Comments on: Did Key try to get ‘wage drop’ journalist sacked?

By: Bullying the media at The Standard

Bullying the media at The Standard — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:46:41 +0000

[...] story by putting pressure on a journalist and his employers (to the extent of trying to get him sacked?). This led to the unprecedented response of Herald journalists writing a letter of protest over [...]

By: No more Mr Nice Guy at The Standard

No more Mr Nice Guy at The Standard — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:06:13 +0000

[...] shut down the “we would love to see wages drop” story (even trying to get the reporter sacked?), tactics which caused reporters at The Herald to write a letter of [...]

By: Nevermind » Say What We Want Or Shut Up

Nevermind » Say What We Want Or Shut Up — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:42:48 +0000

[...] bullying the journalist who reported the “we would love to see wages drop” quote. And bullying Barry Soper, [...]

By: Bullies at The Standard 2.01

Bullies at The Standard 2.01 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:54:16 +0000

[...] us for using John Key’s image for satirical purposes last year and who could forget the attacks on Greg Robertson, the journalist who quoted Key saying “we would love to see wages [...]

By: Protecting ‘brand Key’ at The Standard 2.01

Protecting ‘brand Key’ at The Standard 2.01 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:54:59 +0000

[...] the first second third time, National is trying to shut down the reporting of things they feel don’t [...]

By: Nats to journos: say what we want or shut up at The Standard 2.01

Nats to journos: say what we want or shut up at The Standard 2.01 — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:03:27 +0000

[...] followed their line. You will remember that Bay Report journalist Greg Robertson was bullied and threatened with dismissal after he quoted John Key saying “we would love to see wages [...]

By: National continues attacks on media freedom at thestandard.org.nz

National continues attacks on media freedom at thestandard.org.nz — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:38:23 +0000

[...] is that Key also tried to have the reporter of the â€˜wage drop’ quote, Greg Robertson fired. Journalists up and down [...]

By: Key’s Australian excuse at thestandard.org.nz

Key’s Australian excuse at thestandard.org.nz — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 02:27:37 +0000

[...] both the Bay Report and the Northern Advocate, about getting a ‘correction’. Rumours emerged that National had attempted to have the journalist fired and that the APN management was trying to [...]

By: james

james — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:16:49 +0000

i want know from national if there going to bring back the employment contracts act keys statement proves to me there is a hidden agenda in national they just dont learn i heard this week english supports assets sales that party never learns.
if keys tried to get this reporter fired this is very very serious that is what dictators do john keys is same as vladamire putine.

By: What Is Going On Behind The “Wage Drop” Story? « KiwiBlogBlog

What Is Going On Behind The “Wage Drop” Story? « KiwiBlogBlog — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:25:18 +0000

[...] reported rumours that National had tried to get the reporter of the article, Greg Robertson, fired. Now, the Herald has announced that the Bay Report, which printed the original article will be [...]

By: Some questions at thestandard.org.nz

Some questions at thestandard.org.nz — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:57:20 +0000

[...] the correction in advance? 2. Is it true that Key’s office tried to get journalist Greg Roberston sacked for his story? 3. Why would APN publish the correction in the Herald and not the Advocate or the [...]

By: insider

insider — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:55:45 +0000

“that does not excuse an attack on the person who heard that statement”

So now he heard it not taped it? Is there a subtle shift here? FWIW I agree with the last sentence in Dancer’s quote.

Funny that the Standard has shown such a strong interest in the issue, with outrage and strong pronouncements on it and drawn such complex inferences and with some claims of inside info, yet still don’t appear to have actually gone and spoken to RObertson to get the information from the source. The nearest thing we have to a primary source is Barnsley Bill and a report from David Slack.

And I’ll repeat despite all the interest from the media quoted above and egging on from Labour, none of them have felt the story has legs. Why would that be? ARE they all worried about losing out on tax cuts?

By: george

george — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:34:02 +0000

I suppose that one might point out that for a national party person to release leaked emails about Labour would fit in this world ,but what about a national party person(front bench?) releasing emails about their OWN leader which meant Don Brash was held to account.

By: Dancer

Dancer — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:27:12 +0000

this was an editorial from the Bay Reporter last week. At the very least the locals see it as bad judgment in terms of political management from Key:

Bay Report (editorial):
“Suddenly the Bay Report’s journalist was getting calls for transcripts of the interview, requests for witnesses to the interview, and, in an indictment on the National Party and it’s leader, observations that journalism standards in papers such as the Bay Report were inferior, as well as calls for a retraction

While all of us should be excused those little verbal indiscretions that does not excuse an attack on the person who heard that statement even if that person had the nerve to include it in an article. For most people the concept of political interference is an anathema. In this situation the leader of the opposition, who could quite possibly be the leader of the next National-left government may have done his cause less harm by accepting that he had made a verbal slip-up rather than trying to “shoot the messenger’ (28 Feb 2008)

By: burt

burt — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:17:47 +0000

Historian

Can you please clarify. Are you saying Labour will say what National said and therefore such behaviour will be acceptable from Labour or do you think we should hold Labour to account the same way that Don Brash was held to account?