Posts by Russell Brown
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Hard News: A Work of Advocacy, in reply to Bart Janssen,
I have a colleague who moved to Australia because after his car was splashed with acid the activists made it clear they knew where he lived and where his children went to school. Reasoned arguments were not on the agenda.
Ugh.
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Cracker: Send in the Clowns, in reply to Hilary Stace,
The DomPost’s TV Week, which is published on Tuesday, now includes TV7. Lobbying works.
Amazing!
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Someone Who Ought To Know tells me that the copy of the affidavit the Dominion Post based its Operation 8 stories on did not come from the police.
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Hard News: A Work of Advocacy, in reply to John Darroch,
I was in last nights film talking about police surveillance and harassment of activists. I thought the film was great at presenting the story as it was experienced by activists, perhaps the film could have been more explicit about this but I do not think it detracts from the value or impact of the film. The story’s of those caught up in the raids have not been explored in this much detail before and few have taken a detailed look at how the raids fit into the portrayal of activists as terrorists.
Hi John. Thanks for taking the time to register and comment -- I appreciate it.
I did take the film as the activists' story, and as a companion work to Valerie Morse's book The Day the Raids Came. But even there, I felt it was selective, as I've tried to explain.
It's remarkable that both have come out before the trial, but, as you say, it's getting on for four years already.
It did occur to me that the police obsession with animal rights activists isn't entirely groundless. In the late 80s/early 90s, staff at Auckland University's School of Medicine, and their families, were subject to real intimidation and persecution by two activists. It wasn't reported in the press, but it's the reason there are still security gates in the foyer of the school's main building.
But that was just two people, one of them not even a New Zealander, and I don't believe it reflects on what you do, which I find admirable, even if I don't always agree with it.
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Hard News: A Work of Advocacy, in reply to HORansome,
It’s not a distinction without a difference; there is a lot of footage of activists outside of court, parliament and businesses heckling or trying to get comment from others. The Morse footage is just more of that kind of thing.
Hmmm. I think it's a little more than that, especially if it is the directors' camera and microphone.
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Hard News: A Work of Advocacy, in reply to George Darroch,
It is entirely compelling television, and often first rate entertainment.
I prefer Motorway Patrol, which deals with the less serious and is therefore funnier. But, yes, even there police officers are spectacularly reasonable.
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Hard News: A Work of Advocacy, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
As far as I can tell, it’s a little more than that – they’re also accusing media outlets of knowingly disseminating said “misinformation” (or “lies” in English) to preserve their access to Police sources.
More passing on "tips" from police sources so they've got something to fill their reports. I don't doubt that police sources drove a lot of the original coverage.
OTOH, a good deal of what we've heard from the activist side so far has been disingenuous.
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Hard News: Friday Visions, in reply to Danielle,
The former.
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Hard News: A Work of Advocacy, in reply to HORansome,
and whilst I think it’s quite possible the police did act as agents provocateur it detracts from the overall story.
I was muttering under my breath during those parts. But, as I noted, it seems likely the police will use a similar form of argument in the trial. The mirror-image element is fascinating.
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Hard News: A Work of Advocacy, in reply to HORansome,
Morse appears as an interviewer in the documentary in so far as the documentarian’s film her “interviewing” people outside of court. It’s not as if she is an interviewer for the documentary but rather that as a part of her activism she interviews people and the documentarians capture that.
True, although its blurry. It's their mic she's holding.