Rachel Glucina leaves Herald and joins Mediaworks
Rachel Glucina is off to Mediaworks to run a new digital entertainment platform.
Media
the praiseworthy and the pitiful
Kia kaha Mihingarangi Forbes
Mihingarangi Forbes resigned yesterday as a reporter for Marae Televison apparently because of managerial interference in a story she intended to run. In the week since Aotearoa lost Campbell Lives it has now lost arguably the best investigative reporter that the country has.
Sheepgate: the McCully mess
The media have joined opposition demands that Murray McCully’s actions in relation to sheepgate are investigated. If John Key really expects high standards from his ministers this is the least that should be done. Update: And a claimed “independent audit” of the tender process was conducted by none other than MFAT.
Sheepgate
It has emerged that the New Zealand Government has paid money to a Saudi businessman allegedly to settle a legal dispute that does not exist but more probably to persuade the Saudi Government to enter into a free trade agreement. Update – and maybe there was a threat of legal action but because of the actions of National, not Labour.
The media and two child poverty policy releases
The media’s handling of Labours Best Start policy announcement in January of last year and its handling of National’s recent budget announcement of a $25 a week increase for beneficiary families provides an interesting contrast.
The Standard’s reputation rises after Judith Collins comments
The Standard was mentioned on Back Benchers last night by Crusher Collins. From her comments it looks like we are doing our job properly.
Young Labour and sex change ops
Young Labour has proposed that there is public funding for hormone replacement therapy and gender reassignment. Jonathan Coleman described the proposal as “absolutely nuts” but it then emerged that there is already some public funding for this treatment. And the media tried to suggest that some off the cuff comments by Labour MPs is evidence of division.
Are the left really angry?
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.
National’s innumeracy and Auckland’s Housing crisis
Radio New Zealand’s Todd Niall has investigated figures recently advanced by Simon Bridges and Nick Smith used to attack Auckland Council and has discovered that the figures are somewhat rubbery.
Henry ratings tank while Campbell ratings soar
Despite being heavily advertised Paul Henry’s show’s viewer numbers are small while viewer numbers of Campbell Live have surged.
National Council of Women open letter to John Key
The text of an open letter from the National Council of Women to John Key about his treatment of waitresses.
Let Campbell Live entertain you
John Campbell is engaged in the most marvellous fightback in trying to save Campbell Live. But you have to wonder why he is not on a State Channel with robust protection for quality journalism.
Key announces new schools – again
At least two of the four new schools that John Key recently announced had been announced previously. And it appears that one of them has had its concrete foundations already poured.
Who is Miranda Devine?
Miranda Devine is the person who recently wrote a really obsequious article on John Key in the Daily Telegraph where she described him as one of the best Conservative Prime Ministers in the world. But a reading of her other published material suggests that caution should be applied before applying too much weight to her opinions.
A tale of two no surprises disclosures
Anne Tolley was told about the prosecution of Beverley Sepuloni under the no surprises policy nearly a month before the news became public. Release of this information makes you wonder why we cannot be told the date that the Government was told about Mike Sabin’s difficulties.
GCSB spied on foreign communications to help Groser’s WTO bid
More embarrassment for the Government as it is revealed that the GCSB spied on internet communications involving diplomats competing with Tim Groser in his bid to be elected as the Director General of the World Trade Organisation.
A little case study of media misrepresentation
A short case study of the kind of mainstream media reporting that drives me nuts!
Do the young really lack concentration?
Now that I can no longer call myself young, the old adage that younger people simply lack concentration does appear to me to be correct. I look to the numbers on The Standard to see if there is a correlation and if I can argue a causation based on age. Are the younger readers without concentration, or are they just busy…
Hide vs Armstrong on Sabin
In which Rodney Hide writes the column that The Herald’s senior political reporter should have written…
Eleanor Catton responds
The final word in this week’s debate about freedom of expression should be left to Eleanor Catton.
Only in Queensland
Queensland Liberal Country Party Premier Campbell Newman has claimed that the Queensland Labor Party is funded by gangs because some people have told him so. Yet he refuses to acknowledge the urgency of climate change even though pretty well every climate change scientist in the world is telling him it is real and we need to act now. Can you detect the scent of hypocrisy?
The state of freedom of the press in the world in a series of tweets
An English student, Daniel Wickham has in a series of tweets questioned the commitment of various world leaders who marched in support of freedom of the press to that concept.
Rupert Murdoch on Charlie Hebdo
Rupert Murdoch has tweeted questioning if most Moslems are peaceful and saying they are responsible for extremists within their ranks.
Written in a deep summer haze
I was astonished by an anonymous NZ Herald editorial on New Years day – “NZ economy is in a good place and thriving”. Obviously an inferior intellect was slow cooked in the warm holiday weather. It turned to mush and regurgitated one of Bill English’s wet dreams. Dairy prices are unlikely to rebound any time soon.
SkyCity’s expected subvention explained for John Roughan
At last, some of our conservative short-term thinkers have woken up to the elephant in the room with the SkyCity convention centre subvention. Years late and their previous support has cost taxpayers dearly already. Perhaps they could learn to read reports? And think before committing us to be suckers?
Hager’s “Dirty Politics”
So the book is an expose of the Slater-Ede-Key Dirty Politics machine, based on data acquired and leaked to Hager. Will Update: Update: Hager to be on Campbell Live tonight.
Mihingarangi Forbes v Jamie Whyte
In a must see interview Native Affairs reporter Mihingarangi Forbes Forbes last night interviewed ACT leader Jamie Whyte with rather startling results.
“Banks vs Mud”
John Banks murky past, including his metaphorical mud throwing at other politicians, came back to haunt him today: this as he headed into court to stand trial, accused of filing false electoral returns in an Auckland Mayoral campaign. Update: TVNZ report; Update #2: In court today
Union communicators and RSS – please join the 21st century
Just at present I’m particularly interested in adding union sites with RSS feeds to our feeds. But it is somewhat irritating. Many of the sites don’t have a RSS feed. They should have one. Unions are an inherent part of the labour movement that we like to think that we’re helping and a part of. It’d be nice if they did their bit to help us help them.
Smirks & inversions
The Salvation Army’s latest State of the Nation Report is damning on child poverty & unaffordable housing. The government is misrepresenting the conclusions, reversing the main focus on failings, and focusing on the positives: the spin is repeated in an NZ Herald editorial.
New website – “I am someone”
Stories of Harassment and Sexual Violence Go Live On Web
Looks like some of my friends are getting serious about making sure that dickheads around like the duo of JT and Willie, prevaricators like John Key and the incredibly slack police response get a better idea about what is at stake…
ImperatorFish: Hear Me!
A Pundit’s call to listen. Gotta love Talking Heads. You know they’re important, or at least they certainly do…
Whistleblowers and services to journalism
Two leakers (one a true whistleblower), are in the news right now, both focused on the US-led surveillance society, operating in the interests of corporate power. And today, in relation to this, 2 journalists show the importance of the fourth estate to democracy. Kim Hill & Glenn Greenwald take a bow.
The policing of women’s bodies
(Socialist) feminism seems to be on the rise internationally, exposing how threats to “old boys” corporate-aligned power are countered by policing women’s bodies. Sue Bradford highlights the contradiction between Owen Glenn’s paternalistic corporate capitalism and the feminist-aligned participants in his Inquiry. Jan Logie addresses the gender pay gap.
Keystone coups
I’m reading “The Life and Times of Lyndon Johnson.” It’s fascinating, beautifully written, a must-read for anyone with an interest in politics. I recommended it recently to David Cunliffe, and he told me soon after he had got it. But he obviously hasn’t read it yet. His supporters’ clumsy attempt to make the Party leadership the focus of last weekend’s Conference backfired badly on him.
Spreading privilege
This week I’ve been to see the surrealists at the Tate Modern in London, and read about the surrealists at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham. God knows what Cameron was talking about, with his line about spreading privilege – Knighthoods for all? Everybody off to Eton and Oxbridge?