The first Ministerial scalp?

Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, April 14th, 2024 - 27 comments
Categories: Deep stuff, Media, melissa lee, national, same old national, winston peters - Tags:

Already we have what looks like an odds on favourite for the first Ministerial scalp.

Not Casey Costello who not only is in the process of wrecking the country’s response to smoking but did not tell Cabinet that the cost of her changes to the country would be $46 billion because of worsening health outcomes. She says that the data was outdated. It cannot be that outdated that the information could not have been presented with caveats.

It is Melissa Lee who is on the rocks.

I sort of feel sorry for her.

She is in a Government with a natural inclination to do nothing at all to supporting important sectors like the media. And the Government’s minority partners think that the media are too woke, way too left wing and the puppets of the previous Government thanks to the Public Journalism Interest Fund.

This is of course deranged nonsense but they either actually believe it or they think this is an important part of the culture war diversion of attention from the actually important issues so they are happy to go along. This is an international phenomenon which unfortunately has spread to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Melissa Lee has sat on her hands as Newshub has been devastated and TVNZ has shashed its commitment to news. These have been very dark days for New Zealand media.

Lee has not ruled out one possible solution, passing Labour’s Fair Digital News Bargaining bill.

But she is content to wait until May when it is due to be reported back. The urgency of the current situation has clearly passed her by.

She was left floundering last week trying to explain what was happening to the mythical Cabinet Paper that she had been preparing to address the crisis.

But it has since been revealed what has been happening in the background.

From Tova O’Brien at Newshub:

The plot thickens in the mystery of Broadcasting Minister Melissa Lee’s media support plan.

It’s been a month and a half since the Prime Minister tasked Lee to leap into urgent action and yet, crickets.

There are reports that Winston Peters is holding up the paper because Lee failed to properly consult with NZ First.

Asked in March whether the proposal had been progressed to Cabinet prematurely, Peters blamed staff: “When things happen sometimes, it’s often due to over-exuberance on the part of staff members, not to condemn them, and a certain stage in the process is overlooked.”

But Stuff understands the normal process was actually followed, that the cabinet paper was given to coalition partners, New Zealand First and ACT, way back on March 11.

A source said that Peters claiming he hadn’t been given the paper was “bullshit”.

In fact Stuff understands that Lee’s office prepared lines to clarify the timeline and prove that Peters’ office had received the paper but they were effectively shutdown because the coalition was more important.

This will not go down well with Peters. Even when he is completely wrong he is right. And in a battle between Lee and Peters I would expect Peters to win every time, no matter what the merits are.

And it reinforces concern that this Government would be an absolute cluster fuck. Clearly the fuckings are clustering right now.

And meantime the evil presence of Rupert Murdoch looms over New Zealand’s media landscape with reports that Paul Whittaker, chief executive of ultra right Sky News Australia which is doing its best to resemble Fox News, met with Christopher Luxon on the day that the media carnage unfolded.

We should all be very afraid.

27 comments on “The first Ministerial scalp? ”

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  1. Binders full of women 1
    14 April 2024 at 10:46 am

    Scalp! Now you only need 'reservation' and 'Indian giver' and you've got Jerry getting it all wrong with Elaine's friend.

    • Mikey 1.1
      14 April 2024 at 12:14 pm

      Those whistles that only dogs can hear are pretty cool I reckon.

      • mac1 1.1.1
        14 April 2024 at 12:37 pm

        I had no idea what that referenced. I looked it up- still no wiser.

        But, it brought up some information in my memory that claimed scalping was a French invention that Native Americans adopted.

        It seems from today's research into scalps that was itself false.

        I believed for fifty years until yesterday that Lead Belly, Huddie Ledbetter, wrote The Midnight Special. It seems that the Lomaxes, well-respected folk recordists of Southern music, got that wrong.

        IT misuse, failing memory, misinformation, lying- what can be trusted? 1984, forty years on….

        • Binders full of women 1.1.1.1
          14 April 2024 at 2:29 pm

          Jerry Seinfield is dating Elaine's native American friend. She asks "How did you manage to get Yankee tickets?" Jerry stammers "from those guys who sell tickets outside the ballpark". Although more likely Mets (Jerry's team).

    • mickysavage 1.2
      14 April 2024 at 5:58 pm

      It is a very well used phrase in politics. The rest of your comment does not make sense.

      • simbit 1.2.1
        15 April 2024 at 7:45 am

        And like "off the rez" and "hold the fort", orginating in racist discourse outta North America. Admittedly, I'm sensitized to this after a few years in Nth American academia (got schooled on the term 'disseminate' for spreading knowledge…).

  2. Tiger Mountain 2
    14 April 2024 at 11:20 am

    Ms. Lee was a mediocre lifestyle presenter at best, and seems obviously under skilled for the machinations of Ministerial life–her main skill might just be crawling–to explain her rise in the ranks. She is also rather good at avoiding public scrutiny and accountability.

    The hint of an NZ version of Fox is a worry indeed, there is already a MAGA style audio channel with ZB. It is interesting the TVNZ shows cut include “Sunday”–investigative journalism into difficult subjects, and “Fair Go” where bent businesses and scammers are held to account, while dumbed down “reality” shows galore carry on.

    • Dolomedes III 2.1
      14 April 2024 at 11:34 am

      Melissa Lee was one of only 8 MP's who had the courage and good sense to vote against the inclusion of gender identity in the "Conversion Practices" ban recently legislated by the NZ parliament. Before judging her harshly, you might consider her courageous opposition to the trans cult that is causing irreversible damage to many young people in the West.

    • Bearded Git 2.2
      14 April 2024 at 11:44 am

      Cancelling current affairs/political shows such as Sunday is a travesty.

      In Australia the government funds the ABC to the tune of over A$1 billion each year (NZ$1.1 billion). This includes ABC Radio.

      https://about.abc.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Annualreport2023.pdf

      On this basis I would have thought the NZ government would be able to provide funding of $200 million annually for a couple of decent TV channels, especially given that advertising revenue is on top of this.

      Maybe they should dump some of the high paid presenters-it is not exactly rocket science to read the news.

  3. Mike the Lefty 3
    14 April 2024 at 11:22 am

    Melissa Lee has basically been thrown under a bus by the three stooges. She doesn't say anything because she is under direction from Winston and Seymour, and Luxon just walks away.

    That's how it seems to work in this CoC.

  4. Dolomedes III 4
    14 April 2024 at 11:24 am

    "… the Government’s minority partners think that the media are too woke, way too left wing and the puppets of the previous Government thanks to the Public Journalism Interest Fund."

    It's just the government's minority partners who think that? Have you not seen the results of AUT's survey of public trust in the news?

    https://www.aut.ac.nz/news/stories/trust-in-news-declines-rapidly-in-2024

    And the self-important media fools just can't seem to learn anything. Here's Mike McRoberts and Miriama Kamo trying to convince us that the government should bail out people who are openly partisan and hostile to the present government:

    https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2024/04/11/i-feel-particularly-aggrieved-for-maori-mcroberts-and-kamo-on-media-cuts/

    As Taylor Swift put it: "I'll look directly at the sun, but not in the mirror".

    I won't be surprised if the government does crumple and bail out some media outlets. Any bailout should come with strict conditions of political neutrality and balanced reporting of facts – not opinions.

    • Traveller 4.1
      14 April 2024 at 1:31 pm

      There should be no bailout at all.

    • SPC 4.2
      14 April 2024 at 3:17 pm

      Sounds like cancel culture for media criticism of government.

      I’d be more surprised if the government does not crumble apart as they posture for the next election, their partners being to blame for their coalition record.

      • Dolomedes III 4.2.1
        14 April 2024 at 5:11 pm

        If the government doesn't bail out a failed privately-owned TV channel, it's cancel culture?

        You sound confused – I suggest you google "cancel culture".

        • SPC 4.2.1.1
          14 April 2024 at 6:33 pm

          Any bailout should come with strict conditions of political neutrality and balanced reporting of facts – not opinions.

          If the government was the determinant of political neutrality ….

  5. Phillip ure 5
    14 April 2024 at 11:25 am

    A local version of fox News… wouldn't be doing us any favours..but this would be the rights favourite outcome..lux-on and atlas dave will be pushing for this..

    I am mildly certain that groups of the sacked talent will be evaluating new lean/mean online news services..perhaps even broadcasting in the sacred news hour…

    And having a product..that in content..will piss all over the current m.s.m. model..

    For the last week I have watched tvone news @ six…after not watching it for over five years ..and I come away from this re-acquantiance with news @ six with the same feeling I had all those years ago..

    ..that if you leech out the ads/sport/station promotion…over long weather reports..yr news hour is somewhat shrunk..

    ..and that a much better product could be done for much less..

    Leaving the audience far more informed than the current model does..

  6. Darien Fenton 6
    14 April 2024 at 11:25 am

    Karma. She was vicious and nasty with Clare Curran, whose stuff up was having a coffee with Carol Hirschfield and not putting it in her ministerial diary. Clare was bullied to the point where she lost confidence speaking in the House. Then to cap it all, Michael Woodhouse auctioned a toilet seat with Clare's picture on it. Also didya know Melissa Lee is also Minister for Economic Development and she has oversight of MBIE – you know where all the cuts are happening? And also Associate Minister for ACC. Goodness knows why.

    • Anne 6.1
      14 April 2024 at 11:43 am

      yes Ditto.

      It took longer for those of us on the outside to recignise what was being done to Clare Curran. She was gaslighted to the point she could no longer function as the able person she had previously been. It is a well known mode of operation among narcissists and psychopaths.

      Anyone who has been on the receiving end of gaslighting knows how crippling it can be. In the worst case scenario it can cause the helpless victim to take their own lives.

      • Kat 6.1.1
        14 April 2024 at 1:06 pm

        "narcissists and psychopaths……."

        Sums up the current excuse for a govt exactly………

        Whenever I look at the govt benches I see SS uniforms, Brown shirts and MAGA caps…….the Speaker of the house is sergeant Shultz…..Luxon is colonel Klink, Melissa Lee lives up to that saying: authority is a dangerous thing, in the hands of fools……….

    • SPC 6.2
      14 April 2024 at 3:07 pm

      It would be an irony, if a person who was point in blocking reform of state media (and thus improving the financial circumstance of the wider media market) was left to confront the consequences of neglect in this area and found to be inept in the portfolio.

  7. Traveller 7
    14 April 2024 at 1:22 pm

    "These have been very dark days for New Zealand media."

    This is the narrative being run by the media, the very people who will benefit from any government intervention. Don't be fooled. The circle will turn, new forms of media will evolve, and the entitled few who think the country owes them a living will find ways to become relevant again. Or not.

  8. James Simpson 8
    15 April 2024 at 11:26 am

    The first ministerial scalp?

    No.