Posts by Jimmy Hayes

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  • Hard News: The Finance Campaign,

    I agree with most of your post there, but I don't think you're actually addressing the point I was making, especially by just quoting three words of my post.

    I liked that the Herald did include a true cross-section of response (although this site was a notable and inexplicable exclusion), but their conduct and accuracy over the last couple of days has been disappointing.

    And I'm not judging them in relation to Fairfax papers - I'm saying that 'neutrally' observing that competitors aren't toeing the corporate line, and especially insinuating that this is a bad thing, is real schoolyard stuff. It doesn't matter what other people do - as Garth McVicar would no doubt agree, you're responsible for your own behaviour and no-one else's.

    Since Apr 2007 • 35 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Finance Campaign,

    Ha - surely the restrictions being put on someone's IP address in the Herald polls are a restriction on free speech?

    Since Apr 2007 • 35 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Finance Campaign,

    From that Herald link above...

    The Herald's main competitor, Fairfax-owned newspapers and websites, carry differing views.

    A Dominion-Post editorial opposes the intent of the Electoral Finance Bill, calling it "outrageous".

    ...

    But curiously a political blogger on Fairfax's stuff.co.nz, Colin Espiner, claims the opposition to the bill is overstated...

    Yes, how curious. Media under the same multinational ownership umbrella should always ensure that they don't EVER include contrasting viewpoints.

    Grow up, Herald.

    Since Apr 2007 • 35 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Finance Campaign,

    I have lost a lot of respect for the Herald. Not that I had a huge amount to begin with, but if I was a decent, apparently level-headed columnist like Audrey Young I'd be pretty damn embarrassed by my paper's ridiculous behaviour.

    Since Apr 2007 • 35 posts Report

  • Yellow Peril: My patch: Chinese whispers…,

    One things for sure - the name of the street will haunt the police if they have screwed up.

    And the Herald obliges: Sub heading of 'Keystone Cops' and a bullet point of 'Why it took them so long is just one of many questions arising from a sensational case that in some ways resembles the Keystone Kops.'

    I mean, come on, that's just reaching/foreshadowing for a catchy way to describe the case for weeks to come. Cringe.

    And while I'm focusing on the media here, my thoughts are similar to Jackie above - I feel fucking terrible about this crime, not to mention the fact that it's all far more common than we like to believe.

    Since Apr 2007 • 35 posts Report

  • Yellow Peril: My patch: Chinese whispers…,

    Yeah, despite my cynicism over headlines, ditto to your post. The msm is still slightly cringey but at least it's in an endearing way this time.

    Since Apr 2007 • 35 posts Report

  • Yellow Peril: My patch: Chinese whispers…,

    As a point of interest, on the Radio Live news this morning they referred to 'Pumpkin' as 'the Chinese New Zealand girl...'

    Without the space constraints of newspaper headlines, we're back to form... and now the Herald is even turning to rhyme: "Pumpkin case: Gone without a trace"

    Since Apr 2007 • 35 posts Report

  • Yellow Peril: My patch: Chinese whispers…,

    This leads to headlines like "Pumpkin parents had separated", which sounds like something from one of those Sesame Street sketches where Kermit did news reports on fairytales.

    What's funny is that they had to use this name to begin with, and then when her real name came out, someone in power must have decided to keep using it to ensure readers knew who they were discussing (because, we're like, all short attention-span and shit from the internet tubes).

    I imagine a fair few of the Herald staff are cringing at the downward spiral of headlines this decision has created.

    Since Apr 2007 • 35 posts Report

  • Yellow Peril: My patch: Chinese whispers…,

    These are barely quibbles though, and it's actually refreshing to have seen the girl reported as a "New Zealand child" from the beginning.

    This is only because the child was left in another country, right? Back in our own country we still use race as the default signifier. There's not enough room to write "Asian New Zealander" in every headline.

    Seems to me just the media angle being 'what an engrossing story, let's make sure people can relate to it" rather than racial inclusiveness.

    When did I get so negative?

    Since Apr 2007 • 35 posts Report

  • Hard News: Friday funnies, mostly,

    If anyone wanted a direct link to Roy Hemmingway (has it already been posted? No time for a close read), here you go.

    Mr. Hemmingway

    I just don't understand why we're even having this conversation.

    I'm very left socially, centrist for domestic economics, and reasonably to the right in international economics, so it's not like I'm a dirty, commie hippy - it's just that any suggestion we should adopt nuclear power is driven by the media (desperate for a conflict story) and/or people who haven't encountered the *overwhelming* reasons why there's no point even considering the option.

    Or - and I'm just guessing here - their first name is Garth. Where is he now, anyway? I miss the high blood pressure that his columns brought me.

    Since Apr 2007 • 35 posts Report

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