November 11, 2011 | Graham

Author 4001 on 11/11/11



Today is the day for unique numbers.  It’s the only time all the ones will add up on the date, and it’s a new millenium for On Line Opinion as we post an article from the 4001st person to send us an article for publication. It is also what differentiates us from all the other online news sites in Australia. As I said in our daily email this morning:

Today On Line Opinion publishes it 4001st author, John Burnheim. Yesterday we published our 4000th James Wight. These two speak more eloquently about what makes OLO unique and important than anything else I can think of.

Burnheim is a former Professor of Philosophy at Australia’s oldest and most prestigious university – Sydney. You don’t get much more erudite or abstract than a professor of philosophy. Wight, is a science student at Macquarie, one of Australia’s younger universities. He’s in his earliest career as a writer. Both of these authors sought us out as a good place to publish.

That’s what OLO is about: bringing new and established together in a place that reaches out to all Australians, no matter who they are or where they come from. We are not an exclusive coterie of the same old writers, but a broad canvass of as much of current thought and discussion on politics and current affairs as we can be; giving due respect to those who are established and reaching out to those whose name is yet to be made.

Some argue that politics is more divisive now than it has ever been, but On Line Opinion demonstrates that it is possible to bring diverse views together and have a (sometimes heated) conversation. Every now and then we even see someone change their mind as a result of these conversations.

These two writers are the latest in a line which includes every current and former Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition since 1999 when we first published, as well as a string of academics, activists and average Australians.

On Remembrance Day it’s important not just to remember those who died, but what they died for.  We think there is something quintessentially egalitarian, Australian and democratic about our site, and we’re proud to be part of the national legacy left by the efforts of others.



Posted by Graham at 11:00 am | Comments (2) |
Filed under: Uncategorized

2 Comments

  1. Graham,

    Congratulations to ‘Oneline Opinion’, a “broad canvass” indeed. Many sites, particularly those run by individuals, don’t welcome dissenters and adopt the “it’s my bat and ball attitude”–‘Online’ is a genuine forum.

    Comment by Russell W — November 11, 2011 @ 2:53 pm

  2. I meant ‘On Line Opinion’,there are far too many ‘oneline opinion’ sites.

    Comment by Russell W — November 11, 2011 @ 2:57 pm

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