Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Let's be hearing it

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  • Verpal Singh,

    So people really do watch Breakfast TV Wow!

    Depends on the job I suppose. I am home nowadays, looking after my daughter; performing my "ablution" before she wakes up :)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10 posts Report Reply

  • Verpal Singh,

    Anyone who could read? Sorry for the snark, but most people I know of all political persuasions hit the point of information (and spin) overload a while back.

    Hmm we must be living in different worlds. Oh wait, we ARE living in different worlds. Thanks for reminding me ;-)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Verpal:

    Yes, we must be living in different worlds. Then again, I don't start screeching 'bias' every time I hear or read something disobliging to the National Party (though I do have to wonder whether some hacks are starting to feel like the cult leader who's been predicting the world will end next Tuesday for years. Make a move, John, and put 'em out of their misery!), or Helen Clark gets through an interview on National Radio without teeth-marks in her throat.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Carolyn Skelton,

    Danyl Mclauchlan said:

    I REALLY can't see English - or even Brian Connell - deciding to spill their guts to Nicky Hagar.

    Yes, in the Kathryn Ryan interview yesterday Hager explicitly said that Bill English was NOT one of the people who gave him information for the book.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 39 posts Report Reply

  • anjum rahman,

    ok, how's this for media bias. last night's waikato times had not one word on nicky hagar, the effect of the injunction etc. NOT ONE WORD!! given this was their first edition after hagar's press conference, and given it was a very major news item, how do they justify that one?

    and what action can you take when they simply fail to report on a major news item? i can't see which particular standard that would break, but it seems pretty wrong to me...

    hamilton • Since Nov 2006 • 130 posts Report Reply

  • Tony Milne,

    For years Lairbour have been training a highly tactical stealth hacking unit. Trained in the marshal arts, the dark arts, the fine arts and all other pinko lesbian left wing peace loving activities, they have been waiting in secret for the very moment in history that Don and his merry men took control of the National Party. Hiding in bushes, behind buildings, in unmarked vans. The stealth team of elite hackers crept into Don’s room and using his office computer (over a period of a year) bit by bit, megabit by megabit, extracted all of Dons e-mail correspondence. Waiting for the very chance to offload the information to Nicki Hager in the hope that he would publish a book which would bring about the downfall of the mighty Don.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 2 posts Report Reply

  • stever@cs.waikato.ac.nz,

    Anjum, I think you're mistaking the Waikato Times for some sort of newspaper! It's been clear to me for sometime that actually it's a forum for advertisers, where any space annoyingly left unsold is filled with a selection of verbatim PR handouts from various sources (sometimes including varous press associations!). Oh---and infinite resources appear to be available when the possibility of running-down the University presents itself.

    Hamilton • Since Nov 2006 • 73 posts Report Reply

  • Michael Savidge,

    As the spin kicks in...."it's how he handled it, not what he did" and the initial euphoria wears thin (perhaps Hager doesn't have that smoking gun, maybe its a wet paper trail)), I guess it was inevitable that Wishass would wade in with his usual stinkpile of 'whogivesafuck'....

    Tis enough to make one consider yawning...

    Somewhere near Wellington… • Since Nov 2006 • 324 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    anjum wrote:
    ok, how's this for media bias. last night's waikato times had not one word on nicky hagar, the effect of the injunction etc. NOT ONE WORD!! given this was their first edition after hagar's press conference, and given it was a very major news item, how do they justify that one?

    The Waikato Times cell of the VRWC have been discnnected from the Collective but I'll tell you as soon as I know.

    I don't take the WT, but I can think of any number of reasons off the top of my head that don't involve a conspiracy theory.

    1) The news editor disagreed with you that it was so 'very major'. The Waikato Times - and the other provincial and metropolitan dailies - haven't given the stadium controversy the same saturation coverage over the last two weeks as The Herald. 'Media bias'? Or a news judgement that exhaustive coverage of the issue isn't as relevant or interesting to readers in the Waikato as folks in Auckland.

    2) Perhaps they're holding off on coverage, and planning to run (say) more extensive coverage when the book is finally available.

    3) There was just other national news the editor decided was more relevant and/or interesting to a Waikato readership?

    4) And, correct me if I'm wrong, but both the Herald and the DomPost - which both ran extensive coverage and commentary on Hagar's presser - are available in Hamilton? A good editor should have a 'news sense' about what the competitors are going to run. Unless you could put a local angle on it - or it's a slow news day and no front page worthy local stories are in the pipe - it's entirely legitimate (if debatable) news judgement to run with other stories.

    For better or for worse, the Waikato Post is a provincial paper that is parochial in the best sense. Hard as it may be to believe, newspaper editors have to serve a readership that isn't entirely made up of political junkies like you and I.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • anjum rahman,

    craig, i'd believe you if they treated all political news in that way. i can think of any number of news items that would come under the category of being covered by the herald (the dom isn't widely available here), have little local/parochial interest etc etc, but they make a huge deal of it.

    i don't think there's a conspiracy theory involved here. i just think it's wrong that they didn't report at all what every other media outlet thought was a major story.

    hamilton • Since Nov 2006 • 130 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Well, that's a fair POV and one we can agree to disagree on. In the end, the only people who know for sure what decisions were behind the composition of yesterday's Waikato Times 'aint us. :)

    But editorial news judgement is a funny thing. To take one example. I hope The Herald's coverage of local body elections next year is dramatically improved, in breadth and depth, over the last round which was... well, I'd say 'piss poor' but that's a grotesque libel on urine.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Michael Savidge,

    Don's gone.

    Will the real slim shady please stand up....

    Somewhere near Wellington… • Since Nov 2006 • 324 posts Report Reply

  • Verpal Singh,

    Verpal:

    Yes, we must be living in different worlds. Then again, I don't start screeching 'bias' every time I hear or read something disobliging to the National Party (though I do have to wonder whether some hacks are starting to feel like the cult leader who's been predicting the world will end next Tuesday for years. Make a move, John, and put 'em out of their misery!), or Helen Clark gets through an interview on National Radio without teeth-marks in her throat.

    Gee Craig aintcha techy! I didn't "SCREECH" (oops sorry!) bias. That's your word - just like "snark" (pardon my lack of knowledge of Kiwi slang, though I wonder if you did mean Lewis Carroll's Snark ;-). I meant exactly what I said, "We are living in different worlds -- in your world everyone knows all the facts regardless of spin and obfuscation, while in my world people seem to find it hard to sift through the increasingly dense fog of media manipulation."

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Beard,

    Probably old news by now, but: Don's gone.

    Bad news for Labour?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report Reply

  • Damian White,

    Don's gone.

    . . . indeed.

    And is if just me, or is somebody, somewhere, laughing in that evil-magalomaniacial "my- large- ultimate- plan- for- world- domination- has- finally- come- to- fruition' kinda way . . ?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 17 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Bad news for Labour?

    Actually, no. If the John Key Fan Club thinks his honeymoon with the media didn't end the moment Brash resigned, they're delusional - just ask Bill English. :) If Labour are smart, the crocodile tears for poor Don, stabbed in the arras by his own caucus, will be flowing thick and fast; the stadium mess doesn't turn into an even bigger farce than it already is; there's no more embarrasing stories about Maxine Field; and the Christmas silly season rolls around ASAP.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • FletcherB,

    Gone by (just after) Lunchtime! :)

    It remains to be seen if this works against Labour in the long run..... Key seems far more electable to fence-sitting voters as far as I can see?

    Of course, if Hagar's book is also damaging to Key, as has been suggested....

    Who else wants to be leader?

    West Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 893 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Actually, no. If the John Key Fan Club thinks his honeymoon with the media didn't end the moment Brash resigned, they're delusional - just ask Bill English. :)

    I gather Key does not suffer too badly in the book. Murray McCully might not be so happy.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Brislen,

    And David Farrar is on a plane, unable to blog...

    blogstipation will set in and cripple him if he's not careful.

    Oh the humanity.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 200 posts Report Reply

  • Compie,

    I was a keep the sad old racist bugger supporter, as hhe was just so divisive that even my mum who voted National her entire life voted against him last time, this was good for Labour.

    I think Key has a real chance of giving Labour hell.

    the best bit about it is there will be no more bloody Orewa speeches, thank christ for that.

    boy that book must have some juicy bits in it :)

    Dunedin/Vancouver • Since Nov 2006 • 114 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    I think Key has a real chance of giving Labour hell.

    I think so. But I also hope he can craft a National Party I can live with.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    And David Farrar is on a plane, unable to blog...

    blogstipation will set in and cripple him if he's not careful.

    Oh God. I can just picture them making a mid-flight announcement ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Andre Alessi,

    I think so. But I also hope he can craft a National Party I can live with.

    I've been thinking the same thing. Some of his views on tax reform are surprisingly reasonable. I was particularly impressed that he seems to understand the importance of giving R&D either tax exempt or dollar-for-dollar status.

    That's a nice change from the "slash all taxes now!' brigade.

    Mind you, I had the same hopes that Brash would herald a new level of intellectual rigor after the vague handwaving of Bill English's days, and look how that turned out.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report Reply

  • Danyl Mclauchlan,

    The John Key honeymoon may or may not end the second he is required to talk about anything other than finance and economics.

    Personally I hope Key - or whomever else takes over - makes a good fist of things. I'd like to be able to see National as a party I could actually vote for instead of the somewhat sinister, reactionary party we currently know and fear.

    I wonder how this will affect the minor parties? Will ACT suddenly see a huge surge in funding and far right votes? Will New Zealand First once again enjoy the support of the famously fickle racist redneck electorate?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report Reply

  • Compie,

    Mind you look how far we have come from the days of Shipley's put all dole bludgers against the wall...

    things have matured a little since then.

    Well they have in most places except in investigate magazine, adult club member, really how terribly boring and if so who cares, is it illegal? Now we are done with coddington how do we ship Wishart off to a quarantine station somewhere?

    Dunedin/Vancouver • Since Nov 2006 • 114 posts Report Reply

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