post match interview not as a cry-baby like so many losing players but with a real baby, her niece, and this lead to some controversy.

She commented that family was the really important part of life and this may be the most important message of the tournament. Some of the media criticised this as a way of blocking interviewers from asking difficult questions. It is unlikely this would be an effective shield.

If a baby could stop reporters from asking difficult questions, then every politician would stop kissing babies and start bringing them to every event. This is an interesting contrast to the Parliament itself where until recently breast feeding babies were banned from attending sessions.

Babies are noisy, messy and demanding just like most politicians and reporters so only when they behave they can ask their questions.

Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia