Dirty Politics Farrar and freedom of speech

Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, June 22nd, 2016 - 119 comments
Categories: David Farrar, journalism, petition - Tags: , , ,

There’s a petition – Get Rid of Hosking

GET RID OF HOSKING. [ It is our opinion ] TVNZ broadcaster Mike Hosking is an offensive and thoughtless media personality who continues to arrogantly and ignorantly disregard the struggles of everyday New Zealander’s. Hosking’s attitude and comments continuously cause offense, upset and disdain to reasonable and innocent people ; both viewers and non-viewers of TVNZ. Supporters of GET RID OF HOSKING expect that TVNZ acts as a responsible and mature public broadcaster and respects this request from thousands of New Zealanders – That is – We no longer wish to see or hear any more from Hosking on our TV screens.

It’s closing in on 16K signatures, which I think you’d have to call a strong response. In another fine example of the Streisand effect, poor wee Dirty Politics Farrar doesn’t like it – The haters of freedom of speech

But these cultural fascists hate views that are not their own, and think the Government should decide who is allowed to be on air. They can get f****d.

Not being one for self-reflection, DPF hates views that are not his own and thinks they shouldn’t be expressed. Or perhaps he just doesn’t understand what free speech is. Here’s xkcd to explain –

xkcd-free-speech

119 comments on “Dirty Politics Farrar and freedom of speech ”

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  1. whateva next? 1
    22 June 2016 at 1:58 pm

    freedom of speech, and a public platform to express it, comes with responsibility, and the expectation of a response, and so here it is. Not sure what Farrar is saying is wrong.

    • Gangnam Style 1.1
      22 June 2016 at 2:22 pm

      Because his spin is weak & becoming useless.

      • whateva next? 1.1.1
        22 June 2016 at 2:29 pm

        so we are at the 3rd stage now?
        “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

        good stuff.

        • Gangnam Style 1.1.1.1
          22 June 2016 at 3:00 pm

          Nice! I also saw on the online story about the Invercargill couple most of the comments were supportive, heartening & realistic. There were the predictable ‘they should grow their own veges’ & even one suggestion they commute to Queenstown (wah?) for work. But I came away thinking that the right wing hate spin might not be working so much anymore. Thank Grud for that!

  2. indiana 2
    22 June 2016 at 1:59 pm

    How many signatures would it take to shut down this website and who would authorise it?

    [lprent: None – because we are neither owned by the public nor funded with any public funds nor any other body accessible by illiterate idiots. Idiots like you who appear to be incapable of reading explanatory pages.

    It is quite different from TVNZ which is owned by the citizens of NZ and gets reasonably large doses of money direct from taxpayers and the remainder from its revenue indirectly from the citizens people who watch it. Or Kiwiblog which receives its money and resources from a few sources, all of whom appear to have close financial links to the National party and who appear to spend a lot of time suckling cash from the government teat.

    TheStandard.org.nz URL has been owned by The Standard Trust on behalf of the cooperative authors since Feb 2010 as is outlined in the first paragraph of our about. We are directly funded by donations to the site from readers, commenters, and authors as is noted in the donations page. The site is largely hosted on the encrypted personal server of the sysop (ie me) and accessed by a fibre connection. However it has warm backups ready to go if moving the site is ever required. That latter is a safety measure against fools like you.

    So you’d have to get the agreement of the trustees (including me) to shut it down, and you’d probably have to get an approval of most of the authors. The monthly costs of about $250 aren’t that onerous to find (but we always like donations to cover it).

    But take heart. You aren’t alone in your inability to read, and you can continue to snuggle in the herd safety of the stupid. I have spent the last 10 months wondering why some dimwit has been pursuing a private prosecution against me personally. When the case was eventually dismissed with “no case to answer”, it appeared that he hadn’t read the about. Why are most of the right wing nutters that we see here too lazy to read? ]

    • whateva next? 2.1
      22 June 2016 at 2:17 pm

      The Standard is not broadcast to the nation week nights at prime time, big difference. People have to make a conscious choice to look at this website, that does not apply to those who rely on the selection of a few board members about who and what the nation want to watch.

      • Nessalt 2.1.1
        22 June 2016 at 2:47 pm

        So success breeds contempt? who would of thought, on a left wing blog site of all places.

        • Whateva Next 2.1.1.1
          22 June 2016 at 2:49 pm

          success? whose measure mate?

        • mauī 2.1.1.2
          22 June 2016 at 3:37 pm

          In some cultures (generally not european) they measure your success as what type of human being you are, not what your material wealth is. You can probably guess what they think of uncaring, arrogant assholes.

          • Nessalt 2.1.1.2.1
            22 June 2016 at 3:58 pm

            The same cultures that beat their kids and keep their women firmly at the back? you defined european success as being judged by material wealth. I don’t see any other cultures giving out international peace & literary prizes?

            Maybe success is when you are in such a high profile job, only 16,000 crazed lefties bothered to sign an online petition. no doubt using a venn diagram of those who think their is a small international cabal of individuals controlling all the worlds functions, the 16,000 will be a perfect subset.

            Maybe success is when you polarise your opponents so much, most of whom have shown such vast capacity for hate as to excuse the singer of homegrown for violent, misogynistic lyrics aimed at the daughter of a prominent politician, they start foaming at the mouth at even the thought you might have air time that can be viewed by anyone, let alone for free.

            Maybe success is when you advocate freedom of choice and speech and your opponents don’t see the irony in trying to get you shut down so no one can choose to listen to you as your voice can’t be heard.

        • Richardrawshark 2.1.1.3
          22 June 2016 at 4:38 pm

          No, more like most people can’t stand a arse licking suck up like Hoskings?

          I mean who wants to hear him seriously?. He talks shit. Mr fancy pants and his multi fly jeans that scream aren’t I beautiful look at my package?

          Regardless even of his love fest that makes me puke on National, he’s such a dick.

    • Ad 2.2
      22 June 2016 at 2:45 pm

      This ain’t club Rugby Indiana.

      Get some skills before you step onto this field.

    • Sel Clarke 2.3
      23 June 2016 at 9:39 am

      WOW I agree with your comments 100% i like many are getting sick and tired of greedy rich pricks who have a holier then thou attitude, what annoys me the most is they put forward propaganda on how the bludgers in society are the unemployed and solo parents and totally ignore the fact that the privaliged owe BILLIONS of dollars that they have fleeced from the wage earners of this country. Also these self rightous pricks are the ones avoiding as much tax as possible and getting away with it….. they all forget that the ordinary worker is trapped and must pay taxes at a premium because of P.A.Y.E while the rich can minamise what they pay… I hope the STANDARD stands up to these right wing retards, you will always have support from the normal people in society, !!!!!!!!

    • Richard McGrath 2.4
      24 June 2016 at 6:10 pm

      “…we are neither owned by the public nor funded with any public funds nor any other body accessible by illiterate idiots.”

      A good reason to privatise all broadcasting.

  3. Gangnam Style 3
    22 June 2016 at 2:20 pm

    Ha! Brilliant cartoon. Will sign later today.

  4. M. Gray 4
    22 June 2016 at 2:34 pm

    Whats a matter Indiana it appears you cant stand to be challenged or a bit of banter. Hosking is a state employee he should not be using our prime news time to broadcast his own personal discriminative and racists views. No one else is allowed to do this, so why is he? is it because he is best friends with certain members of the ruling party. If so is this fair when he is being paid by our taxes to spout of a whole lot of proverbial b…shert. People are sick and tired of his negative comments and his judgmental attitude. More people have signed this petition than the one for euthanasia. Ask yourself Indiana why have 16 thousand NZers put their name to this bit of paper. This is a lot of fed up NZers and the petition is still ongoing and gathering more support. Actions speak louder than words and the people have spoken let them have there say.

    • Gangnam Style 4.1
      22 June 2016 at 3:03 pm

      “his negative comments” ! That’s what I cannot take, he just spits out such one eyed bitterness.

    • Reddelusion 4.2
      22 June 2016 at 3:14 pm

      So if 16000 people sign a petition for him to stay, that’s OK then by definition, can we therefore extrapolate this arguement to his ratings as an effective petition each night, which i note are a lot more than 16000, (albeit I am not one ) or are only petition signed by KDSs and luny lefties relevant because they are so enlighten

    • indiana 4.3
      22 June 2016 at 3:40 pm

      Is the cartoon in this post is also applicable to this website?

    • Susan 4.4
      23 June 2016 at 10:45 am

      So how much did the tax pay put into TVNZ last year ?
      TVNZ is not supported by the tax payer, it is self funded by advertising, in fact it returns a dividend to the Government every year.
      So 0.4% of the population took the time to “like” a page. They couldn’t even get off their ass to protest.
      Its simple….just change the channel. If he does not rate they will take him off, just like your mate Campbell.
      Amen.

  5. Anno1701 5
    22 June 2016 at 2:36 pm

    Flakers gonna Flake…

  6. Ffloyd 6
    22 June 2016 at 3:47 pm

    I had a look at Kiwiblog. That’s two minutes I’ll never get back. If he is banging on about the ‘right to freedom of speech’ (Hosking’s) surely this also applies to the many thousands who have signed the petition to remove Hosking from prime time on TVNZ. They have the same right as mh, just using a different forum. Ironical!

  7. Sacha 7
    22 June 2016 at 3:56 pm

    Childish numpties like Farrar confuse freedom to speak with freedom to access a megaphone. Public platforms impose some obligations – blogs included.

    And as xkcd notes, there’s no freedom from consequences, including other people’s speech.

  8. framu 8
    22 June 2016 at 4:12 pm

    its not free speech – its paid speech. Hosking and farrar dont get to use free speech as a defense as hosking is paid to be there, paid to say the things he says and with the consent of his employer

    the only right hosking has to free speech is when hes not being paid for what comes out of his mouth

    anyone has the right, using their own free speech, to voice their opinion and use “market forces” to influence change

    why does DPF hate free speech and market forces so much?

    • Nessalt 8.1
      22 June 2016 at 4:16 pm

      Using your free speech so silence dissenting opinions, especially when you won’t debate them in person, is cowardice. hiding behind a petition is somehow “market forces”

      If that is the case, ratings vs petition. i wonder who wins

      • Richardrawshark 8.1.1
        22 June 2016 at 4:29 pm

        It is the right using Hooten and Farrar to manage the media through the Herald, Hoskings on TV and Radio, Henry , having news lite on TV3, when Hoskings is on, forcing people to only hear your side of the argument. I totally disagree with you, I think it is you guys silencing the opposition and anyone who disagree’s with the policies National implements.

        I think it’s completely fair of the opposition to try to fight you, you coming here just shows you know this and are doing your bit to keep the left voiceless.

      • McFlock 8.1.2
        22 June 2016 at 4:31 pm

        If that is the case, ratings vs petition. i wonder who wins

        Indeed.

        Ratings are a crude and strictly commercial measure of the performance of our public broadcaster.

        A petition is possibly even more crude, but a qualitative measure of the performance of one of our public broadcaster’s employees amongst more active viewers – I’m assuming many have signed a counter-petition supporting him (who knows?).

        Nobody is trying to silence Hosking. Just that his voice is not compatible with the role of a public broadcaster. He can work for tv3, and their decision will be strictly commercial (maybe now weldon’s left lol). He can offer his opinions genuinely for free. Yay for him.

        And yes, TVNZ will make their decision. I suspect not much will change, but hopefully Hosking has learned a thing or two from the jeremy clarkson adventure – no ego is indispensable.

        • Grantoc 8.1.2.1
          22 June 2016 at 9:16 pm

          TVNZ is not required to be a ‘public broadcaster’ and so is not one.

          It is a commercial SOE enterprise and has been encouraged to be so by various governments over the years.

          Hoskings’ voice is compatible with TVNZ’s commercial orientation – because his 7pm show has a very large following he is delivering the kind of commercial outcomes that TVNZ wants. And so long as it continues to do they will continue to employ him.

          The petition will have no affect on TVNZ and its employment of Hoskings.

          • Robertina 8.1.2.1.1
            22 June 2016 at 9:56 pm

            TVNZ is not a public broadcaster. That people haven’t noticed is testament to the ill-informed population that results from a lack of public broadcasting.
            TV3 has done more public interest journalism than TVNZ in the past couple of decades.
            However. TVNZ is a legacy broadcaster using assets built up under public ownership for commercial gain while dumbing down the public.
            I don’t think the petition will achieve much, but if it opened up a debate on public broadcasting that would be a good thing.

          • McFlock 8.1.2.1.2
            23 June 2016 at 12:21 am

            Yeah, paul henry had good ratings on TV1, too. Went off to make it big in the US, or something.

            • Chris 8.1.2.1.2.1
              23 June 2016 at 12:38 am

              But ratings mean nothing when the reason for watching is to see how appalling hosking can be. i find myself tuning in quite often at 7.27 just to experience first hand what a prat the guy is.

      • framu 8.1.3
        22 June 2016 at 4:39 pm

        ” i wonder who wins” – well thats up to his employers obviously

        no ones silencing anything – its not a petition to sow his mouth shut

        and since when did people get the ability to debate with hosking on the same platform he gets?

      • lprent 8.1.4
        22 June 2016 at 5:03 pm

        If that is the case, ratings vs petition. i wonder who wins

        Aren’t the ratings in NZ calculated from less than 600 set top boxes? So tell me – is 16,000 greater than 600?

        I guess you weren’t that good at counting your fingers and toes as well. Were they non-symmetrical in your inbred little world? Have you been lopsided ever since?

        • b waghorn 8.1.4.1
          22 June 2016 at 5:10 pm

          We got interviewed to see if we were suitable to have a ratings box , we failed to get chosen because we didn’t watch much TV. So the only people who will have said boxes are probably of the less decerning type who’ll watch any old shit.
          Wish I’d bullshitted them as I recall the money wasn’t bad.

          • Draco T Bastard 8.1.4.1.1
            22 June 2016 at 6:35 pm

            Was wondering about that. It points to TV ratings being a very poor measure of what people actually want to watch.

            I suspect that the only way to get anything even close to anything accurate is to do an actual survey of people. Last time I was surveyed on TV when I said I didn’t watch TV they finished the survey. IIRC, the number of people who don’t watch TV wasn’t reported in the results.

          • Dennis Frank 8.1.4.1.2
            22 June 2016 at 8:15 pm

            Interesting, never heard of anyone actually having a ratings box & years ago figured they must be a typical capitalist bullshit scheme – to fake ratings. So they’re actually real, huh?

            Even so, as lprent implies, only 600 nationwide is a small sample. To get a 3% margin of error for the standard political poll you have to use a thousand people, right? Means the ratings have around 5% uncertainty, making them barely indicative, meaningless.

            Congrats on getting a life instead of watching tv (end of ’73 I bailed out too). Karl Marx said in the 19th century that religion is the opiate of the masses, then it was pulp fiction, movies, tv, websites – real life can be such dire drudgery that we can’t blame simple folk if they get their transcendence from media, eh?

            • b waghorn 8.1.4.1.2.1
              22 June 2016 at 8:21 pm

              What surprised me was that as most people either have sky decoder or free tv one i had assumed they would of had a way of getting usage data from them.
              I do still watch , but im very selective , except for my paul henry addiction ,cant explain that one.

        • In Vino 8.1.4.2
          22 June 2016 at 5:59 pm

          Now that is starting to look self-indulgent, lprent.

          But I like it. (Just checked my own toes for symmetry..)

  9. Tarquin 9
    22 June 2016 at 4:32 pm

    Personally I can’t stand the bloke, but wouldn’t it be easier just to change channel? works for me. Trying to get something banned because you disagree with it is not a good thing and I suspect it will have the opposite effect.

    • McFlock 9.1
      22 June 2016 at 4:36 pm

      “banned”?

      lol

      I’d settle for “not publicly funded”.

      • Gangnam Style 9.1.1
        22 June 2016 at 4:45 pm

        “I’d settle for “not publicly funded”” – which is what the petition is about. I don’t care what he says in The Herald, 1ZB or at Sky City.

    • Whateva Next 9.2
      22 June 2016 at 4:37 pm

      I grew up with a current affairs type programme after main news…….now I watch Shortland Street, which is actually tackling more important issues that either of the main channels vacuous offerings, so yes,
      ” but wouldn’t it be easier just to change channel?” but when do we get some serious discourse on the TV, if not then, at least Campbell is back on the radio..

    • Richardrawshark 9.3
      22 June 2016 at 4:43 pm

      That’s the problem, change the chanel, frankly I wouldn’t mind sitting down after diner and hearing how the nations doing, whats happening that doesn’t have a slant on it. I can’t, at that time it’s Hoskings or Story..which I am unsure what story actually is, news, flakey lite?

      so now at 7 I watch something else, neither of them, and I miss my 7pm info slot, thanks right wing fucktards, now it’s Hoskings super love for national or nothings. Brilliant choices no?

      • KB 9.3.1
        22 June 2016 at 5:06 pm

        Hi Richardrawshark

        I can recommend watching Waatea 5th Estate on at 7 pm on Face TV or live on the Daily Blog. Usually has excellent discussions about topical stuff with interesting guests. Also no ads, so a full half hour of in depth discussion.

      • Tony Veitch (not the partner-bashing 3rd rate broadcaster) 9.3.2
        22 June 2016 at 5:13 pm

        RS – go to the Daily Blog at 7.01 to watch Bomber Bradley and panel discuss aspects of the political scene from a ‘realistic’ point of view. I do! I won’t let Hoskings into my living room!

        • stunned mullet 9.3.2.1
          22 June 2016 at 9:06 pm

          If the only choice is Hosking or Bradbury I believe my preference would be to put my John Thomas into the wall socket and flick the switch on …………………………….mmm electrifying !

      • Richardrawshark 9.3.3
        22 June 2016 at 5:24 pm

        Ty guys i’ll watch it tonight, if it’s good it might prompt me to finally link the PC to the TV .

        Cheers for the heads up.

        • Corokia 9.3.3.1
          22 June 2016 at 8:12 pm

          As a leftie I think Bomber’s heart is in the right place and I enjoy watching him now and then, but tax payer funded tv should be impartial.

          • Gangnam Style 9.3.3.1.1
            22 June 2016 at 8:20 pm

            Bomber is not tax payer funded. So whats ya point?

            • Gangnam Style 9.3.3.1.1.1
              22 June 2016 at 8:48 pm

              My mistake Corokia, got ya point on a reread, apologies.

              • corokia …
                22 June 2016 at 9:25 pm

                All good GS 🙂

                Too easy for us all to select our incoming info to suit our biases. I read the Standard because I feel heartened to know there are lots of other left wing people out there and I want to read about current issues from a left wing perspective. I watch Bomber for similar reasons.

                The right wing have always had much much more money than the left (what with being selfish, greedy, money grubbing arseholes who rip off everyone etc etc)
                and most privately funded media is owned by the right wing. They pretend to be ‘independent”, which is a load of shit. So most citizens are getting distractions and lies from the likes of TV3, Fairfax and so on. It has a huge influence on how people vote and why they ignore serious issues like climate change.

                For taxpayer funded media to employ Hosking and give him a platform to shout out his right wing, National party cheerleading views is absolutely disgraceful.

            • stunned mullet 9.3.3.1.1.2
              22 June 2016 at 9:09 pm

              Isn’t Bradbury’s vehicle funded by Te Mangai Paho ?

              • Gangnam Style …
                22 June 2016 at 9:45 pm

                That’s fairly specific Stunned Mullet, why do you think that? It says ‘Brought to you by ACU’.

                • stunned mullet …
                  22 June 2016 at 9:51 pm

                  By vehicle I meant Waatea, not sure who this ACU best is you speak of.

                • Gangnam Style …
                  22 June 2016 at 9:55 pm

                  ACU is a Credit Union, the TV episode says ‘brought to you by ACU’ so I would assume ACU fund the show? But I do wish you could just come right out & say what you are meaning to say rather than the rhetorical question. I had to look it up, & fair enough I should have before I made my statement. BFD, but bloody long winded way of making a point. (editted).

    • Lanthanide 9.4
      22 June 2016 at 4:51 pm

      He’s in a position where he has a lot of influence on general public opinion, and our culture as a whole.

      Having someone in such a prominent position who bashes beneficiaries and extols the virtues of capitalism and greed (as per Liz Gunn) is ultimately not a good thing for the cohesiveness of our society.

      Just because he’s popular, doesn’t mean he’s good.

    • Sabine 9.5
      22 June 2016 at 5:00 pm

      nah, we don’t want him banned, we just want him of the government tit.

      He can sprout his believes as much as anyone, i just don’t want any of my taxpayers dollar going to fund his Ferrari and his frankly horrendous haircut.

      Surely, the private market will have a place and a paymaster for someone like M.H to continue his ‘journalism’. I mean look at the US, they still have Rush Limbaugh.

      • KJT 9.5.1
        22 June 2016 at 9:08 pm

        Possibly New Zealand’s highest paid State beneficiary.

        Key, Brownlee, Bennet, Parata, Joyce, et al must be upset?

        “Bludgers”?

      • srylands 9.5.2
        23 June 2016 at 9:24 am

        “He can sprout his believes as much as anyone, i just don’t want any of my taxpayers dollar going to fund his Ferrari and his frankly horrendous haircut.”
        _____

        You do understand that TVNZ is a commercial broadcaster, right?

        • One Anonymous Bloke 9.5.2.1
          23 June 2016 at 9:28 am

          Publicly owned and operated, Wormtongue S Rylands. Why do you tell so many lies? Because without them, you’d have nothing to say.

        • framu 9.5.2.2
          23 June 2016 at 12:22 pm

          you do understand the role of the 4th estate and the effect that a narrowing of voices and a blurring of fact and opinion has on both the nations understanding of important issues and the ease of message manipulation?

        • Richardrawshark 9.5.2.3
          23 June 2016 at 3:49 pm

          and who changed that ? National, why? did they campaign on it?, have a mandate to do it, wouldn’t have anything to do with your radical undeclared policies of harm you wanted to implement.

          It’s ok can’t last forever remember you started the war, when you get paid back, what’s it going to be like for you for 8 years listening to only the lefts point of view, everywhere.

  10. Lanthanide 10
    22 June 2016 at 4:44 pm

    The alt text / title text on the comic (hover your mouse over it at the xkcd site) I think is actually the most important part of this comic. Here it is:

    I can’t remember where I heard this, but someone once said that defending a position by citing free speech is sort of the ultimate concession; you’re saying that the most compelling thing you can say for your position is that it’s not literally illegal to express.

    Should be added to the article under the comic IMO.

    • Gangnam Style 10.1
      22 June 2016 at 5:21 pm

      Very well spotted Lanthanide!

    • Draco T Bastard 10.2
      22 June 2016 at 6:37 pm

      Yes, that is a good point and certainly needs to be well circulated.

    • Dale 10.3
      22 June 2016 at 8:57 pm

      Yeah just like saying it’s for the public good when hacking and publishing private emails eh?

      • Hanswurst 10.3.1
        22 June 2016 at 9:45 pm

        The above may very well be the stupidest comment ever to appear on The Standard. Dale, saying that something is morally right despite its breaking laws is the exact opposite of saying, “Well, it must be fine because it’s not illegal”.

        • ropata 10.3.1.1
          24 June 2016 at 12:38 am

          so much resentment about FJK and cronies being exposed

          almost as bad as criticising St Richie

          ignorance is bliss

          so pigheaded RW fuckwittery must be nirvana

      • Gangnam Style 10.3.2
        22 June 2016 at 9:46 pm

        LABOUR DID IT TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  11. DS 11
    22 June 2016 at 5:23 pm

    I normally don’t have much time for internet petitions, but since this one annoys The Penguin so much, I just had to sign it.

    • Draco T Bastard 11.1
      22 June 2016 at 6:39 pm

      I happen to think that they’re great and the more people that use them and start to see results because of them the better as it starts a cultural change to full democracy.

  12. Nck 12
    22 June 2016 at 5:41 pm

    I really enjoyed signing the petition 🙂

    • Chooky 12.1
      22 June 2016 at 6:10 pm

      me also…although I hardly ever watch him…he is one of the reasons I rarely watch tv news/current affairs..it is puerile and biased

  13. Iron Sky 13
    22 June 2016 at 9:04 pm

    Quote:

    Movie: Look Who’s Back

    “When times are tough, people want comforting programs,” he explains. “I understand. In 1944, we produced light comedy films … [but Germany] is running towards an abyss and we do not see because television blinds us. Instead, we watch cooking shows.”

    End Quote

    Hoskings is a cooking show…..

    Oh wait…. I just quoted a line from Hitler in a fictitious movie….. bugger I’m all confused……..

    We live in a most confusing terrible comedy….. An infinite loop of poooop!

  14. KJT 14
    22 June 2016 at 9:11 pm

    “only the truely ignorant, can speak with perfect confidence in their correctness”

  15. KJT 15
    22 June 2016 at 9:12 pm

    “only the truely ignorant, can speak with such confidence”

    • Iron Sky 15.1
      22 June 2016 at 9:15 pm

      A growing body of psychology research shows that incompetence deprives people of the ability to recognize their own incompetence. To put it bluntly, dumb people are too dumb to know it. Similarly, unfunny people don’t have a good enough sense of humor to tell.

      This disconnect may be responsible for many of society’s problems.

      • Nelson Muntz 15.1.1
        23 June 2016 at 1:24 pm

        That explains the regular commentators here.

        Zzzzzzzzzzzzzziiiiiiiinnnnngggggggg!!!

  16. Iron Sky 16
    22 June 2016 at 9:12 pm

    Quote:

    https://warisboring.com/look-who-s-back-is-a-most-terrifying-comedy-769fe70b14c5#.2v0ti2rks

    “And that’s when the movie takes a turn. Oliver Masucci is incredible as Hitler. Most media portray the Fuhrer as either a clown or a super-villain. But Masucci somehow manages to do a slapstick Hitler that’s still ruthless, intelligent … and charismatic.
    I’ve never before seen a performance of Hitler that made me understand why Germany elected him. He was a gassy little Austrian with a Charlie Chaplin mustache and delusions of grandeur. Masucci makes him menacing.!

    Hoskings?

  17. Mike Bond 17
    23 June 2016 at 9:19 am

    I firstly have to say I do not watch Seven Sharp as I find Hosking to be a bit over the top and very full of himself. But when the show is averaging 440 000 viewers a night as apposed to 238 000 for Story, you have to think that maybe it should be Story getting the can as did Campbell LIve. I also don’t watch Story.

    • whateva next? 17.1
      23 June 2016 at 3:01 pm

      I don’t think this is about Story v Seven Sharp, yes, they are both serving their purpose of dumbing down the people, equally well.
      I resent Hoskins getting paid out my taxes when he is so self-serving and all the other far more erudite comments on the petition site.

      • srylands 17.1.1
        24 June 2016 at 7:25 am

        He isn’t paid out of your taxes. He works for a commercial network. That happens to be owned by the Crown. He generates revenue for the network. That drives profit and dividends. When he stops generating profits that will be the end.

        • whateva next? 17.1.1.1
          24 June 2016 at 9:37 am

          thanks for that, I still believe he is a drain, and contributes nothing of value

  18. tom 18
    23 June 2016 at 2:13 pm

    To have a functioning democracy we need balance in information flow to the broad public, and as media is the main mechanism by which we communicate with one another, we need balance in this format, particularily a State broadcaster, that should be its main function. That there is no balance whatsoever, as can be highlighted so obviously thru muppets like the hosk, henry and HDPA/Garner etc, in MSM the public are not informed in a balanced way about the world in which they live so therefore cannot make balanced decisions or judgments, so we do not have a functioning democracy in that environment.
    This is why it is so important, and often i believe us people that are into Politics forget what it is to be so unaware and basically pissing in the dark, and may say well people can read btwn the lines of someone like Hosk, as they can filter that he is a dedicated Right wing hack, but the majority of Nzers do not have that ability to read btwn lines and filter, like we may be able to. I know a lot of people i work with and friends that are totally turned off by Politics and politicians have no inkling of whats going on, and if i try to advise them of the LW angle (rather than the RW view of LW politics, which is all MSM basically provide) they appear dumbfounded often as it is so out of whack with any information they have ever been presented with before.
    Example: had a friend watch a Chomsky doco and Adam Curtis’s Century of the Self, his head basically exploded it was so out there, in comparison to any info he had been brainwashed with previously

    • Doogs 18.1
      23 June 2016 at 4:57 pm

      This so right on the button, thanks tom.

      The whole discussion revolves around balance and appropriateness. That there is no balance on on either TVNZ or TV3 is the core of the problem. With the demise of Campbell Live we lost a heavyweight on that end of the see-saw. The result is that the leaden turds at the MH PH end of the spectrum are given free reign to weigh down the plank and feed RW poison into the public mind. OK, so people should be discerning about what they hear. But they aren’t. They get sucked into the vortex, because that’s ALL they hear.

      The other issue is how appropriate certain platforms are, for what they espouse. Regardless of how commercial or otherwise TVNZ channels are, there is an element of ‘public broadcasting’ about their brief. MH can spout his RW poison anytime, anywhere to anyone, provided he doesn’t get paid as a ‘journalist’ on my TV screen to do so. He can hold public meetings, write blogs, publish his own newspaper – whatever – just not on my box.

      I don’t watch him. I don’t watch PH. I don’t listen to ZB with their reactionary, neo-lib talkback hosts. I long for some real alternative MSM outlet to tell NZers what is really going on in our country.

      The Fourth Estate is a disgrace. They’re about a one-and-a-half estate at the moment. They need to ‘get some guts’ and do some real reporting.

      • Richard McGrath 18.1.1
        24 June 2016 at 6:19 pm

        So you’re OK with commentators on public TV, as long as they’re not professing right wing views?

  19. Alicia G 19
    23 June 2016 at 3:03 pm

    “Or perhaps he just doesn’t understand what free speech is.”

    If the author cant see the irony in this then I give up.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 19.1
      24 June 2016 at 9:51 am

      Fuck you’re an idiot: Hosking is free to spew his gobshite anywhere he likes. As part of a publicly owned news service, not so much.

      You lack the ability to understand this. Poor you.

      • srylands 19.1.1
        24 June 2016 at 10:04 am

        You are making subjective judgements. John Campbell spews his shit on RNZ every day. And unlike Hosking he really is paid from public funds. Of course like any rational person I have simply stopped listening. I recognise that many New Zealanders are socialists and enjoy Campbell. I don’t become retarded and start a petition.

        • tom 19.1.1.1
          24 June 2016 at 11:42 am

          To have a functioning democracy we need balance in information flow to the broad public, and as media is the main mechanism by which we communicate with one another, we need balance in this format, particularily a State broadcaster, that should be its main function.
          read the rest of my comment above also.
          We do not, it is hack RW propaganda 24/7 and you you are the retarded fool who cannot see the wood for the trees, try reading broadly and informing yourself about the world you live in, you poor sod, cause sadly you ain’t gonna get informed on MSM, as described above, and without balanced info you cannot make good judgements and hence sound like a naive fool, or perhaps paid PR hack who sells his/her soul for a few bucks, so stop being ‘retarded’ yourself and get a f..ing grip man, its about the need for balance

  20. Richard McGrath 20
    24 June 2016 at 6:16 pm

    “DPF hates views that are not his own”

    Who doesn’t?

    “and thinks they shouldn’t be expressed”

    Not so, he is against attempts to close off free speech which would be the effect of gagging Hosking.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 20.1
      24 June 2016 at 8:43 pm

      Gagging? How does taking his bully pulpit away gag him, dummkopf?

      • Richard McGrath 20.1.1
        24 June 2016 at 11:10 pm

        I was referring to gagging him on public TV, which we are all (including people with rightist political views) forced to pay for. He would of course, be free to air his views elsewhere. If TVNZ was privatised I wouldn’t have a concern if Hosking was given his marching orders. The fact that it is funded coercively by everyone means people of all political stripes should be able to use it to put their opinions across.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 20.1.1.1
          25 June 2016 at 5:31 am

          …instead, we have a delusional right wing bigot given a bully pulpit in a prime timeslot. As for paying his wages, S Rylands has been very busy telling everyone it’s commercially funded.