During my last couple of years as a television…

And that's why I've really left TVNZ. Thanks to him I've got three ideas that are going to see me carry off an unprecedented clean sweep of the Qantas awards by a freelancer.

It'll never work. You're obviously the straight guy, he's the funny man. You'll never get him back…

Thanks to him I've got three ideas that are going to see me carry off an unprecedented clean sweep of the Qantas awards by a freelancer.

Except you just gave all those ideas to NZPA...

Ian, the blog world is full of cliche and bad writing, stereotypes and distortions. But studded here and there are good people writing with insight, passion and verve.
Much like the msm ;-)

Is it time for Stephen Johnson's five things about blogs that no one needs to say again?…

It is just the blog world's assumption that all "msm'' (love that term) are mindlessly gratutious that gets on my nerves.

Yes, and I've jumped in to defend us (the MSM) here at PublicAddress System from time to time too. It annoys me when any conversation about the media inevitably…

It is just the blog world's assumption that all ``msm'' (love…

Stick around Ian, have a good look. You might find you enjoy it.

Heh – yeah, jump on in Ian (and then Andrew or I won't be mistaken for you anymore :).

I thought this thread would have caught your attention.

I shall now withdraw from the blog world

Stick around Ian, have a good look. You might find you enjoy it.

If you re-read my original blog, you'll note that I didn't say there should never be such stories, or even that I think they are wrong. I simply said I'm…

Journalism is full of of moral, ethical and professional decisions on a day to day basis.

Most of the time there is a story to be told and you tell it. For those who do not care…

In my previous incarnation as a general news reporter I've covered…

I go further and refuse to buy magazines which have truck with paparazzi. The likes of No Idea etc have in recent years turned from carcase-picking scavengers into predatory attack beasts – going…

I would have thought it would be a sad day when the death of a young child is not worth covering.

Sure, but no one's saying it's not worth covering. The question is how it's covered.

If they come to you, cool. If you show someone sobbing in the distance, well fair enough. The famous "how do you feel?" Not so much.

What's the audience's interest in that footage, other than…

That journo is now fairly high-up in tvnz news and current affairs....

I'd be interested to know who that is Rob – if you feel inclined to share just quietly, my email address is on the right. Are you a shooter still?

But that was true. The fact that the truth comes from a bunch of ratbags does not stop it from being true.

That was not my intention. It has been of the highest quality.

Whether it be the broadsheets, so-called current affairs or the 6pm "news" offerings, it's obvious that there is a growing feeling of discontent being expressed both outside and inside the journalism sphere.…

I'm probably writing my own WINZ cheque

Maybe. But with the sort of writing we've seen from Cracker over the last few months I doubt it.

Personally I think Damian's writing is more than adequate for the purpose of writing cheques.
If more jounalists had your attitude Damian maybe, just maybe,…

'They talked to the sister, the father and the mother
With a microphone in one hand and a chequebook in the other
And the camera noses in to the tears on her face
The tears on her face
The tears on her face'…

On the other hand, if it wasn't him, it would have been someone else.

I used to think it would be…

But was it an attempt at irony, following up a bold statement about journalistic integrity by giving oxygen to that waste of oxygen Lohan?

Yeah, duly noted, but I was just looking for a bunch of things to write about. Probably shouldn't have made a joke about Heath Ledger's cat…

And yes, it might be therapeutic sometimes to talk things through, but is that the media's job, to provide therapy?

Hear hear. The only possible thing therapeutic about being in the media, if the victims think their story should be told to the public and that will help. The "I…

There is you sitting watching footage and making judgement calls on what we the people may see
Well hooray for the web because now we have choice and can make our own judgement calls with out some left wing…

I can barely watch most interviews for the reasons you mention and have mostly stopped altogether. What prine your humantity; at the cost of others?

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Did you have any contact with Barry Barclay? If so, any impressions of him would be appreciated at this time.

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I…

The father didnt seem unhappy to be talking to you ... maybe it can actually be theraputic to talk through such events?

No, he wasn't unhappy – although the mum didn't want to appear, and said she felt it was turning into a 'media circus' – but he certainly seemed…

putting myself in the devils advocate chair (just so you dont think i am advocating killing people so you can interview the grieving friends.....): The father didnt seem unhappy to be talking to you (i did watch it at work with the volume way down though....), maybe…

SHOW THE IMAGES

There's a line. Yes you need to show suffering, you just don't need to show ALL the suffering. Perhaps this is where the reporter comes in, to try and explain the gap between what you're being shown and what no-one should have to see.

One specific image…

_

one minor comment "...the Boxing Day tsunami, looking for the best shots. And I can honestly tell you, sensationalist and gratuitous we might sometimes be, but I saw horrors on those tapes I would never want to inflict on the general public."

I landed in Sri…

Good on ya.

Fancy quietly sitting at home writing legible, coherent business reports?

I'm probably writing my own WINZ cheque

Maybe. But with the sort of writing we've seen from Cracker over the last few months I doubt it.

I have seven days left at work, and if I never have to approach another dead child's parents and ask them to postpone –or better yet, display– their grief so the nation can watch, it'll be too soon.

Well I applaud you for it – I had the unfortunate occurence…