Richard Harman concluded his presentation to the recent Fabian “Destination Next Progressive Majority” event by quoting the noted political scientist Bob Chapman’s remark that he had “reluctantly come to the conclusion that it was far more important for a political party to have a communication strategy than an economic policy.” I’m inclined to agree.
He who pays the piper calls the tune. The killing of Campbell Live is just the latest example.
Creepy Key has dodged a question from the Green Party about any contact he may have had with the New Zealand Fox News Herald in the lead-up to Rachel Glucina’s hit job on the cafe worker who’s ponytail he pulled.
Just two years ago, leading lights in the neo-liberal cult were denying the existence of poverty in New Zealand. In the semi-public havens of the rich, it was the messengers who were being abused for rattling the neo-liberal cognitive dissonance with pesky facts and sympathetic portrayals of actual poor people.
The latest attacks on the left involves the right claiming that left activists are too angry and hurting labour’s chances in the UK as well as New Zealand.
Ben Rachinger was a dirty politics insider. He is telling his story. Alastair Thompson at Scoop writes: “Arguably therefore this is an exceptionally fine piece of undercover investigative journalism into a matter of national significance”.
Interesting post from I/S at No Right Turn on the Harmful Digital Communications Bill.
“When we began covering zero hours, BK, Pizza Hut, KFC, Starbucks, Carls Jr, Hell & McDonald’s all had them. Now none do. Great!”
Protests in support of Campbell Live, today (Friday) in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Marvelous!
Late night developments, the “hair pull” waitress states that a Herald interview (to be published today) was obtained under false pretences, and she withdrew her consent for it.
Multiple updates on the changing story.
The Herald has responded to criticism of its role in publishing the identity of the victim of John Key’s creepy behaviour by publishing, at this stage, three different responses. What is going on?
Has the spirit of ANZAC Day become subsumed by the commercial imperative?
Terrorism in NZ? The Herald was in a frenzy yesterday, because apparently we are a “sitting duck”. But, hang on…
On Alastair Thompson’s “Media Bloodbath” piece and more. Privately owned media will not in the future have a hope of delivering quality news services in this country. If we think that matters, then a strong publicly funded media presence is the only way forward.
Instead of taking the shot granted by the High Court of simply making an appeal, some incompetent legal dunderhead made the idiotic move of not filing. Then they took the much harder step of belatedly attempting to get the Court of Appeal to allow them to appeal. Complete stupidity. But this is a lawyer with Cameron Slater for a client..
So it’s not just loonie leftie bloggers noting the political element to the attack on Campbell Live.
A blogger charged with breaching suppression orders protecting the names of others has obtained interim name suppression. This is not a joke …
The attack on Campbell Live appears to be political.
On the one hand the government are pushing for more and more NCEA passes to feed the league tables, and on the other they are acknowledging that those passes are no longer enough to suggest success at Tertiary level and tightening criteria to exclude students. Mixed messages, perverse incentives, a giant shambles.
John Armstrong in the Herald and Tracy Watkins in the Dominion Post have both written opinion pieces on the implications of Winston Peters’ win in Northland which reach very similar conclusions.
If you value independent news and investigative journalism please go and give them a hand at Pledgeme…
Mark Osborne is the manager of a controversial ratepayer funded project that is the subject of a governance and funding review by the Far North District Council after major losses in its first two years. According to the NBR he is refusing to answer questions about it. Aren’t the voters of Northland entitled to some answers before they vote?
Selwyn Manning has set up and will edit a new site (eveningreport.nz). Nice to see another progressive net news and current affairs site being set up. It will be interesting to see how this one develops. But there is a lot of room for different media in the net space.
A short case study of the kind of mainstream media reporting that drives me nuts!
The Sunday Star Times has reported on the set up and reach of the Waihopai Spy Base. Key’s statement that the GCSB does not have the physical capability to conduct mass surveillance appears to be not true.
John Key has yet again asked the Remuneration Authority to limit the increase in MPs pay. And yet again they have said that the law required them to make the decision they did. So MPs get a hefty raise at the same time that the minimum wage is raised slightly. And the media report Key’s comments sympathetically. He is the Prime Minister. If anyone can change the law he is the person best placed.
If you value independent news and investigative journalism please go and give them a hand at Pledgeme…
Recent events at The Telegraph in the UK are symptomatic of the slow death of journalism.
There will probably be a story soonish in The Herald that will be of particular interest to The Standard community.
Apparently Mr Gower worked himself up into an unseemly state of excitement with a chance to stick it to Andrew Little on the telly last night. Here are some more cases of late payments he might be interested in looking in to…
Rodney Hide vs The Herald’s anonymous apologist on National’s mishandling of Sabin, and what it means for our democracy.
In which Rodney Hide writes the column that The Herald’s senior political reporter should have written…
An analysis of the timeline and a reading of Cameron Slater’s comments concerning Mike Sabin raises real questions about the veracity of what Key has been saying to the media. Update: It appears that David Garrett and Rodney Hide have expressed views wondering if Key’s statement about when he was told is actually correct. Update: And Matthew Hooton suggests that the Police may have advised the Government of the invesigation.
The Herald’s coverage of yesterday’s speeches gives us the opposite extremes of journalism. But the headline slot goes to the superficialities of the game, and spinning for their man Key at all costs.
George Monbiot wrote recently on how Canadian and United Kingdom public media reporting on corporate news are hopelessly pro business and lacking in any sort of balance. And how the volume of articles concerning environmental issues is declining. Is it the same in New Zealand?
