Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, April 18th, 2014 - 37 comments
The highs and lows and the good and bad of what was a fascinating week in Politics.
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, April 16th, 2014 - 162 comments
TV One’s Seven Sharp has raised questions about whether there has been a conflict of interest for Peter Dunne. This is with respect to his son James Dunne’s legal representation of advocates for the recreational synthetic drug industry. What is the evidence for and against? [Update: Live chat with Peter Dunne, Stuff midday]
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, April 14th, 2014 - 29 comments
The Coailiton for Better Broadcasting and website has launched today. From the information on the website, it is looking like a very promising initiative to me.
Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, April 6th, 2014 - 83 comments
Auckland Against Poverty protest the Young Nats Ball and Paula Bennett’s war on the poor. Steven Joyce is cynical about the polls. A Stuff poll shows everything that is wrong with the media’s poll beat ups.
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, March 29th, 2014 - 275 comments
Standardista, andy (the other one) nails it: “Two days, two articles, two different media outlets admitting that they know National use Slater/Farrar to smear and dissemble.” Trotter raises questions about sources.
Written By: - Date published: 3:02 pm, March 26th, 2014 - 41 comments
John Drinnan has written on the upcoming opening of Press Council membership to bloggers. He offers some positives. But I don’t see anything much in it for political bloggers. It would mean being dominated by a flawed Mainstream Media – the very thing many blogs aim to critique independently.
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, March 10th, 2014 - 32 comments
Gower’s one-dimensional, distorted, gotcha reporting, highlights the failings of TV3 news & The Nation. Corin Dann and Qu &A are less one-dimensional, but speak within the B-Hive-Media Loop, that speaks for the comfortable middle & Business classes, & manufactured a “problem” week for Cunliffe.
Written By: - Date published: 11:43 am, March 6th, 2014 - 133 comments
In need of public service media. TV3 News is a neoliberal propaganda vehicle. I’ve stopped watching it. However, today Martyn Bradbury posted a transcription of last night’s highly distorted report by Patrick Gower, with a critical analysis of just how much the report misrepresents.
Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, March 4th, 2014 - 150 comments
NZ seems like a client state of both US imperialism, and the UK monarchy: a throwback to the first part of the 20th century. John Key was quick to support the US & EU lines on the Crimea; some low achieving, British royals are visiting NZ at taxpayers’ expense.
Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, March 2nd, 2014 - 111 comments
Trisha Dunleavy has outlined the problems a& challenges for public service TV in NZ. Contrasting tales of 2 TV journalists – Rachel Smalley & Patrick Gower – highlight the problems with NZ’s (currently) dominant infotainment approach to news.
Written By: - Date published: 1:41 pm, February 28th, 2014 - 15 comments
When did the left leave the left? Or, perhaps more accurately, why do we continue to regard liberals as being of the left?
Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, February 24th, 2014 - 13 comments
I looked at some local newspapers to get away from the endless support for neoliberal values that dominates out MSM. I found people living with unaffordable housing – & how the power of song can unite people in their struggles at the sharp end of the big inequality gap. Maori TV, “Songs from the Inside”.
Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, February 21st, 2014 - 104 comments
Popular songs can capture the heartbeat of communities. “Rock Star” economy”? Or “No Depression in New Zealand”? A song that links the NZ of Muldoon & John Key. “History Never Repeats”? Who has pulled up the ladder & who wants to replace ladders with something more accessible to all?
Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, February 13th, 2014 - 42 comments
The Salvation Army’s latest State of the Nation Report is damning on child poverty & unaffordable housing. The government is misrepresenting the conclusions, reversing the main focus on failings, and focusing on the positives: the spin is repeated in an NZ Herald editorial.
Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, February 9th, 2014 - 60 comments
Leaked by Edward Snowden, a GCHQ slideshow for a secret spy conference. It outlines methods of cyber warfare and propaganda circulation. Mainly aimed at non-5 Eyes’ countries, the methods include infiltrating blogs, DOS attacks, propaganda via social media & manipulating journalists.
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, February 5th, 2014 - 289 comments
The ratings driven MSM beat up dramas and conflict in relation to Waitangi Day – they continue to circulate myths about the Day. Morgan Godfery has blogged about those myths. Meanwhile, the hikoi to protect our seas and land continues. [update: Rachel Smalley]
Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, January 30th, 2014 - 56 comments
The ratings/sales driven ethos of the corporate MSM skews the coverage of the election campaigns of parties of the “left” and the “right”. Focus on individuals, implying they represent large sections of the population. The left are leading the agenda on inequality.
Written By: - Date published: 11:43 am, January 21st, 2014 - 41 comments
Some say the economy often responds positively to “confidence”, while lack of it can result in some financial nose dives. But whose confidence is being highlighted in reports of NZ’ “rock star” economy? Not that of workers, beneficiaries – the precariat, say Labour, Greens.
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, December 27th, 2013 - 90 comments
The cult of the super rich, cheer led by the uncritical echo chamber in the MSM. Those struggling in poverty receive a few crumbs of charity, promoting superficial “good will” by those indulging in the orgy of consumerist excess. Underlying causes & solutions are ignored.
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, December 20th, 2013 - 116 comments
It’s looking like Team John Key is trying every PR spin trick in the book to gain an advantage for the election next year. Does he have anything to offer Kiwis other than bash, spin and photos ops? And McGehan Close? The underclass?
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 pm, December 6th, 2013 - 128 comments
Matthew Blomfield asked for a opportunity to refute some of the bull that has been stated about him and his defamation case against Cameron Slater. I’ve put it on the site because it seems fair that bloggers help fix the unfair damage that nutty bloggers like Cameron Slater can do to private individuals. Regardless of the outcome of this long-running court case, it is quite clear that Cameron Slater has used his blog to pursue someone’s vendetta far outside the realms of “journalism”.
Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, November 22nd, 2013 - 29 comments
NZ Herald has a long history as the voice of the (most often white, masculine, middle/upper class, Pakeha) conservative establishment. Dr Hope shows how this happened in the past. NZ Herald online provides 21st century support for Key’s government. Tell us your NZ Herald stories.
Written By: - Date published: 8:03 pm, October 19th, 2013 - 169 comments
Slater’s track record speaks for itself. As the Brown-Chuang-Wewege-Palino story unfolds, his angle on the story shifts, and the contradictions abound. On The Nation this morning, Slater lays it out: politics is a dirty game, and that’s the game he’s playing.
Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, September 30th, 2013 - 16 comments
On The Nation Kris Faafoi laid out the bare bones of Labour’s policy on public broadcasting: strengthening public broadcasting across a range of platforms; continuing funding for NZOnAir to commercial broadcasters; balancing commercial & public service broadcasting; a new youth oriented public radio station. [Update: boycotting RNZ – you know why]
Written By: - Date published: 7:27 pm, September 27th, 2013 - 39 comments
Good on Kennedy Graham for posting a good critique of Key’s UN speech, while the MSM largely report the speech in uncritical and glowing terms., Graham focuses on Errors of Omission. [Update: Key’s Omission of Kampala non-aggression Agreement, implicitly supports Obama’s UN speech for US military aggression.]
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, September 27th, 2013 - 53 comments
Hooton has somewhat backed down from his liar liar accusations against David Cunliffe, but the allegations of “CV embellishment” are still coming. For future reference, I look to the “master” for an example of how not to pad a CV. What can we learn from him? [Update: John Key’s bio?]
Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, September 26th, 2013 - 48 comments
With Cunliffe’s Labour in the ascendance, NAct and/supporters pull out their bag of dirty and deceptively manipulative, Hollow Men, tricks. Adviser to John Key & Boris Johnson, Mark Textor, will most likely be used again: ruthless attack politics, playing on fears & prejudices.
Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, September 18th, 2013 - 41 comments
The MSM largely reported on Cunliffe stumbling over the word Chorus in his first question yesterday to PM Key. But Key’s answers and later replies to the media, indicate corporate-friendly, cronyist manipulations and dodgy phone advice. [Update: Coalition for Fair Internet Pricing]
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, September 12th, 2013 - 86 comments
Jonolist award to Patrick Gower for slanted reporting of a non-poll result, continuing his anti-Cunliffe lines. Special mention to 3 News report on The Vote bovver boys, against affordable housing for those in need, forcing a “back-down” from Turei on lowering house prices. Need better MSM.
Written By: - Date published: 2:22 pm, September 6th, 2013 - 3 comments
Things I didn’t get to this week, from Christchurch earthquake anniversary to Kim Dotcom.
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, August 1st, 2013 - 39 comments
Is this what it takes to wake up the fourth estate so they truly fulfill their role to speak truth to power? Andrea Vance is mad as hell about the “hacking” of her phone records. Press freedom and all our democratic rights are in danger. Stop the GCSB Bill!
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
Recent Comments