Just before American Football’s Superbowl a few weeks back, the conservative Fox News Network’s conservative in chief, Bill O’Reilly, interviewed his natural enemy the liberal President of the United States, Barack Obama. It made the news even here because O’Reilly, who showed measured respect for the office of the president throughout the 14 minute interview, then dared ask, “Does it disturb you that so many people hate you?” And while that question caused outrage across all but the hard right media in the US, it seemed tame compared to Alan Jones’ interview of PM Julia Gillard on 2GB last Friday. Not since the Kyle Sandilands ‘teenage rape victim incident’ has the Australian press been so outraged at the antics of a radio presenter. Even among Jones’ own spiritual allies at The Daily Telegraph, Peter van Onselen labeled his attitude towards the nation’s leader as “downright rude.”

There is no doubt that Jones was entitled to grill the PM, and grill her hard, on how she could promise before the election not to introduce a carbon tax and do exactly the opposite a few months later. But to call the Prime Minister of Australia a liar to her face?

If that wasn’t bad enough, to many respondents in an internet forum following a story in the SMH, the greater insult is the way in which Jones admonished Ms Gillard for being 10 minutes late for the interview as if she were merely a tardy schoolgirl too busy chatting to her girlfriends.

In this forum we have canvassed what constitutes outrageous on-air behavior many times before. Experience shows that, for commercial stations at least, commercial realities triumph over moral posturing.

In the Sandilands case while talkback fumed with indignity over the incident, 2Day’s own audience barely understood what the fuss was about. After a stern rebuke from Austereo Chairman Peter Harvey and a short suspension with ‘counseling’, Sandilands was soon back on-air… business as usual. Lesson; There’s no such thing as bad publicity for a radio personality.

Would it be too cynical then to suggest that Jones, who in private displays much better manners than were evident in his interview with Gillard, was just playing her for affect?

If so, no doubt that’s good for him and 2GB. But is it good for the nation?

The question is not so much whether Julia Gillard should be fair game or not, but what level of respect should opinion makers like Jones afford the Office of Prime Minister, regardless of who occupies it. Should we be at least on par with the US or is Bill O’Reilly a wimp who should’ve treated Obama with as much contempt as Jones did Gillard?

Or does Alan Jones owe the Prime Minister, if not Julia Gillard, an apology?

Over to you…