Great expectations?

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, July 9th, 2009 - 10 comments
Categories: Media - Tags:

Clare Trevett, I know it’s very exciting going on a free trip to the islands but could we have some actual reporting?

You spent half your report from Tonga talking about the king’s dogs and how funny Key and the Dictator of Tonga are. Might have been nice to hear something about the start of democratisation in the kingdom, the Nuku’alofa riots were less than three years ago of course. Hell, the fact that women in pants weren’t allowed near the King (something Clark never would have meekly accepted) might have led you to look at how New Zealand aid money is being used to empower women.

But no, it was ‘doggies!’ instead.

Today‘s report from Samoa is no better. All atomspherics, no content. I just don’t know what value you think it has. Unless you’re angling for a role as social events reporter in Sunday magazine. The sad thing is there are actual stories lurking underneath the ‘omg, Key helped make coconut oil, lolz’. “Mr Key was there to look at the difference New Zealand’s seasonal employment scheme had made to villages in rural Samoa, as well as a NZ Aid funded marine conservation and research reserve.”

There you go – stories! Tell us about the seasonal employment program – is it working for the Samoans? Is it working for New Zealand? Remember when Lockwood Smith made racist comments comparing Asians and Islanders who come over under the scheme? How’s the NZAID project going? Good use of taxpayer money? Is this the kind of project put at risk by folding NZAID back into MFAT?

Too much to ask for, I guess.

10 comments on “Great expectations? ”

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  1. ghostwhowalks 1
    9 July 2009 at 10:45 am

    You dont get a trip that is practically ‘sponsored’ by the Govt without giving a payback.

    Im sure if Fairfax paid normal commercial fares by travelling on scheduled flights we might get something from their real pacific affairs reporter instead of a mid winter junket for Key ( next stop the gated condo in Hawaii).

    The otherside of it is that the Editor may have asked for fluff,as the creditors are banging on the doors

  2. Trevor Mallard 2
    9 July 2009 at 11:13 am

    TVNZ did a good job tho I can’t work out if the pisstake was deliberate or not :-http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2009/07/09/key-calls-pacific-islanders-children/

  3. Frack-checker 3
    9 July 2009 at 11:26 am

    Talking of Fiji and Samoa Key says: ‘it’s hard to choose between children even if one of them is a bit wayward at the moment’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIt2dZhElW4

    Not giving Bainimarama ammunition to paint himself as Fiji’s bastion against Aus/NZ neo-colonalism: FAIL

    Not sounding like a 19th century British imperialist talking about the subject nations: FAIL

  4. Jasper 4
    9 July 2009 at 12:07 pm

    Howabout

    “wow, pressing coconut oilz lolz, so much easier than running da country shiz!”

  5. godard 5
    9 July 2009 at 1:53 pm

    Or, If you support the National party by campaigning for them during the election you get a free trip to Samoa. Why are the rugby celebrities who told factory workers during the election ‘you shouldn’t work in the factory, you should own the factory by voting National’ holidaying in Samoa with the Prime Minister? I’d love to know how employment in that factory is right now. I guess owning the factory won’t be happening this year.

  6. gobsmacked 6
    9 July 2009 at 2:20 pm

    Has a journalist on this trip asked a single political question yet? I haven’t seen any reported. It’s a royal tour (with Key as the Duke of Edinburgh).

    e.g. Michael Jones.

    Fan’s question: “Ooh, Ice Man, gonna be an MP? Cool!”

    Journalist’s question: “Michael, do you stand by your views on the so-called smacking debate, how will you vote in the referendum, and what would you do if you were in National’s caucus?”

  7. Nick C 7
    9 July 2009 at 6:35 pm

    “Hell, the fact that women in pants weren’t allowed near the King (something Clark never would have meekly accepted).”

    Winne Laban was quoted in the paper today saying that we should respect the Tongan custom, which is the correct stance to take.

  8. Falafulu Fisi 8
    12 July 2009 at 2:02 am

    Eddie, what is your definition of dictatorship? I say that we’re not a dictator country. We do have a constitution (monarchy) and everything is done according to the constitution. The constitution was written by Methodist missionaries almost 150 years ago. Mugabe? That is what you call dictatorship. Baniaramma? That is dictatorship. Fiden Castro? That is dictatorship. Tonga? Not dictatorship.

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