Rod Oram told the truth once too often?

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, May 9th, 2017 - 28 comments
Categories: journalism, Media - Tags: , , , ,

Seems that our media no longer has room for balanced voices:

Why I’ve stopped writing for @FairfaxMediaNZ

Sunday’s was my 764th column for the Sunday Star-Times over the past 16 years.

Regrettably, it was also my last. I have resigned over editorial differences with Fairfax Media.

Thank you for following my columns, and contributing your thoughts and responses to them.

I’ll resume my normal service elsewhere soon.

All the best

Rod

See some of Oram’s work here.

28 comments on “Rod Oram told the truth once too often? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Tamati Tautuhi 1
    9 May 2017 at 10:43 am

    Another one bites the dust, unfortunately the truth hurts these days and investigative journalism is a no, no ?

  2. Bill 2
    9 May 2017 at 10:49 am

    Its been a while, but am I right in saying that Rod Oram’s economic analyses tends off towards the realm of Keynesianism or social democracy?

    Throw in his take on global warming, which from memory, was a fair bit more realistic than the usual fayre, and yeah…I guess he had to go.

  3. saveNZ 3
    9 May 2017 at 10:57 am

    Shocking. When is MSM going to learn that infotainment news is killing their industry and now we don’t trust or watch their news?

    Good luck to Rod Oram, he will move on to better things.

  4. Philj 4
    9 May 2017 at 10:58 am

    Sad day for journalism and the public who want to be informed. Thanks Rod for your work. Your column was often the only part of the paper worth reading. The Herald can’t go any lower, surely?

    • Tamati Tautuhi 4.1
      9 May 2017 at 11:05 am

      +100%

    • Wensleydale 4.2
      9 May 2017 at 12:22 pm

      I’m pretty sure they can. They’re busily digging themselves a hole as they aspire to be New Zealand’s answer to the National Enquirer.

    • peterlepaysan 4.3
      9 May 2017 at 8:27 pm

      Well he is honest, diligent, well researched and factual.
      Fairfax is clearly not interested in that sort of reportage (not attractive to enough advertisers, bugger the readers).

  5. Ad 5
    9 May 2017 at 11:06 am

    It might just have something to do with is comment in the Sunday Star Times newspaper about his approval of the Commerce Commission’s decision to deny the media merger, saying it was “robustly based on evidence, analysis and law”.

    One just suspects the Sunday Star’s owners had a different view.

    • Bob 5.1
      9 May 2017 at 1:43 pm

      Yeah, that was a pretty career limiting move. It was the right move, and I applaud him for it, but it was never going to end well, especially when it has come out during the appeal period.
      “In our view, without the merger NZME and Fairfax will be increasingly focused on their online businesses as their print products diminish in number and comprehensiveness over time,” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11848979
      Looks like Fairfax have just followed through with the Com Com’s words which are “robustly based on evidence, analysis and law” to give him the chop.

  6. Bearded Git 6
    9 May 2017 at 11:41 am

    About 8-10 years ago the SST used to be a half decent read. I would buy it and peruse over Sunday brunch. Then the content became more and more crap and sensationalist such that it simply wasn’t worth $3 to buy fire-lighting paper.

    Classic case where the owners could have continued to upmarket the paper, so that people continued to support and respect it, rather than dumb it down. The Oram situation perpetuates this. BTW Oram’s explanation for resigning from the paper is a MUST LISTEN on Radio NZ Nine to Noon at just after 11am today. I wonder if Gavin Ellis will have the balls to comment on it soon on Radio NZ.

  7. Jenny Kirk 7
    9 May 2017 at 12:23 pm

    Yeah – there’s the media bosses on the one hand saying its tough for print media these days, and there they are on the other hand providing very little of interest for people to read in the print media. If you are not into sports, racing or cars – there’s not much else to read.

  8. simbit 8
    9 May 2017 at 1:20 pm

    His was the last column I bothered reading, except for that fella who wrote on beer. He went too from memory. I expect to see Mr Oram’s work channelled through one or more Web portals because there is a market for his analyses.

  9. Whispering Kate 9
    9 May 2017 at 1:28 pm

    Newspapers are just doing as their masters dictate – that or you get your marching orders. Rod Oram is in a big line of good journalists who have pissed off enough of the owners and been given the cold shoulder The Big Banks and the Global elite owners of the media obviously do not want negative news about the status quo and certainly not journalists doing their job. The fact that readership is very low doesn’t seem to be a concern for them – democracy is in decline. It’s going to take some big cajones to fight these big boys and bring out independent newspapers, there are plenty of online sites one can access. Who reads newspapers these days anyway.

    Al Jazeera is the only news worth watching – as for local news which is so important in election year its a disgrace. Gordon McLauchlan in his “The Passionless People” put it in a nutshell – we just don’t care enough or we would be fighting seriously for our rights to balanced impartial current affairs.

  10. tc 10
    9 May 2017 at 1:34 pm

    Surprised he lasted this long and a pedictable pre-election alignment from the big end of town. Whatever they can do to dumb it down and dog whistle it in.

    fairfax is decimating its capability in oz with mass retrenchments whilst covertly granting the ceo, cfo etc massive bonuses for flogging the still valuable pieces like the real estate segment.

    You want to be informed then private media is the last place to look.

  11. ianmac 11
    9 May 2017 at 3:18 pm

    National will be glad that Rod has resigned. They have in the past ridiculed his every message. I think he is banned from Press Conferences.

    Rod is clear, succinct and well informed. Need to clone him.

  12. Skeptic 12
    9 May 2017 at 3:19 pm

    Sounds like a distinct lack of surprise here. MSM is, as usual, pandering to the low-life red-necks and ditching any decent journalist who doesn’t follow the National propaganda line. Jim could do better to join the online discussion forum offered here and elsewhere where real people debate informed opinion on constructive alternative to the current shambolic government policies.

  13. Brian O'Brien 13
    9 May 2017 at 3:38 pm

    Is this what we could have expected on a larger scale if the merger had been approved?

  14. feijoa 14
    9 May 2017 at 5:31 pm

    Good luck Rod in your future endeavours. Your sensible comments have been refreshing to say the least, and you have thrown sunlight on a lot of issues.
    Hoping RNZ don’t follow suit

  15. mosa 15
    9 May 2017 at 6:04 pm

    I stopped buying Sunday papers because they degenerated into utter garbage and not worth the money they were asking for sensational magazine hype and entertainment.

    I remember when it was two stand alone papers The Sunday Star and the Sunday Times both were good Sunday papers that were full of important content , analysis and researched articles in fact they has so much content that it would take a few days to finish reading the articles and stories.

    How times and standards have changed and quality newsprint is now consigned to a bygone era.

    I am surprised Rod has lasted this long and as the S.S.T has begins its long painful demise Rod and his valuable contribution will find a home somewhere with a media platform and an audience.
    I have no doubt about that.

    Thanks Rod for your contribution.

  16. Daveosaurus 16
    9 May 2017 at 6:10 pm

    I wonder when Moon and his muppets are going to speak out, now that there’s an actual attack against freedom of speech in this country.

  17. Nigel Gregory 17
    9 May 2017 at 9:04 pm

    Rod oram was one of the only things I’d read in the paper provided at work. I haven’t taken much notice of msm for years, too many informed and diligent reporters out there to bother. Stuff…Ha what a joke.
    The interview on RNZ is worth a listen.
    I always thought he was pretty mainstream, shows how bad things really are when he is seen as against the status quo. Capitalism is in trouble globally with not much fresh thinking outside of the left.
    Rod is a good writer and he’ll still be around I hope.
    Cheers Nigel.

  18. millsy 18
    10 May 2017 at 1:19 am

    Perhaps TS should offer Oram a guest blogging slot…??