Jones campaign 'inspiring, horrifying': MP

12 Oct 2012, 4:19 pm   -   Source: AAP
An online campaign against Alan Jones wielded more power than the official media watchdog. (AAP)

An online campaign against Alan Jones wielded more power than the official media watchdog. (AAP)

An online campaign against broadcaster Alan Jones wielded more power than the official media watchdog, Malcolm Turnbull says.

The power of a social media campaign that caused advertisers to dump Sydney broadcaster Alan Jones is both inspiring and horrifying, senior Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull says.

The federal opposition communications spokesman said it was extraordinary the online protest against Mr Jones and his 2GB breakfast show had a greater impact on the shock jock than the broadcast regulator has had in years.

"Alan Jones has understood just how effective a mobilising medium like social media can be when people have the technology that gives them the capacity to express themselves, unmediated, unedited, in all of its rawness, often in all of its vulgarity and cruelty," Mr Turnbull told the National Radio Conference in Sydney on Friday.

"The phenomenon is that thousands of people that hitherto had no voice .... they were treated with contempt by the mainstream media, now they have their own megaphone.

"It is, in effect, a form of technological right of public assembly.

"It is both inspiring and horrifying."

Mr Turnbull said advertisers had sent a powerful message by reacting to supporters of the online campaign even though these people were not "rusted-on fans" of Mr Jones.

"They were saying in effect to Mercedes-Benz, `We do not listen to Alan Jones but we are so fed up with his abusive discourse that if you continue to pay his salary, we will stop buying your cars'," Mr Turnbull said.

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