UK media and the election

42 comments on “UK media and the election ”

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1. higherstandard 1

   6 May 2015 at 10:53 am

   Hilarious…. I remember some of the headlines from the Sunday sport when i was in the UK.

   http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/21-sunday-sport-headlines-that-will-make-you-worry-about-humanity–xkpVryEK0
   • Molly 1.1

     6 May 2015 at 11:30 am

     Higherstandard – I stupidly went to look at your link, if those headlines are an indication of what you find hilarious then I suppose you will also find the phrase I stupidly went to look at your link gave you a bit of a giggle too.
     • higherstandard 1.1.1

       6 May 2015 at 11:52 am

       Dear Molly I suggest you start a group.
       • thechangeling 1.1.1.1

         6 May 2015 at 2:32 pm

         Very funny but the PC police will have a field day!
       • Molly 1.1.1.2

         6 May 2015 at 5:40 pm

         Been there – still doing that. (And no, not a Patricia Bartlett advocacy-type group) 🙂

         …I just really don’t find anything on that link funny. Although I do remember thinking Benny Hill was worth watching way back when. Must’ve been eight or nine, so I’m guessing the smutty sexist humour went completely over my uninformed immature brain.
2. Maui 2

   6 May 2015 at 11:16 am

   With that kind of media assault on UK Labour it’s hard to imagine how they would even stand a chance of winning!
   • Enough is Enough 2.1

     6 May 2015 at 11:34 am

     They stand a chance of winning because most people are not stupid and don’t necessarily do what Murdoch tell them to.
     • Jones 2.1.1

       7 May 2015 at 7:17 am

       And the Trews is taking over the Sun one newsagent at a time!

       http://theunhivedmind.com/wordpress3/trews-ousts-the-sun-in-sponsorship-of-newagents-as-russell-brand-fights-the-clan/
   • dukeofurl 2.2

     6 May 2015 at 12:28 pm

     The Daily Mail readers are tory voters anyway.

     They are in panic mode because the Tories campaign has flopped.

     Like Netanyahu they are just trying to get fringe tory supporters back , mostly from UKIP
3. NZSage 3

   6 May 2015 at 11:57 am

   I find it hard to believe any sane person would pay for and read those trash mags.
4. johnm 4

   6 May 2015 at 12:06 pm

   The left in the U$K call the Daily Mail the Daily Heil! Basically the Tory parasite 1% are sh*tting themselves that Labour will be the next government in coalition or support with the SNP. This would mean their parasitic fiesta would be cut back and the Trident monster scrapped saving up to a 100 billion pounds and austerity ended.

   http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-sturgeon-factor-the-scottish-national-party-and-the-british-elections/5447367

   As Milliband actually is Tory lite they may be in luck he won’t have the balls or courage to go in with the SNP and end the Tory chinless wonder tyranny. 🙁
   • millsy 4.1

     6 May 2015 at 9:48 pm

     Daily Mail is weird — preaches family values and morality, but consistently profiles women that, sleep around, as people say about it. Same with the Sun.
5. Capn Insano 5

   6 May 2015 at 12:11 pm

   The Scaly Mail
   The Daily Fail
   …
6. Lanthanide 6

   6 May 2015 at 12:20 pm

   In some ways I think what we have in NZ is worse.

   These front pages in the UK are obviously biased, and pretty much everyone knows that they’re biased.

   In NZ, we just get “political editors” and “political reporters” who are claiming to be biased, but have an unfailing ability to always give National/Key the benefit of the doubt, while very carefully scrutinising Labour (man ban, Mallard’s moa, Cunliffe’s “apology”, Donghua Liu letter resulting in calls for Cunliffe to resign, etc).
   • Amanda Atkinson 6.1

     6 May 2015 at 2:26 pm

     Oh please. Weeks / months of relentless Dirty Politics, Orivida, Wing Nuts Campbell traversing the country scaremongering about the GCSB. Are kidding me? And now, days and days of Pony Tail gate. Get a grip. The NZ MSM climb into the government of the day with everything they’ve got, no matter who it is. We have a serious problem with the quality of our MSM, not a left or right bias. Most of us just want to be rid of all this left – right crap, because people at both ends cannot think critically with such deep rooted political bias. To prove my point, everyone here says the MSM are right biased, and everyone on Slaters site says the MSM are left biased. Well, you can’t both be right. So, both are full of it, basically. Political bias clouds rational thinking, there’s the proof right there.
     • emergency mike 6.1.1

       6 May 2015 at 2:39 pm

       “To prove my point, everyone here says the MSM are right biased, and everyone on Slaters site says the MSM are left biased. Well, you can’t both be right. So, both are full of it, basically.”

       I think there’s a logical flaw somewhere in your ‘proof’ there…

       Your central hypothesis that the problem is incompetence rather than political bias has merit. (Populism and careerism should get worthy mentions.) But nothing you said rules out the possibility of it being both.
       • Amanda Atkinson 6.1.1.1

         6 May 2015 at 5:00 pm

         Oh it is not ruled out if we assume that there IS in fact right bias in the MSM. Which of course the right will debunk with equal vigor. My logic holds. The proof stands.
         • Lanthanide 6.1.1.1.1

           6 May 2015 at 5:36 pm

           lol
         • emergency mike 6.1.1.1.2

           6 May 2015 at 6:14 pm

           Two sides making conflicting claims does not prove that both are wrong. That’s a long way from logic. Teletubbys dancing on revolving Fruit Loops comes to mind.

           Plus, your argument assumes that ‘the right’, (those paragons of neutrality you refer to on Slater’s site), have indeed ‘debunked’ the claim of left bias. That seems a circular stance to take since you claim that both sides arguments on this matter are biased and irrational. So why accept that brushing off the issues that Lanth lists as ‘unimportant’ or ‘hitjobs’ is a convincing debunking?

           Unless of course your own opinion on that matter is in agreement with those guys you say are irrational and biased. Which would make you one of them. An irrational biased rightie claiming that the lefties are irrational biased too and so everyone is just wrong. Desperate projection much?

           But I guess if you were irrational and biased and trying to defend an international laughing stock like John Key then an adolescent argument like that might make sense in a cognitively dissonant Teletubbys dancing on revolving Fruit Loops kind of way.
     • Lanthanide 6.1.2

       6 May 2015 at 2:52 pm

       1. Dirty Politics was (is) about the right using Slater and other aligned blogs to present the message they want, while not being directly involved themselves. This is a serious issue.

       2. Orivida was about corruption of Collins and her getting away with it. This is a serious issue.

       3. The GCSB have been spying on NZ citizens, as we now find out from the Snowden leaks, despite John Key promising to resign if it turned out they had. This is a serious issue.

       4. Pony tail gate involves a head of state committing a crime against an ordinary citizen. This is a serious issue.

       On the other hand, Cunliffe writing a form letter for a constituent 8 years ago is not a serious issue, but it was blown up to be one. Cunliffe saying “I’m sorry for being a man, right now. Because family and sexual violence is perpetrated overwhelmingly by men against women and children” was deliberately quoted out of context by the media to whip up a story out of what actually was a reasonable thing – in context – to say. The Labour “man-ban” was only ever a proposal that went through the normal democratic process of the Labour party and was rejected, yet the media jumped on it and made it into a big story. Mallard’s moa was an off-the-cuff remark that the media jumped on and made into a big story.
       • Amanda Atkinson 6.1.2.1

         6 May 2015 at 4:49 pm

         You’re further supporting my statement. All those things are serious to YOU, because you are left. The right, blows each of those issues of as hit jobs, or unimportant. That’s my whole point. Again, both cannot be right, so both are full of it. Both left and right become irrational because of political bias.
         • Lanthanide 6.1.2.1.1

           6 May 2015 at 4:57 pm

           So you don’t care about corruption by government ministers, you don’t care that John Key said he would resign if NZers were being spied on, and then when proof to that affect came out, he didn’t? You don’t care about the PM of this country assaulting private individuals?

           It’s not that they’re important to me because “[I’m] left”, they should be important to anyone that cares about accountability and democracy. Evidently not you.

           “Again, both cannot be right, so both are full of it. ”

           That’s a completely illogical statement. 1+1 = 2 and 1+2 = 2; both cannot be right because then 1+1 = 1+2. But clearly 1 +1 = 2 is right.

           You don’t care that the Herald had big banners saying “Democracy Under Attack” when Labour were putting (reasonable) limitations on campaign spending, but they haven’t come out with any such banners when National *actually* rescinded democracy at environment Canterbury?
           • Amanda Atkinson 6.1.2.1.1.1

             6 May 2015 at 5:11 pm

             You again support my logic. Your political basis is clouding your assessment of these issues. I’m not saying you’re right or wrong. I’m just saying there is no point discussing these things with people with political bias, because they are irrational. You say its assault because you are a leftie. The right say it was stupid, but not assault because the context is, he was having a laugh, with someone he knew, and he was hardly to commit sexual assault in front his wife for gods sake. I say, the answer is somewhere in the middle, and for Amanda Bailey to decide (and possibly the courts), not people with political bias (left and right), writing about it on on blogs.
             • Tracey …

               6 May 2015 at 5:15 pm

               Who do you think has no political bias given how many people cast a vote?
               • Amanda Atkinson …

                 6 May 2015 at 5:30 pm

                 There’s just a tiny difference between a vote and a belief that the other side is always wrong. The irrationality on here and Slater’s blog is sometimes cringe worthy. There are some really good thinkers, on both sites, and that’s why I visit from time to time. A lot of good rational stuff is written. Usually by those who are not on them very much. At least The Standard haven’t barred me “yet” for saying that. Slater, the champion of free speech did. Good night all.
                 • Lanthanide …

                   6 May 2015 at 5:34 pm

                   Yes, I can see that you don’t actually understand what “irrational” means.

                   You are using the word to mean “things I don’t agree with because they’re extreme”. That doesn’t make them irrational.

                   For the record, I don’t have a belief that the other side is always wrong. In fact, the issues I’ve been discussing in this thread (which you have only barely replied to) are about specific actions taken by National MPs, and not about policy at all. I don’t believe Collins was acting corruptly because I innately think everything she does is wrong and she’s “the enemy”, I see her as acting corruptly because her actions were corrupt.

                   Really the problem here is YOU. You disagree with me (for some reason), see that I have a leftwing outlook and so accuse me of having a leftwing bias and don’t ever bother to look at the actual facts of what has happened and address them in an objective fashion. This is clearly shown by you saying “the left and the right are both pointing fingers at each other, they must both be wrong!”.
                   • Amanda Atkinson …

                     6 May 2015 at 5:44 pm

                     In general terms, if Little was the PM, and the situation was reversed, the right would be on the attack and saying the media are too soft on him, and the left (maybe not YOU personally, but in general) would be downplaying it and saying the media are blowing it out of proportion. It would be a complete role reversal. IF that did happen (yes we will never know), it would prove 100% that how lefties and right wingers feel about certain issues, is massively influenced by who is involved in these issues and whether they are left or right. That’s irrationality.
                   • Lanthanide …

                     6 May 2015 at 5:51 pm

                     “That’s irrationality.”

                     It’s not irrationality, it’s partiality or partisanship.

                     I also doubt that the left would be as supportive of a Labour PM engaging in common assault as the right have been.
             • Lanthanide …

               6 May 2015 at 5:22 pm

               “You again support my logic. Your political basis is clouding your assessment of these issues.”

               What is clearer than John Key promising to resign if proof that NZers were spied on, and then refusing to when proof is provided? How is my political basis [sic] clouding my assessment of him failing to follow through on his promise? Or are you suggesting he didn’t really mean it when he promised it, in which case he was outright lying at the time? Are we just supposed to be happy that we have a PM who will say anything at any time to make unpleasant questions go away, and then do a 180 flip-flop later?

               I think I have a reasonable reputation on this site for calling out bullshit when I see it as bullshit (btw your comments are bullshit), whether it comes from the left or the right, or an author or another commenter. Yes I obviously have a left-wing outlook on life, but that doesn’t mean I’m partisan.

               “You say its assault because you are a leftie.”

               Marilyn Waring, well-known right-wing MP, has said it is assault, and is “getting tired of being called anything other than unlawful”.

               So no, it’s not because “I’m a leftie”, it’s because he has broken the law-as-written. That’s what a crime is. It is up to the courts to decide, given the full circumstances, whether someone is to be punished for a crime (they first must be charged with it).
         • One Anonymous Bloke 6.1.2.1.2

           6 May 2015 at 4:58 pm

           Is that how logic works for you? Two people cannot both be right, so they both must be wrong? 😆

           How about you actually dust the cobwebs off your critical faculties and address Lanthanide’s argument?
           • Lanthanide 6.1.2.1.2.1

             6 May 2015 at 5:01 pm

             Amanda better be thankful that logic doesn’t work that way, or computers wouldn’t be possible, and hence this conversation.
           • Amanda Atkinson 6.1.2.1.2.2

             6 May 2015 at 5:16 pm

             See, irrational and … resorting to abuse under anonymity. Pure class haha!!
             • Lanthanide …

               6 May 2015 at 5:28 pm

               There is no anonymity here, only pseudonymity.

               Knowing my name in real life wouldn’t make a hill of beans of difference to what I write here.

               Also, there’s nothing actually irrational about OAB’s comment. I wonder if you know what “irrational” actually means.
             • One Anonymous Bloke …

               6 May 2015 at 5:45 pm

               You’re confusing criticism with abuse.
         • Tracey 6.1.2.1.3

           6 May 2015 at 5:14 pm

           Are the issues Lanth points to important to YOU? If not, why not?
       • marty mars 6.1.2.2

         6 May 2015 at 5:06 pm

         + 1 Lanthanide – I agree with your excellent comment.

         These serious issues do not get investigated or even looked at – and I’d add Key’s lying too – it has got very hard to stomach and surely even his advisers must get worried.
     • mikesh 6.1.3

       6 May 2015 at 4:02 pm

       It may be more than just “incompetence”. The media are a bunch of private corporations with their own corporate interests to foster.
     • DoublePlusGood 6.1.4

       6 May 2015 at 4:49 pm

       Relentless?
       If the media was at all competent and honest in this country, Dirty Politics, GCSB issues, and Oravida would have both resulted in exists of MPs from parliament, loss of the election by National, and possibly criminal charges against several involved for corruption.
       And the Pony Tale is the Prime Minister committing assault, which the MSM is trying to pretend is not the case.
       So no, the MSM aren’t trying in the slighted to do their job properly.
       • Lanthanide 6.1.4.1

         6 May 2015 at 4:59 pm

         +1
   • emergency mike 6.2

     6 May 2015 at 2:31 pm

     True that Lanth. I recall a documentary a while back set in a country where the TV was pumping out non-stop communist propaganda. A citizen being interviewed pointed out that everybody knew it was such, whereas in the West we actually believe the shit we’re shoveled.
   • Murray Rawshark 6.3

     6 May 2015 at 3:52 pm

     Tautoko. I fully agree. The UK tabloids are the equivalent of Whalespew, while ours are more Kiwibog.
7. Mike Steinberg 7

   6 May 2015 at 10:55 pm

   It seems the media bias is seen to be strongest against UKIP and least against the Conservatives.

   “YouGov has revisited questions about media bias first run in May 2014. British people still say the news media are most biased against UKIP (43%, compared to 27% who say the media are biased against the Lib Dems, 22% for Labour and 15% for the Conservatives).”

   https://yougov.co.uk/news/2015/04/22/voters-still-think-media-are-most-biased-against-u/

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