“Reporters”.

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, October 17th, 2017 - 56 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, broadcasting, corruption, crosby textor, democracy under attack, democratic participation, Dirty Politics, journalism, making shit up, newspapers, Propaganda, radio, uncategorized - Tags:

“Once upon a time, in a world far away” we had these people called “reporters”.
An honourable profession, who considered it their job to keep the public accurately and completely informed.

Now almost extinct.

Killed off by Journalists, “shock jocks, “broadcasters, PR people, and spin doctors.
An interchangeable bunch who think their job is to tell us what to think, “entertain” peddle propaganda for their employers, stir controversy, and when there is not enough “news”.

“make things up”!

56 comments on ““Reporters”. ”

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  1. mac1 1
    17 October 2017 at 9:01 am

    I note on Facebook that Newshub says that Jacinda Ardern has a “tick” (sic) rather than a wink.

    I ask, is the typo intentional? Is this a clue? If you remove the ‘k’ from ‘wink’, as Newshub should have with ‘tick’ then you get ‘WIN’! A sign! A sign!

    • cleangreen 1.1
      17 October 2017 at 9:06 am

      Be nice to think this eh mac1.

      I feared another national jaunta again.

      Then a roll back of yet more privacy and more rules to control us further.

      • greywarshark 1.1.1
        17 October 2017 at 11:18 am

        Another sign! cleangreen fears another national jaunta again. Does it mean that we will be on holdiay from neolib and even the free market? Or is it a case of getting not ‘the’ junta but ‘a’ junta?

        The waiting is dreadful, I hope Winston and his junta are enjoying themselves while they are carefully sorting ideas on the best way to move, the best direction to take which affects us all. Something that they will be happy to tell their grandchildren about the good they did for the country, not the reverse which worked out okay for them but the rest can go jump.

  2. cleangreen 2
    17 October 2017 at 9:02 am

    Yes yes yes; – they have sold their souls to the highest bidder.

    Money talks truth walks. is their motto I believe.

    We will only see truth in media when the whole system is regulated with standatds returned to the time past when truth ruled.

  3. ianmac 3
    17 October 2017 at 9:09 am

    I think I saw a Reporter last week. He was scruffy and he was gaunt. He had the harried look of a fugitive. But maybe he was just another homeless fellow? Hard to tell.

    • cleangreen 3.1
      17 October 2017 at 11:39 am

      Yes me to Mac1,

      When i was camping at the beach last year I saw one, – he looked bedraggled and down on his luck, but proud to have been a jouralist for a major paper previously.

      I hear that they are being paid less and less over time now also.

    • Robert Guyton 3.2
      17 October 2017 at 11:59 am

      “I think I saw a Reporter last week. He was scruffy and he was gaunt”
      Did he have chipmunk cheeks? They have reserves stored in there, for lean times…

      • OncewasTim 3.2.1
        17 October 2017 at 3:04 pm

        You did @Robert. It was Alfred E Neuman parading under a nom de plume ….. Patrick or Paddy something or other. I think there’s an Anne Rand parading around in the upper north with an alias …. possibly Lisa or something. She usually wears a black Tshirt when not on camera with words in pink – designed to make us all think she’s ‘a regular gal’.
        Ignore both is the best policy otherwise they’re inclined to have an orgasm

  4. Patricia Bremner 4
    17 October 2017 at 9:16 am

    The attack line is to make Jacinder appear “light weight”.

    “She is no Helen Clark” they say.

    “She took gingernuts and chocolate wheaten to the meeting” they say.

    “She had time off for stress” they say.

    “She was carrying a tank juice, for those who want to know”

    “It was a very productive meeting” she said not stopping to talk with journalists.

    What these fools don’t realise, many have met her. Know her to be caring and genuine.

    Something these idiots will never be!!

    • greywarshark 4.1
      17 October 2017 at 11:11 am

      I wonder if she had a toilet stop. Could have been translated as –

      She hasn’t get the stomach for the job!
      Or that stress was obviously making her uncomfortable.
      Or that a possible stomach ailment might derail vital political talks.
      Or that she obviously isn’t prepared for the long, hard hours of meetings required for political work.

      I guess they make it up as they go along. These RW political hacks are just people who can turn out a story and know a lot of the background. It’s just a branch of the celebrity media for many of them. The important things to know are the juicy, bitchy bits and how to use them best so they can be popped out at crucial times in a knowing fashion for ulterior motives.

    • cleangreen 4.2
      17 October 2017 at 11:26 am

      1000% patricia,

      I am gutted her own gender are running her down, and I was born in the 1940’s when women stuck together it is so sad to see them now bought by the almighty dollar.

      Shallow all these traitors to womenhood,!!!!

      I say this as a 73 yr old man who respect all women, but is heart broken by seeing so many traitors amonst them now.

      • Patricia Bremner 4.2.1
        17 October 2017 at 3:01 pm

        4.2 cleangreen, we have corporate hacks like Rachel Smalley.

        They follow their bosses wishes. She is moving into the corporate world to write their copy no doubt.

        • Obtrectator 4.2.1.1
          17 October 2017 at 3:52 pm

          Mmmm. I used to respect Rachel for being a “proper” journalist when she was fronting Sunday morning current affairs shows. But it sounds like she ought to go back to doing football reports for the Dom.

  5. One Anonymous Bloke 5
    17 October 2017 at 9:19 am

    The tension between the yellow press and the rest is not a new phenomenon, as William Randolph Hearst and Rupert Murdoch can attest.

    “Reputable” sources can be equally suspect:

    Media critics such as Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky (1988) have described a propaganda model that they use to show how, in practice, such a notion of objectivity ends up heavily favoring the viewpoint of government and powerful corporations, ultimately perhaps leading to an over-reliance on ‘official’ sources.

    Wikipedia.

    The relentless stream of low-grade opinion does get pretty grating though. What possible use are eg: Drunken Garner’s reckons?

  6. Ad 6
    17 October 2017 at 9:43 am

    On the day that a key investigative reporter into the Panama Papers is assassinated by car bomb, the sentiment of the post is completely wrong and poorly timed.

    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/car-bomb-kills-investigative-journalist-malta-50512095

    There have in this century and the previous one always been a very few individuals who broke great stories. It always will be so long as there are functioning advanced democracies.

    Good Night, and Good Luck.

    • Sparky 6.1
      17 October 2017 at 9:49 am

      There will always be exceptions to the rule. Of course these are the people we need to value and protect. I hope they catch those responsible and throw away the key.

      • Obtrectator 6.1.1
        17 October 2017 at 10:49 am

        From the sound of it, “they” – or their hangers-on – could have been behind the perpetrators. I dare say a couple of “bodies” (to use a bit of UK underworld/police argot) will be claimed for the actual crime, but the people who organised and financed them will remain at large.

    • Hanswurst 6.2
      17 October 2017 at 10:08 am

      On the day that a key investigative reporter into the Panama Papers is assassinated by car bomb, the sentiment of the post is completely wrong and poorly timed.

      Oh for goodness’ sake.

      • Anne 6.2.1
        17 October 2017 at 10:22 am

        Oh for goodness’ sake.

        Agreed.

        Btw, further vital information that the journos can chew over for most of today:

        Shane Jones said as he entered today’s talking session…. “soon the monarch butterfly will emerge”.

        Now that’s gotta be a reference to Jacinda Ardern. The last thing one could liken Bill English to… is a monarch butterfly. 😕

        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_cid=1&gallery_id=183336

        • Hanswurst 6.2.1.1
          17 October 2017 at 10:28 am

          Paula Bennett…

          Assuming, of course, that there is a god, and that she is vengeful.

          • Whispering Kate 6.2.1.1.1
            17 October 2017 at 10:46 am

            There would never be a chrysalis big enough for our Paula.

            • Robert Guyton 6.2.1.1.1.1
              17 October 2017 at 12:02 pm

              I’m thinking, huhu.

              • KJT …
                17 October 2017 at 12:57 pm

                Jones had a slight upward tilt to the corners of his lips as he left the meeting.

                It means NZF are going to be part of a new Government. Or Peters is leaving the decision until 2020. Or Someone just told Shane a dirty joke. Or NZF have just negotiated free porn for all MP’s?

                • Robert Guyton …
                  17 October 2017 at 1:30 pm

                  Jones’ “slight upward tilt” is the classic sign that the Cialis is kicking in.

              • peterlepaysan …
                17 October 2017 at 10:18 pm

                Hey! Lay off the huhu. They are are both attractive and delicious.

        • BM 6.2.1.2
          17 October 2017 at 10:51 am

          I wouldn’t read too much into that

          Jones prose has always been rather flowery, in this case, the monarch is the new Government

        • One Anonymous Bloke 6.2.1.3
          17 October 2017 at 12:19 pm

          The butterfly is the new government. Being a butterfly, it has two wings and a body. Should anyone read anything into that? Probably not 🙂

          • Robert Guyton 6.2.1.3.1
            17 October 2017 at 1:33 pm

            Plus, a “Johnston’s organ” (located at the base of the antennae).
            Who knew? (and what does it signify??? )
            I’m picking, Jacinda for PM (Popular Monarch)

    • One Anonymous Bloke 6.3
      17 October 2017 at 10:55 am

      Too soon to talk about it eh?

      Is it too soon to quote Daphne Caruana Galizia on the subject?

      A couple of crooks on a propaganda station: and they call it ‘journalism’.

    • Bill 6.4
      17 October 2017 at 11:01 am

      Maybe we should get into the habit of distinguishing between journalists and commissars: stenographers and reporters?

    • Patricia Bremner 6.5
      17 October 2017 at 2:36 pm

      6 Ad, that is terrible. She was an investigative journalist. Those who look into corruption live in danger, as their card is marked by the powerful who hire filth to deal with their problems, often killing the messenger.

      The group sitting on steps and in hallways making inane nonsense up are not journalists, but are a political hacks.

      There is no comparison.

  7. greywarshark 7
    17 October 2017 at 10:39 am

    RIP now for investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta.

    Already the story about her being blown up by a car bomb is being disarranged! I have read that her body was flung into a field when she was driving. The New York Post – “Caruana Galizia, 53, had just driven away from her home in Mosta, near the capital Valletta, when the bomb obliterated her Peugeot 108 and sent her body flying over a wall and into a field.” (After they show a helicopter view they blast your ears off with loud guitar music. Unpleasant.)

    But the car is in the middle of a field. She wasn’t driving in a field surely. It is more likely that she was killed and the car driven into a field where the bomb was set to go off and obliterate evidence.

    This has a lot of background.
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/16/investigative-maltese-journalist-killed-car-bomb/

    Stuff has video link.
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/97946326/Bomb-kills-reporter-who-covered-Maltas-Panama-Papers-link
    John Key comments on the concerns that we were tax haven with an overlay of foreign voice report! Then a heading comes up about the legal case against the merger of Fairfax and something else. But they already seem to be merging with others. At the present Trump is talking about something.

  8. mac1 8
    17 October 2017 at 11:08 am

    It seems that NZF’s Shane Jones has given a message to Gower.

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/10/live-updates-shane-jones-biblical-message-for-patrick-gower.html

    I thought the biblical quote would be along the lines of “Go thou and do likewise”, but it’s much more obtuse than that.

    Proverbs 29:14 The quotation is: “If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will be established forever.”

    • Anne 8.1
      17 October 2017 at 11:52 am

      He’s having fun with them.

    • Robert Guyton 8.2
      17 October 2017 at 12:05 pm

      “If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will be established forever.”
      That’s something.

      • mac1 8.2.1
        17 October 2017 at 12:12 pm

        If nothing else, he’s aware of the quote, and what it means!

        Fairness has been one of Labour’s philosophical words. Jones would have had this as part of his political vocabulary from way back.

    • Keepcalmcarryon 8.3
      17 October 2017 at 8:23 pm

      More likely Shane Jones is just trying to sound clever.

  9. cleangreen 9
    17 October 2017 at 12:44 pm

    Shane Jones is sending a message eh?
    “If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will be established forever.”

    Winston truly does care about us kiwis that I know clearly after meeting him and hearing his speeches around HB/Gisborne in the last four years.

    I hope he goes with labour.

  10. Cinny 10
    17 October 2017 at 2:29 pm

    Keep the public informed?

    Goodness no, we aim to keep the public controlled because we lack the courage and/or conviction to inform them. sarc.

    Maybe NZ media could do a follow up feature on the Panama Papers?

    Another life was lost today due to a brave journalist informing the public.

    Deepest sympathies to her family and loved ones.
    Those who had the priviledge to know her should feel proud, she made a difference, she did what she could to help change the world.
    Much respect to Daphne Caruana Galizia, thank you for being, bless.

    Opposition leader Adrian Delia said the blogger was the victim of a “political murder”.

    “Caruana Galizia revealed the Panama Papers and was the government’s strongest critic,” he said, calling for a independent probe of her killing.

    “We will not accept an investigation by the Commissioner of Police, the Army commander or the duty magistrate, all of whom were at the heart of criticism by Caruana Galizia,” he said.”
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/341712/panama-papers-journalist-killed-in-malta-car-bomb

  11. cleangreen 11
    17 October 2017 at 3:17 pm

    Add me to those sentiments Cinny.

    Another fine soul gone to heaven and at this rate more good will be there not here.

    Rest in peace dear Daphne Caruana Galizia, we shall remember you.

  12. savenz 12
    17 October 2017 at 3:34 pm

    Sadly neoliberalism does not really like truth. Very inconvenient.

    Journalists are a casualty of that. Remember when workers of media companies were valued, if they were killed trying to get the truth out, their organisation would kick up a big fuss? Not anymore. Now everyone is an independent contractor. Journo’s they have not fired work on zero hour contracts on minimal wages. Sad stuff.

    Part of the problem is that there are few big players and now media is part of a portfolio of business whose main focus is profits and controlling news is part of that process to keep the profits rolling in.

  13. Ed 13
    17 October 2017 at 7:37 pm

    Repeaters, not reporters

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