Well, bring on some scarf-wearing weirdos and we can have ourselves a merry little kulturkampf that would have Bismark spinning in his grave with glee. I think there are people on both the left and the right who'd quite like to play at being Pat Buchanan, but they should…

Good point. Obviously there is only so much that governments can do to control things that are determined by international markets (the price of dairy products, international credit crises, rising price of oil etc), but I suppose that is cold comfort for people struggling to make their mortgage repayments,…

And now you have your answer - Ian's been writing 'Absolute Power: The Helen Clark Years', an impartial, even-handed look at Clark as a woman, a leader, a high-flying politician and a satanic…

So even if Labour's overall economic record is strong, I suspect that the belt tightening in households all over the country will be making people worried. And that may undermine support for Labour.

Good point. Obviously there is only so much that governments can do to control things that are…

Expensive…

News bias can often be about story selection – it's a bit less apparent online, where you pick and choose, then in physical newsprint where you might notice pages of copy about the evils of the EU (Torygraph) or International Big Business (Grauniad).

I doubt the Telegraph would run…

That's the case whether the money was going to…

I detect real nervousness about the NZ economy.

What do you call that? An economy-dar? Econ-dar? Eco-dar wouldn't work, the greenies must have that one.

I was finally getting my gaydar more finely tuned than a thermonuclear blast, and now we've moved onto this? I'm going to be meeting people…

it is unusual that Labour is faring so poorly given their generally strong (especially economic) record.

I'm not sure that their economic record is so strong now: I detect real nervousness about the NZ economy. For everyone who is cock-a-hoop about houseprices coming down, there is someone who is very…

Again, I don't think the HoS would have given a toss if Bryers' "free-spending" ways included buying teddy bears by the gross for terminally ill kiddies. Don't you agree?

And even if Bryers has been living an ascetic life in a garden shed, the obstinate fact remains that there…

That's something I have often (without the panty-sniffing bit) said myself.

However, the point of the story was to stress how well-off and free-spending Bryers is. Notice that while part of the story is…

In the end, my point is that can we just stop pretending that Colin Espiner [deleted] are exactly disinterested observers here?

I don't think its in Colin Espiner's professional interest to make unsupportable assertions about the Herald's political biases. Whatever his interests may be, he was right in this case.…

As for Phare FWIW there's an…

Living the highlife while the punters' investments were turning to shit is perhaps something that the famous Mum And Dad Investor is interested in.

Repeat after me, Stephen: Not everything "the public" (aka panty-sniffing editors) is interested in is a matter of public interest. Personally, if most of my retirement…

I dunno, Craig. Leaving the morality of prostitution to one side, isn't it relevant and interesting that a senior officer of a company in serious, serious trouble was spending up large on *cough* entertainment on a regular basis?

No, it's neither relevant or interesting. People are entitled to a private…

The restaurant analogy is a good choice of analogy to think about…

Fair enough mulit-millionaire holds a private function at HQ while his business goes under. New worthy if salacious.

Um, I even wonder how 'news worthy' the story was.

If Bryers regularly booked out Prego, White or The French Cafe — fashionable restaurants where you could run up a low five…

Fair enough mulit-millionaire holds a private function at HQ while his business goes under. New worthy if salacious.

But to harass one poor lass over at least two weeks & that she may or may not have…

Media need conflict in order to survive – or think they do, which amounts to the same thing. "All news good, country optimistic" doesn't sell.

Oh, of course it does.

But here's a marginally more radical notion — perhaps we need fewer Judy Bailey wannabes telling us how to feel,…

She openly acknowledged that many in the political media want a change of government, not because they are right-wing, not because they hate Clark, not because they are in love with Key, but – get this – just because they are bored.

Yeah. I only caught part of it, but…

Media need conflict in order to survive – or think they do, which amounts to the same thing. "All news good, country optimistic" doesn't sell.

The voting public wants nothing more than a change of scenery and someone new to fling invective at.

There doesn't…

I would suggest that we've had a few changes of government just because the national electorate was bored. So I guess one shouldn't blame the media if they use the same excuse. At least Harvey was honest about it.

which I think was my point a few weeks back...coming back…

Oh, yes, Fran was in particularly fine cock-sucking form today. Not.

I was thinking of John Armstrong. Fran O'Sullivan was in sports-commentator mode.

She openly acknowledged that many in the political media want a change of government, not because they are right-wing, not because they hate Clark, not because they are in love with Key, but – get this – just because they are bored.

Um... I'm going to have to listen to…

She openly acknowledged that many in the political media want a change of government, not because they are right-wing, not because they hate…

Coming from the UK, I'm used to newspapers having a political position: the Telegraph is right-wing Tory, the Guardian is left-wing Labour and so on. But they have *eight* major national dailies, so you can more or less pick one that matches your political orientation and literacy level.

Well, I…

I think…

ironic, since I write spam filters

Interesting. I used to work at Marshall, though I wasn't the guy who did the constant incremental refinement on the spam filter.

No journalist likes that kind of thing, and I suspect there are a few on the Herald staff feeling quite unhappy about it.

And I don't think many journalists like having their reputations being dragged into PR bitch-fights (and I think we've seen both Three and TVNZ confusing PR spin…

1) Embarrassing or Irritating Politicians is not considered grounds for a formal complaint.

And yet we're led to believe either Key or the party complained directly to APN executives and extracted this mysterious, superfluous "clarification".

No journalist likes that kind of thing, and I suspect there are a few on…

Hell, today we have Herald columnists using their columns to advise John Key how to lie to the public..

Oh, yes, Fran was in particularly fine cock-sucking form today. Not.

If I am understanding him correctly, Colin Espiner asserted that the paper has both a conservative tilt and a conservative…

What happened to the media and journalists holding power to account?

If The Herald does have a bias, it doesn't seem to be political in nature

If I am understanding him correctly, Colin Espiner asserted that the paper has both a conservative tilt and a conservative agenda (ie, it is actively promoting the election of a National Government). I share that…

I won't concede however that the Herald's activities are without bias and depending on your ideology, without menace in the political domain.

I certainly hope you won't. Just as I don't think Colin — who I have a lot od respect for, BTW — is exactly a disinterested by-stander, or…

Lesbian FemiNazis Go on Cocaine-Fueled Legislative Rampage, Further Undermining The Family, Traditional Values, Christianity and All That Is Sacred

The Windsors are actually anthrophagic lizards. Wishart is boring. We really need David Icke.

And now for something completely different.

And surprise, surprise, the computer starts discovering extremely powerful spam features…

I reckon you do have a right to be concerned when Cullen seems to be doing a winstard. I guess the kind phrase is disappointing. I won't concede however that the Herald's activities are without bias and depending on your ideology, without menace in the political domain. To…

Or do we have a sliding scale of ethics for politicians now?

You must be new around here.

I feel very confident indeed in saying that had the shoe been on the other foot, DPF and his readers would be going absolutely fscking mental right about now.

Sure, and I think we've both tired and failed to have a fact-based, civil exchange with the likes of D4J or…

And with all due disrespect to Colin, he gets rather spiky when accused of being the tame bitch of either National or Labour

Tame Bitch? Isn't that Tame Iti's drag name?
:)

I would have thought a more accurate analysis of the Herald's editorial stance would include the selection, position and prominence of stories as well as editorials.

I suspect that the most interesting analysis of the editorials themselves would be of their language. But I'm not about to blow my weekend…

It should also be said, the talentless git most improved the band by leaving it. Awesome hideous noise merchants they were.

Craig: This is about the Herald not…

Oh man, Robbery is not going to like this...

peter made a funny.
as a consumer, I love it, but I'd be more excited if dentists started giving away free fillings, Ive got a third from the back that's been annoying me lately.

You will also notice DPF collecting stats for "media bias". Now there's an old canard about to rear its ugly head

And on a second read, you either totally misread the comment or (again) are just making shit up.

Here's what DPF actually wrote.

Colin you said:

“That’d be the…

I prefer to think of them as Kraftwerk crossed with the B52s.

Jeez, steady on Russell – they're good, but not quite as good as that makes them sound.

Craig, that would be news if RNZ offered a retraction, sorry, correction. People are always contacting media organisations to offer "clarification" and further comment.

No, Don, it's news because shareholding ministers in state-owned broadcasters don't ring the chief executive to bitch about interviews they don't like. Radio New Zealand and…

You will also notice DPF collecting stats for "media bias". Now there's an old canard about to rear its ugly head

Mr. Pot, let me introduce you to Ms. Kettle you have so much in common. And with all due disrespect to Colin, he gets rather spiky when accused of…

You’re not honestly going to argue with me that the Herald openly supports the election of a National government? Even its own reporters accept this is management’s position.

That's a pretty big call.

You will also notice DPF collecting…

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but nobody is entitled to their own facts."

Inspector Hound?

This has been very different. First the local paper stands by its journalist and story through thick and thin and then, all of a sudden, APN…

And, given that no one is saying the transcript is actually wrong, an apparently superfluous one. Personally, I'd love to know exactly who has been saying what to whom …

Personally, I'd love to know who told Cullen that "Key had tried to bully the newspaper into sacking the reporter"…

So are they like LCD Soundsystem, but with less battery life?

I prefer to think of them as Kraftwerk crossed with the B52s.

...you will be going to see the L.E.D.s at Mighty Mighty tonight...

So are they like LCD Soundsystem, but with less battery life?

I have watched and been absorbed by the video "My Language" and been blown away. Given that she was writing her own explanation of her thinking, it would suggest an extraordinary wealth of ideas which are presumably locked up in many autistic people. How frustrating! Do autistic people hear…

Factors that helped to explain this: inaccurate and irrelevant claim that 9-11 hijackers "came through Canada" (made by one H Clinton, among others) + no participation in Iraq…

Is 'punchiest' even a word?

Yes, as in: 'Once Muhammed Ali became the punchiest boxer in the sport, he needed to retire or risk getting Alzheimers'.

Anyway, New Telepathics have kindly allowed me to give away a track from their new EP

Oh man, Robbery is not going to like this...

My question: "a…

Stop looking so smug.

Never! You will have to cut the smugness off my cold dead face!

Is 'punchiest' even a word? Doesn't bode well for this mightiest of tomes...

Sun Ra, Captain Beefheart, Ornette Coleman, Burning Spear, Can, Jimi Hendrix, Harry Partch, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Neil Young, Lee Perry, Jo Jones, Tom Waits, Foisemaster, Einstürzende Neubauten, Ian & Carolyn, Duke Ellington, The Who, Fela Kuti,…