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Speaker: Are we seeing the end of MSM, and is that a good thing?

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  • John Farrell,

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    The Herald continues to amuse...

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 499 posts Report Reply

  • linger, in reply to John Farrell,

    FFS.
    The “Don’t Eat on a Plane” story came from Bloomberg, and is based on the quack beliefs of Melissa Biggs Bradley, who “founded luxury travel firm Indagare” (we are told, as if it is relevant), but who appears to have no medical or dietary expertise whatsoever.

    "I eat nothing on flights. I’ve talked to a lot of stewardesses about it, and it’s a stewardess secret,” she said.
    ”Basically, at superhigh altitude, your digestive system shuts down completely. Someone said to me it’s like being under anesthesia.”

    Other more responsible news sources debunked this nonsense months ago, e.g. Insider, on 24th July:

    nutritionists […] say that this claim is completely false. In fact, […] this sort of fasting on a flight could actually make your blood sugar plummet and worsen the effects of jet lag.
    “[The] suggestion that your digestive system shuts down during a flight has no scientific foundation,” [says] Carolyn Pallister, registered dietitian and Public Health manager at Slimming World. “By […] not eating for long periods of time on a long flight you are likely to feel weak, shaky, and could even suffer from headaches and low mood.”
    Nutritionist Jennifer Cassetta agrees and called the advice “irresponsible.” She also politely reminded INSIDER that people use bathrooms on-board a plane: “that means your digestive system is up and running."

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie,

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    Either the National Party fanclub had a disagreement over breakfast, or they decided to have a bob each way to cover any eventuality. And does anybody really care?

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    "Maths skills dropping alarmingly", says Stuff website.

    The story right next to it is the latest TVNZ poll:

    "In Parliament the numbers give Labour, NZ First and the Greens 59 seats while National and its one extra seat from ACT leader David Seymour would hold 55 seats."

    Alarmed.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    Follow-up: it's been corrected. Took 2 hours.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    you are what you eat...
    The widening of their product base seems to be an ethical problem for Stuff (the ad sales and news packaging corporation formerly known as Fairfax NZ) - their Events operation brought over the Night Noodle Markets concept from their Australian parent company - and their papers and website run regular fawning articles about them.
    At the outset (back in 2016) they did mention the connection, but as of late they usually only mention their contracted organisers - I always write in and ask why they don't note the umbilical connection and they have taken to then adding a line saying that Stuff is a sponsor - even though the Night Noodle Markets website does not have them listed as either sponsor or owner.
    How altruistic and noble of them to 'sponsor' anonymously.

    see:
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/food-news/101224587/smooth-sailing-for-largest-night-noodle-markets-yet
    and
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/101545090/christchurch-night-noodle-markets-surpasses-all-expectations
    and
    http://www.nightnoodlemarkets.nz/
    plus
    https://www.inma.org/practice-detail.cfm?zyear=2017&id=10C12081-68A5-4303-87AC-AFB92A790945

    Hardly best practice or transparent.

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to simon g,

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

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    The Aussie Fairfax parent company is making good on its retrenchment in the NZ operation:
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/101632830/stuff-outlines-newspaper-closures-as-part-of-shift-to-digital

    Probably just as well as they seem to think that a story about film piracy in Australia belongs in the Chch 'Rebuild' section of The Press website.!!! (above)

    and if you go their 'National' page - they have no headings or coverage of Northland, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay or the West coast - obviously those people aren't worth selling ads to in the greater scheme of things....

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • FletcherB,

    One of the (many) things that shits me about both Stuff and NZ herald is the "Australianisation" of what constitutes "local" news...

    A lot of the "small" stories about some cat up a tree or a shop assistant that was insulted are in Sydney or Melbourne. FFS. No-one in NZ cares.

    "Big stories" like an ex NZer accused of murder in Aus- fair enough... Aussie politician sex scandal- not personally interested, but maybe others are?.... but stories that are the like of which we expect to see in the Western Leader or Marlborough Mail about some school-kid doing good, or some other similar drivel... its only maybe interesting to people within 100km of where it happened... probably not the next state and certainly not another country... we have our own local "human interest" stories, thanks.

    But you don't get to find out it's not a local interest story until you've clicked on it and got to the third paragraph... so the clicks get counted and more of the same shit gets served up again...

    West Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 893 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

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    Probably just as well as they seem to think that a story about film piracy in Australia belongs in the Chch 'Rebuild' section of The Press website.!!!

    The Herald ain't much better. Anything south of Pokeno seems to qualify as the South Island to their highly trained team.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • JWT1, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Public Address is good value for the money. Nice to know how much you pull in.

    Manawatu • Since Aug 2010 • 12 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

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    ...and then there's this - showing how up to date Stuff's international coverage is:
    How hard would it be to change the old 'florida nightclub shootings' to 'school shootings '
    - and who cares about the US 2016 elections now ...
    and to put an apostrophe in that 'donald trumps america'...
    sigh...

    I also note they now spell Civil Defence with an 's' in one of their nelson storm damage stories

    double sigh...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

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    More laughable journalistic spelling in this Stuff story:
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/101711823/using-santa-to-market-cocacola-a-nogo-advertising-watchdog-rules

    Coca-Cola has been banned from using Santa Clause to promote its fizzy drinks to children.
    Healthy Auckland Together, a coalition of 21 public health organisations, complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about a Coca-Cola billboard showing Santa holding up a piece sign with one hand and two cokes in the other.

    Jesus wept!

    The really funny thing is that this modern ‘Santa Claus image’ comes originally and largely from Coke© ads in the ’20s and ’30s
    http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/coke-lore-santa-claus

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Isla T, in reply to FletcherB,

    There’s a handy looking plugin to deal with the NZ Herald, telling you the origin of every story, and answering clickbait-y questions. it’s called Herald Syndication Snoop:
    https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/herald-syndication-snoop/dkbbfnamapdlcjfmbmpobgnbhgdffdjh?hl=en

    Would be great to see one for stuff too.

    overseas and far away :( • Since May 2010 • 3 posts Report Reply

  • FletcherB, in reply to Isla T,

    Cheers Isla, that's great!

    West Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 893 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    The last few days have shown that Stuff.co.nz continues to have an identity crisis.

    On the home page there are links to a number of in-depth stories, and they stay up for a long time. There is coverage of the sugar tax issue, of #MeToo, of the NZDF, etc. This is all a useful contribution to public information and debate. In all sincerity, good on 'em.

    On the other hand ... there is the troll farm. The Labour camp story is (rightly) being extensively covered, the essential job of "holding to account" is being done (even if some of the pieces are taken from Newsroom - never mind, it's good to share, and Stuff's readership is presumably bigger).

    But somebody at Stuff is confused. Many of the stories have been opened up for comments. And since the topic includes politics, sexual assault and minors, guess what happens? Yes, entirely predictable. The trolls and party hacks flood in. The poison is posted (some of it vile), and then deleted (moderation seems to be random, and certainly late). And then suddenly - the piece is no longer open for comments at all (not just closed, the comments simply disappear, as if they were never there). Because the kids in the playground couldn't be trusted to play nicely. Well gosh, who knew?

    As soon as I see that one of these articles has been opened up for comments my heart sinks. Then later on it's a relief to see that it isn't any more. But what on earth is the point of this policy? (It's not even a policy, really: just blindfold darts).

    Yes, yes, I know, "never read the comments" but hey - this a media outlet that wants to merge with another one and become the big gorilla. And if it's a monster with barely moderated comments, then our leading news source will be more WhaleOil than Washington Post. So let's hope Stuff can work out what on earth they want to be, and ... well, be it.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to simon g,

    what on earth is the point of this policy?

    sellable attention.
    #clicks

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    I'm not an idiot, I know why they want clicks. But as I said, it's a case of opening comments (sometimes for less than an hour) then deleting them all as if it had never happened. It's neither fish nor fowl. AFAIK nobody else does this.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • John Farrell,

    Trade Me deleted a lot of threads on this topic, this morning; they later posted saying it was a mistake, and only the offensive posts in threads should have been removed.

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 499 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie,

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    (Stuff front page today)

    Some things don't come easy once you realise you're a wanker.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie, in reply to ,

    Ive tried pulling out the iPhone, instead of a cigarette, but it’s unsatisfactory.

    There's an app for that. Well, sort of.

    He’s dyslexic, and he knows that this big public display of news paper reading, is theatre.

    I once saw a woman in an outdoor cafe drawing in a sketchbook. She quickly spotted me pretending not to look and, to my surprise, proudly held up her work for my perusal. That's when the real surprise kicked in. She'd produced a head and shoulders portrait of a German shepherd in finely rendered blue ball point. Instead of drawing from life she was working from memory.

    I must have paid her work a suitable compliment, because she went on to flip through her sketchbook to reveal a whole bunch of earlier variations on the same picture. "I think they're the only breed that really look like dogs, don't you?" she said, smiling proudly.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • simon g, in reply to simon g,

    The poison is posted (some of it vile), and then deleted (moderation seems to be random, and certainly late). And then suddenly – the piece is no longer open for comments at all (not just closed, the comments simply disappear, as if they were never there).

    Stuff have done it again, with the Israel Folau story. Harvest the homophobes for a couple of hours, then suddenly - delete all.

    As I said before, this is not just the usual online platform for nastiness, justified in the name of free speech. The speech simply disappears - but only after the damage has been done. It can't be rebutted, it was "never there". Except, it was.

    Horrible, irresponsible, and Stuff should bloody well be explaining why they do it.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Does anyone know when The Press is going tabloid format/size?
    All I can find is a vague 'mid 2018'.

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to simon g,

    Stuff should bloody well be explaining why they do it.

    Kinda like this 'balanced piece' from Tracy Watkins:
    Govt needs to bridge Simon's well-built cross - (or something like that):
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/102898022/govt-needs-to-cross-simons-wellbuilt-bridge
    ...they closed comments on this after 3 hours and a mere 35 comments - why bother?

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    Leading your Herald "news": Kiwis divided!

    Tomorrow: Herald reports on the NZ Lunar Science Conference: a noisy guy in a funny hat said the moon was made of cheese, and everyone else pointed out that it's not. So, Kiwis divided, again!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

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