Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Get a Clue

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  • Russell Brown,

    Does anyone have a contact for nz on air? I gotta get dibs on it before some TVNZ reporter reads this and gives that Russell Brown credit for the idea.

    It's called Ask Your Aunties and it's on Maori Television. Sorry to end your TV production career so brutally soon.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • kmont,

    Yes, lets not tarr our "maternal ancestors" with the same brush as Kiwi blogger comment section types.
    My nana is very onto it.

    wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 485 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    I was in earnest, and Ask Your Aunties was exactly what I was thinking of. Although not all the Aunties are Nana-age.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • kmont,

    I can visualise the awesome knitted tea cosys and anzac biscuits already.......

    wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 485 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    ...leaving a 20 year old in their place, you could say they're actually less expert than many of us. When a journo doesn't know who David Lange is, for example, you might have cause to despair.

    True, but how many 35 year olds don't know who Keith Holyoake is? Most of them, I'd wager.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • daleaway,

    Being sexist and ageist is not cutey-cutey.

    Having more older people on telly is a superb idea... it would spare us a lot of egg-sucking advice from early school leavers who came down in the last shower.

    Since Jul 2007 • 198 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    It should (maybe?) be seen as something of an advance that journalists are actually USING blogs as a source of story ideas, quotes and so forth, rather than just doing stories ABOUT this 'brand-new' concept called blogging.

    Only three years ago I was interviewed on the telly for a blog I was involved with, and I heard back that many production staff were seriously asking what a blog was. So, yeah, progress is good.

    ---

    How does something being on the internet make it news, other than the fact that a reporter can access it from their desk?

    Not many people would be prepared to go on camera and say, "Ahmed Zaoui should go back to where he came from!" But such opinions do exist, whether they're expressed verbally, on the internet, or silently held as thoughts.

    Anonymous internet posts often give us a conduit into what people think but are too scared to openly say.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Andrew,

    but how many 35 year olds don't know who Keith Holyoake is? Most of them, I'd wager.

    I'm 35, I know who Keith Holyoake was, I also know that arachnids are spiders and have 4 pairs of legs, and that a comet is larger than a meteor. I am therefore smarter than a 10 year old :-)
    But looking at the nongs on that show, you'd generally win your wager.

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart,

    Well, I'm 35 and I know who Keith Holyoake was. But then, my ten year old knows who David Lange was.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Andrew,

    My 5 year old's class have a class wiki that they can all update from home. All us crusty old parents were invited in to be shown what a wiki was and how to drive one.
    How many news reporters (Damian excluded) are smarter than a 5 year old?

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart,

    My 5 year old's class have a class wiki that they can all update from home.

    That is such a great idea. And then I get all down again because it wouldn't work at my kids' decile three school, where about 80% of the kids have no home internet. It breaks my heart when my daughter's friends come round and go, WOW you've got a computer. Well, yeah, *cough* we have four. And y'know, we could donate them our drek, but we can't pay for their internet.

    Reality checks suck.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • Neil Smart,

    and the unfortunate tendency for experienced journalists to bugger off to PR

    Experience is not always an advantage, as the writer can reflect an ingrained view of a situation. I absolutely agree the standard of our NZ journalism is lower than it should be. However, I would council against confusing the age of the writer against quality of their writing. Both young and old can be capable of providing quality journalism.
    For a relevant comment could I suggest listing to Foreign Correspondent: David Enders from last Saturday’s Kim Hill show.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday

    He describes the way that the venerable Robert Fisk treated new young writers when they arrived in Iraq. They presented a different view from Fisk of the situation. Fisk it is reasonable to say had lost some of his objectivity particularly in the last few years. In much the same way as John Pilger did over capitalistic exploitation of the third world. Sad as that might be of two such dedicated and able people.

    The young group of journos in Iraq provided a different view. On listening to the comment of David Enders who seemed to me rational. Quality is not about age but about effort and ability. Yes I am an old fart!!

    Since Nov 2006 • 71 posts Report Reply

  • Damian Christie,

    How many news reporters (Damian excluded) are smarter than a 5 year old?

    Thanks for the compliment (if being called 'smarter than a 5 year old' is much to be proud of), but I'd argue that most journos I work with are pretty smart. Though it's probably fair to say none of us are missing our Mensa luncheons in favour of a quick bite at our desk...

    I come back to the problem not necessarily being a lack of intelligence, but wisdom, or expertise. One day we're off doing a story about the calici virus in rabbits, the next it's problems with manufacturing goods in china, the high NZ dollar, funding for herceptin etc.

    Only Leighton Smith pretends to have the answers to all those problems. The rest of us just try and ask the right questions and hope the people we're interviewing know a hell of a lot more than we do.

    And yes, I'm 33 and know who Holyoake was, perhaps the question should be how many 50 year olds know what a blog is. Or facebook. Or format shifting.

    (And I'm not asking the 50 year olds in this blog's audience, clearly)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1164 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    It's called Ask Your Aunties and it's on Maori Television. Sorry to end your TV production career so brutally soon.

    Damn murrays! It's all because of that treaty. Knew we shouldn't have signed it.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Not many people would be prepared to go on camera and say, "Ahmed Zaoui should go back to where he came from!" But such opinions do exist, whether they're expressed verbally, on the internet, or silently held as thoughts.

    Anonymous internet posts often give us a conduit into what people think but are too scared to openly say.

    That's a bit of a sad indictment on journalists. There's plenty of good stuff out there on the internet - good quality professional and amateur investigation which has ended up being 'real news'.

    But if we're going to just pick up any old trash off the internet and call it news, I've got tonight's headlines all figured out:

    People look for porn, download music, and use illegal software off the internet.
    People argue with each other on blogs.
    Lots of people use myspace, god knows why.
    People seem to be using their time at work to surf the internet.

    There ya go. Who needs reporters?

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    __ Anonymous internet posts often give us a conduit into what people think but are too scared to openly say.__

    That's a bit of a sad indictment on journalists. There's plenty of good stuff out there on the internet - good quality professional and amateur investigation which has ended up being 'real news'.

    I'm with Robyn here. In context, what people are saying on the internet is news, in the same way that vox pops, polls and protests are news.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • dc_red,

    I'm with Robyn here. In context, what people are saying on the internet is news, in the same way that vox pops, polls and protests are news.

    But if you're vox-popped or polled, or participate in a protest, you know you have a reasonable chance of being news. Writing any old cr*p in an blog comments thread hasn't (until now?) had the same status.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie,

    you wouldn't see "Old people discuss how Zaoui should be kicked out while drinking tea" as a headline.

    That's exactly the sort of thing that scrolls across the bottom of the screen on The Chaser.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    But if you're vox-popped or polled, or participate in a protest, you know you have a reasonable chance of being news. Writing any old cr*p in an blog comments thread hasn't (until now?) had the same status.

    Can I quote you on that? ;-)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • dc_red,

    Please, RB, be my guest. And now for my quotable views on the other important issues of the day... :-)

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report Reply

  • stephen clover,

    > I was in earnest, and Ask Your Aunties was exactly
    > what I was thinking of. Although not all the Aunties
    > are Nana-age.

    ok so what about Ask My Milfs and it's on C4, right? ;>

    wgtn • Since Sep 2007 • 355 posts Report Reply

  • InternationalObserver,

    Having more older people on telly is a superb idea...

    yeah, bring back JUDY BAILEY!!
    I just want the news read, not a NILF ...

    I wholeheartedly agree. As an "expert" whose phone number is in a few contacts lists, I've had many camera crews around over the years

    Phew, so it is true! The number of times they've rung me (3) to book for me for the 7 o'clock show, only to have them ring back and say "Ah, thanks but we're going with Russell Brown now ..." (so of course at 7pm I walk my dog, as a matter of principle).

    Since Jun 2007 • 909 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    I'm with Robyn here. In context, what people are saying on the internet is news, in the same way that vox pops, polls and protests are news.

    Meh. If two people wrote letters to the editor (or, I think in this case, one person wrote a letter to the editor, and another person wrote a letter quoting the first), then it wouldn't be news. Neither should a trashy internet posting.

    If the internet was flooded with y'know... dozens at least... of people trashing on Zaoui, then that could be news. But a story based on one person's opinion has only been elevated, because they posted it on the internet, and a reporter/editor whoever in the media read it and elevated it to 'news'.

    It's not 'news'. It's just accessible.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    ok so what about Ask My Milfs and it's on C4, right?

    So that's TV3's secret plan for Freeview ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    BTW, the guy with the HTML threaded version of the MediaDefender emails is back on a 15mbit connection in Norway. Endless fun.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

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