If your image of veteran entertainment writer and critic, John Michael Howson, is that of a mild mannered serenity, your bubble is about to burst as did his temper yesterday as he spoke to Nick McCallum about last week’s most hotly debated topic, federal opposition leader Tony Abbott’s incandescent silence in answer to a question put to him on Channel Seven News.

You can listen to the audio at www.3aw.com.au

Not only does the venerable old stager lose it over the Abbott affair, he gets stuck into the 3AW production team and the industry in general.

On the site, there’s also audio of Peter Ford’s comments on Howson.

This is not the first time JMH has been in the headlines. Last year he was the subject of a MediaWatch for refusing a Muslim woman’s opinion to be heard on air about the wearing of the burqa. Even more scathing than the MediaWatch report was an editorial from fellow broadcaster Derryn Hinch who said he was ashamed that the incident occurred on 3AW describing it as, “Crude, insensitive and blatant censorship, purely because a woman, a Muslim representative, an invited guest, was banned from being heard because she disagreed with JMH.”

Click here to read Hinch’s whole editorial