Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Dear Prudence

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  • barnaclebarnes,

    The thing that Drinnan doesn't seem to get is that you are opinionated and that you do have a voice. This is the primary reason us readers visit Pub^H^H^HHard Copy and I for one am very clear on where your advertising based comments start and editorial ends. You have always been pretty straight up about sponsors for all of your events and I do see it is a endorsement from you in way but you will also be the first to call them on anything shitty they do.

    Putting it in your words Powershop is "kinda neat"

    Am I going to sign up? Probably not right now but the campaign has worked better than a standard banner. More campaigns like this please. I think we are all smart enough to work out what the ads are and we trust you not to endorse products that you truly think suck.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 90 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    Yes, John Drinnan does seem to be somewhat obsessed with you Russell. He use "taxpayer funded" as if they were dirty words. So, should we refer to the "taxpayer funded New Zealand Army" or "taxpayer funded hip operations"?

    Media 7 was excellent last night. I did wonder, however, what was the source of the research which was being referred to continuously. If it is based on a secondary analysis of ratings data, then it is a load of crock. The oldest 'demographic' in ratings measurement is 55+, which is just absurd (a 75 year old male shares the same interests as a 55 year old female?)

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • Michael Savidge,

    The parent company is co-founded by America hate-radio meathead Michael Savage, whose freakish bigotry extends to vile spewing about both gay folk, and autistic children and their parents. You may wish to buy your caffeine and sugar concoctions elsewhere.

    Hey, that's almost me!

    Somewhere near Wellington… • Since Nov 2006 • 324 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Hey, that's almost me!

    Almost bastard!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Evan Yates,

    America hate-radio meathead Michael Savage

    His middle name isn't Joseph by any perverse chance? That would be just too antipodal for words...

    Hamiltron, Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Nov 2006 • 197 posts Report Reply

  • Mark Easterbrook,

    I think Drinnan's a little bit in love with you.

    And maybe a little bit jealous that you have an audience that a) cares about your opinion and b) engages in conversation about it.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    I think Drinnan's a little bit in love with you.

    I'm afraid my heart will always belong to David Cohen.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Caleb D'Anvers,

    Yes, John Drinnan does seem to be somewhat obsessed with you Russell. He use "taxpayer funded" as if they were dirty words. So, should we refer to the "taxpayer funded New Zealand Army" or "taxpayer funded hip operations"?

    Yeah, or perhaps we could refer to Drinnan as a business- and Irish-media-oligarch-funded journalist.

    London SE16 • Since Mar 2008 • 482 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole,

    Has Drinnan not seen Mac Planet? It's only barely short of being an Apple advertorial, right there in the hallowed pages of Granny Online. It's a bit rich for him to gripe that you've blurred the line between editor/advertiser when his own employer happily publishes a weekly Apple wankfest under the guise of a "blog".

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Gareth Ward,

    Drinnan - a taxpayer funded TV news presenter fronting an advertising campaign for Meridian Energy

    Jeez Russell, it's not always about you. He's clearly talking about Jeremy Wells...

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    It's a bit rich for him to gripe that you've blurred the line between editor/advertiser when his own employer happily publishes a weekly Apple wankfest under the guise of a "blog".

    I feel I should offer to fight you, but I might accidentally scratch my iPhone. I know Mark Webster, and he'd tell you himself he's an unabashed cheerleader for the Mac platform, so they knew what they were getting when they hired him.

    Oddly enough, the Powershop reporting I thought did go too far was the Campbell Live story on Monday night, which was presented as a report but came across as a promotional video.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole,

    Well, with a title like "Mac Planet" of course it's going to be cheerleading. But it's still far too "fanboi" for him to have any kind of moral high ground from which to be criticising you. After all, you're merely there in all your magenta-tinged "Che Brown" glory, rather than babbling on about it. Giovanni (I think it was) and I mentioned the ads more than you had, prior to this latest column.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Tim Michie,

    That the Herald get's facts wrong and attempts to see scandal where there is none wasn't news but it was good to see something on the media there.

    Hopefully they can also apply that eye on themselves sometime.

    Auckward • Since Nov 2006 • 614 posts Report Reply

  • Sam M,

    On another note, I am interested in your purchase of "renewable" electricity. I've always thought this a bit of a con given the interconnectedness of our transmission system and the fact that (in a physical sense) the vast majority of Auckland's power must come from the coal being burnt at Huntly and the gas being burnt at Otahuhu.

    I hope you didn't pay any extra for this privilege.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 72 posts Report Reply

  • Zippy Gonzales,

    Has Meridian disclosed their use of Jeremy Wells in their TV ads? Comedians have appeared in everything from finance company to fast food ads. Artists can't pay the bills with kind thoughts.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 186 posts Report Reply

  • FletcherB,

    minor grumble...

    The three podcast sections of last-nights Media7 are all only 30 secs long...

    Can you let whoever's in charge of such things know?

    West Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 893 posts Report Reply

  • Lyndon Hood,

    Oddly enough, the Powershop reporting I thought did go too far was the Campbell Live story on Monday night, which was presented as a report but came across as a promotional video.

    Snap. Good for Powershop, I said to myself. Mind you, I recall on the news the other Sunday they had the special offer from the IV fertilisation people.

    "renewable" electricity

    I consider that acceptable shorthand, considering you're giving the money to someone who generates the equivalent amount of electricity from a renewable resource. (But as usual, it's not cleaner than not using the power).

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report Reply

  • Gareth Ward,

    You don't ever purchase "renewable" electricity - you purchase "green" or "carbon neutral" electricity.
    When you're doing that, the retailer is purchasing offsets against the emissions involved across the electricity lifecycle - i.e. they work out the average emission intensity in a given kwh (being x% of generation in NZ has emissions of y) and offset that.

    The claim that "you can't guarantee you're getting green electrons" is a red herring and is never actually claimed by Meridian etc

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Williams,

    I consider that acceptable shorthand, considering you're giving the money to someone who generates the equivalent amount of electricity from a renewable resource. (But as usual, it's not cleaner than not using the power).

    That's as I understand it also. We buy an amount of renewable energy as part of our electricity/gas bundle. We don't get that specific electricity/gas as it's an homogenous resource at the user-end, but there's an offset or substitution at the generation-end.

    Sydney • Since Nov 2006 • 2273 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Without wishing to agree with Drinnan, the two paragraphs that Russell posted the other week did raise a red flag for me. I had intended to email you about it Russell, but I've been consuming BSG seasons 1 and 2 (which is proving to be an easy distraction).

    I've happily been the recipient of PA sponsor's goodness several times previously, so this isn't a complaint. More a concern that I felt those comments maybe needed a stronger disclaimer, an indication of what PA/Russell Brown was getting from the company (which you've provided today) so we could assess your comments about it in their light.

    I'd be very concerned, for example, if your editorial comment in Hard News was linked to selling advertising. I don't imagine you'd ever do that, but clearing up exactly what that part of your column is (ie, independent from the advertising deal) would remove that concern.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Snap. Good for Powershop, I said to myself. Mind you, I recall on the news the other Sunday they had the special offer from the IV fertilisation people.

    Yeah that was weird. I half expected the news story to finish with offering a free set of steak knives.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    When you're doing that, the retailer is purchasing offsets against the emissions involved across the electricity lifecycle - i.e. they work out the average emission intensity in a given kwh (being x% of generation in NZ has emissions of y) and offset that.

    Does each additional purchase of renewable energy units increase the number at generation end? If I go and buy a thousand renewable energy units tomorrow, will the companies produce or pay offsets to make another thousand renewable energy units?

    Or do they already produce an amount of renewable energy and if I buy 1000 renewables do they just file my purchase under 'hydro' or 'windpower' that they've been producing for years and pocket the additional charge that I paid?

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Litterick,

    I see DPF is running IQ test ads on his site. Some of his readers might get a rude awakening.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1000 posts Report Reply

  • Danyl Mclauchlan,

    The things you miss with Adblock.

    I see DPF is running IQ test ads on his site. Some of his readers might get a rude awakening.

    Have you ever met anyone who did an IQ test and scored lower than 140? Seems to me that 100% of the population have IQ's in the genius, top 1% range. I'm not quite smart enough to spot the exact flaw with that math but it definitely doesn't smell right.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report Reply

  • Gareth Ward,

    Sorry Kyle, I don't quite follow your question.

    - Meridian does an offsetting of their retail to generation - they generate only using non-emitting sources (hydro, wind) so if they retail less than they generate then I believe they claim they have zero emissions for retail energy. Bit of a loophole in some ways I suppose.

    - The Green Power Company takes the better way of working out an annual emissions per kwh of ALL power generated in the NZ system and offsetting that for you.

    There is no direct link between "green" units purchased and back-end generation (retail and generation being very separate beasts that are pooled in the middle).

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report Reply

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