Posts by Russell Brown
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Hard News: We can do better than this, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
Oh, Jesus… Could you take a moment and really think about what you just did there?
I think Keir may have been trying to make an artful point, but I deleted the comment. It was unnecessary and inappropriate.
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Hard News: We can do better than this, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
Sorry, Russell, but that’s bullshit. They choose to and I thought grown-ups were expected to be honest about, and accountable for, their actions in this sad and sorry world. At least, that sounds an awful lot like what political journalists are happy to demand from everyone else on a daily basis.
What are you saying? That journalists should never accept leaks and tips from politicians?
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BTW, I gather David Fisher is working on a personal peace about dealing with Slater.
Endnote 40 (p 146) for Chapter 4 says: "Slater gave various stories to the journalist David Fisher in that period [early 2012] including the Labour Party data story. They later fell out when Fisher wrote stories Slater did not like."
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Hard News: We can do better than this, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
Before we pat The Herald too hard on the back, this is the same Jared Savage who (as far as I’m aware) never retracted or apologized to anyone involved for implying Brown exerted “influence” to get Chuang employed by the Auckland City Art Gallery. Yes? So excuse me if I hold to my position that when you lie down with dogs, you not only get up with fleas but you’re not welcome in my house any more.
It was a legitimate thing to report and the first person quoted in Savage's story is Chuang, saying she didn't believe the reference from the mayor's office (which was one of a number) was the reason she got the job. That's followed by the statement from the mayor's office. It's a straightforward report and sticks entirely to the facts.
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Brook Sabin has just tweeted that Key now says Collins' actions were "unwise".
Is that a bus I see coming?
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Hard News: We can do better than this, in reply to Sacha,
However, it’s not the fulsome denunciation that some are making it out to be.
I think it's reasonably significant. He makes it pretty clear Collins is Key's responsibility.
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I wouldn't act that way, says Bill English. I actually believe him.
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Hard News: We can do better than this, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Is the journalism profession actually better than that? Really? I trust Russell to make honest decent calls but he's not making a real living from doing that. The only money in journalism depends on getting the sensational story whatever the cost - it feels very much like most journalists are protecting their careers before their integrity.
No. The majority of journalists never get near sensational stories. And the younger Gallery journalists (notably Brook Sabin, the son of a National MP) who weren't letting Key off the hook during that extraordinary press stand-up last Thursday knew their jobs. Goyun Espiner's interview with Key yesterday -- where he simply refused to let Key run through the same lines he'd been reciting for days -- was monumental.
Also, I regard my TV work as journalism :-)
If we were better than that, surely the MSM would stop interviewing the PM until he actually bothered to read and address the accusations made in the book - instead they all give him air time because they know that will sell even if he never answers the question.
I suspect Key would be wishing for that. He sounded angry and a little desperate when he was bailed up by journalists yesterday.
One observation I would make: the Gallery in particular tends not to move unless it smells blood. In the case of Key, that's hardly ever been the case. It is now. I don't particularly like sensing weakness as a motivation for doing your job.
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The first tranche of messages from Hager’s source is available for viewing here.
- It seems to identify as many as SIX email addresses as belonging to Ede.
- Seems to quite clearly show Slater feeding Ede information to identify activists, including Jolyon White, using ninth-floor Ministerial Services resources.
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