Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Criminalising Journalism

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  • Matthew Poole, in reply to linger,

    are crime rates decreasing?

    Yes, they are, and have been for a lot of years. An ageing population tends to do that, because males aged 15-45 are the majority of criminals. As the Boomers age out of that bracket, crime rates reduce. It’s a trend right across the western world.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Keir Leslie,

    Did three just put the knife in there, or was I dreaming?

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Williams, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    As I said on the other thread, the trade and youth policies released yesterday (by National & Labour respectively) may have been a big yawn to Russell. They certainly weren’t considered worth any airtime on Morning Report (allegedly a flagship morning news program on a public broadcaster) today.

    I accept your point entirely Craig, this is a distraction but it's not an unimportant one, which is what I think others are saying. On the one hand, it's just theatre, but on the other it has relevance to far more significant matters including, as I've said previously, asset sales (to saying nothing of Russell's argument about press freedoms).

    Sydney • Since Nov 2006 • 2273 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to PaulC,

    our pm is in real trouble

    Apparently not. One News/Colmar Brunton polling over the last 5 days shows no impact on National or Key's popularity. Shit like roses; can govern alone.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to PaulC,

    who cares what’s in the detail if you need to question the veracity of the salesman, and our pm is in real trouble in this context

    Really? Some people would consider adultery a mark of bad character, and if had come out in the 1928 New York gubernatorial campaign that the Democratic candidate’s wife had offered to divorce him so he could live with his mistress American political history would have been very different.

    The man’s name was Franklin Delano Roosevelt by the way. I think history would consider the details of the policies he enacted a little more important than his appalling treatment of his wife.

    To quote a wonderful line from The West Wing, voters get to decide the yardstick they use to measure candidates - and "character" is one of them. I'm just suggesting that media outlets also need to be asked a few hard questions about the news judgement being shown.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to Sacha,

    Apparently the Herald's polling may contain quite a different picture tomorrow. I'm giving iPredict the most heed myself.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Kracklite,

    Chris Trotter made an interesting observation on The Panel about the possibility of cops being filmed raiding news organisation offices and what a disaster that would be for Key/National.

    I think that's a certainty. National should hope that the organisations going to court delay the execution of the warrants until after polling day.

    Thing to watch for tomorrow is Bradley Ambrose going for his declaratory judgement that the conversation was not private under the law. That would sink the whole thing.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to BenWilson,

    Apparently the Herald’s polling may contain quite a different picture tomorrow. I’m giving iPredict the most heed myself.

    Or not. I think Tim Murphy was teasing with that tweet.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Thing to watch for tomorrow is Bradley Ambrose going for his declaratory judgement that the conversation was not private under the law. That would sink the whole thing.

    Golly, you mean Bradley Ambrose exercising his right to seek recourse under law? Scandalous!

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Mikaere Curtis,

    But surely that is the point, the integrity of the person trying to sell the policy is crucial, who cares what’s in the detail if you need to question the veracity of the salesman, and our pm is in real trouble in this context

    Given National's decision to promote Brand Key as the identity of their government, I think it is critical that we know if it is real or simply a carefully orchestrated false persona. It appears that the tapes may give us some insight on this.

    Did three just put the knife in there, or was I dreaming?

    They went hard, didn't they? Note to National: Honeymoon with Garner and Gower is officially over.

    Tamaki Makaurau • Since Nov 2006 • 528 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to BenWilson,

    Apparently the Herald's polling may contain quite a different picture tomorrow.

    Someone just tweeted that 3 news had a different conclusion too.

    And here's the transcript of Winston freestyling in Invercarrrgil.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Jonathan King,

    Thing to watch for tomorrow is Bradley Ambrose going for his declaratory judgement that the conversation was not private under the law. That would sink the whole thing.

    Or launch the whole thing -- depends how you look at it! ;-)

    Since Sep 2010 • 185 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Bradley Ambrose going for his declaratory judgement

    news story

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • PaulC,

    A very nice reference to Roosevelt, he certainly was America for a considerable time, and i agree, however has this not become, by design potentially, an issue of integrity firstly, and a quite distinct issue on ‘media’ to simply deflect from the initial issue?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2011 • 19 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Sacha,

    Someone just tweeted that 3 news had a different conclusion too.

    Been fascinating flicking back and forth watching One News and Three putting radically different editorial top spin on damn-near identical polls.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Kracklite, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    It would be nice if they tried, just a little… etc

    All true, but democracy is messy and often good is done by accident. While the specific event of a tape of a conversation over a cup of tea is turned into a national soap opera, pushing out discussion of other policies, the essential constitutional matter is actually of vital concern. These individual policies are indeed more important than cups of tea and who has the best-placed deck-chair on the White Star liner that is ACT, but the constitutional matter of a Prime Minister, who will seemingly by accident, use the police to suppress investigation of his electioneering are more important.

    It’s all very well to talk of the abstractions of constitutionality (specificially, the importance of press freedom), but if that narrative doesn’t carry, then I’m satisfied to see it conducted in such vulgar terms in preference to it not being presented at all. It does represent an universal, timeless and essential principle. In the absence of Cicero (or Spider Jerusalem and his trusty bowel disruptor), I’ll settle, however reluctantly, for Ron Burgundy.

    The Library of Babel • Since Nov 2007 • 982 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Paul Williams,

    Russell’s argument about press freedoms).

    I'm genuinely angry about this.

    It is a terrible thing to be happening a week out from a general election for news organisations to be subjected to a police search -- which may well mean the seizure of some of their computers, with all the sensitive information on those -- because they covered a campaign news story.

    The decision to make the complaint speaks of stupidity, entitlement, or both.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to PaulC,

    It's an interesting question though: Would FDR's adultery and Churchill's heavy drinking and severe depressive episodes make them both unelectable today? And would the world have been a better place if the media then was more like it is now?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Kracklite,

    All true, but democracy is messy and often good is done by accident.

    Well, that's nice - media outlets don't make their editorial judgements by accident. That's not some airy-fairy abstraction but a simple reality I'm frankly sick of repeating. And I'm sure everyone else is sick of listening to me do so, so I'm out for the evening.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    It's an interesting question though: Would FDR's adultery and Churchill's heavy drinking and severe depressive episodes make them both unelectable today? And would the world have been a better place if the media then was more like it is now?

    Yes, and yes. Many things that happened might not have happened, if people had been widely aware that they were happening. Most especially, this is the case within the Axis countries.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Kracklite, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    I’d imagine that they’d kill their campaigns and the world would be a poorer place… if FDR and Churchill campaigned as they did then, but both were highly intelligent and charismatic people. What sort of context would they construct about each other now, if they were around now, fully aware of the state of the media as it is now?

    The 1930s weren’t a more innocent time of politics (outside of Germany and the Soviet Union) by any means – both H. G. Wells and George Orwell were making a lot of jokes in their novels about the compromises, corruption and manipulation of the media in their own times. Wells’ Men Like Gods parodies Churchill, (who was a friend of his and even quoted his work in speeches) and Orwell… made his broadcasts during the war from Room 101 and the head of the BBC, Brendan Bracken, was nicknamed “BB” (just a hop to "Big Brother").

    My roving vote right now is drifting towards Hubertus Bigend, by the way…

    The Library of Babel • Since Nov 2007 • 982 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    Do you really believe adultery is as central to a politician's trustworthiness in office as say lying is?

    Unless a politician is taking a public stance on the scanctity of marriage, it doesn't seem equivalent to more obviously political underhandedness and deceit.

    This was not after all some private personal chat between chums, but a highly stage-managed political event with invited media. And the content of the conversation appears to be at odds with other statements made by the same people both before and since.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Ana Simkiss, in reply to Sacha,

    Interesting development, but I really doubt a civil proceeding of this kind is the appropriate procedure. My sense is that the High Court might agree and/ or it will get spun out beyond the election. Let's see.

    Freemans Bay • Since Nov 2006 • 141 posts Report Reply

  • Keir Leslie,

    What I do not understand about the allegations of soap operatic-ism is that the alleged contents of the tea tapes are (a) a discussion of the future of the Act Party indicating they are a wholly owned subsidiary of National, and (b) a discussion of the electoral prospects of another party based on demographic trends. Sounds pretty much like important political news to me.

    Then we follow up with the Prime Minister refusing to talk about it, and the police searching the premises of the leading national news organisations a week out from an election.

    Those are real issues that matter to Kiwis.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Our political humiliation goes international.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

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