Some rather different news judgment in The Weekend Australian compared to The Age:

Howard minister in Burke web

THE Howard Government’s savage attack on Kevin Rudd backfired sensationally last night when Human Services Minister Ian Campbell admitted meeting in his office disgraced former premier turned lobbyist Brian Burke.

lead story, print edition of The Weekend Australian, 3 March 2007.

Burke invitation boasted of Rudd’s presence

[one sentence coverage at paragraph 5]:

Another twist came yesterday with news that federal Liberal minister Ian Campbell met Mr Burke in June last year to discuss a Perth development.

page 6 story, The Age, 3 March 2007.

At 10.15am this morning The Age put on its website the AAP version of the Weekend Australian story.

One sentence on page six is probably close to the inherent news value of the Campbell meets Burke story. But in light of the Coalition beating up the Rudd-Burke meetings this week, the Weekend Australian wasn’t wrong in giving it prominent coverage.

Update: Campbell shot down by friendly fire.

One for the political history buffs: has an Australian Minister ever resigned over a more trivial matter?