Hard News: The First Draft
262 Responses
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John Holley, in reply to
I was silly and looked at Kiwiblog...I can't understand such bile and hatred at a time like this.
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Sacha, in reply to
basket cases from the outset
I saw an estimate somewhere of 50,000 more casualties prevented because of our building regulations and preparedness.
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recordari, in reply to
I was silly and looked at Kiwiblog…I can’t understand such bile and hatred at a time like this.
I can honestly say I have never regretted not looking at Kiwiblog when warned not to. While I can say that every time I have looked without prompting, I have regretted it. Did that make any sense?
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About advertising ..... when I lived in the US there were times when the whole country just stopped and looked, 9/11 is probably the best example - a lot like we've just seen here in NZ - the major networks would go to 24/7 coverage with no ads .... and there was a kind of obvious brinkmanship going on - who was going to be the first to blink, look at the bottom line and start running ads, or regularly scheduled programs etc.
It's been kind of funny watching the same dynamic at play here - no one wants to be the first to run ads and seem crass and uncaring - but someone has to, eventually
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Islander, in reply to
We also send sedimentary geologists with expertise in seismic events to other countries where human tragedies occur - two of my friends specialise in this area.
(You'll be glad to know they have a house in Big O where - yes! - major tsunami occurred back in 1826.) -
Well, here’s something I didn’t expect when I wrote that post this morning:
John Campbell interviews Ken Ring.
It isn’t particularly effective television, because it isn’t the the kind of interview that can satisfactorily be conducted over a link. Campbell’s only way of trying to get Ring to stay on topic and answer his questions turns out to be shouting into the air outside the art gallery.
Twitter explodes with outraged citizens who would hear the Moon Man speak.
Brian Ewards goes ballistic, blazes out a blog post calling Campbell “egotistical, self-important, out of control, closed-minded, biased, unprofessional” and “a disgrace to the interviewer’s trade.”
A schoolgirl swiftly starts a Make John Campbell Publicly Apologize To Ken Ring Facebook group, where someone writes: “This is like Hitler interviewing a Jew.”
Sadly, I suspect this story will be picked up by other news media. The outrage is sort of amusing now, but I suspect I’ll be shouting at things by the end of the week. Sigh.
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Islander, in reply to
And the guy is a - well, nutter.
Ken Ring is a generous nutter- he will let you download a lot of his stuff for free.
But - he's trying to systemise chaotic matters, and way better brains than his have acknowledged that this is, simply, an impossibility.Which is why your post is timely - because Twitter/Facebook/blogs et al are seldom whollly benign-
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By general acclaim, Radio New Zealand has responded extremely well to the crisis, demonstrating in the process why we need public broadcasters.
Their work has been superb, and accessible to those offshore through podcasts and streaming audio. Well done, Radio New Zealand.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Brian Ewards goes ballistic, blazes out a blog post calling Campbell “egotistical, self-important, out of control, closed-minded, biased, unprofessional” and “a disgrace to the interviewer’s trade.”
As I said to you on Twitter, it would have been nice if Brian Edwards (who I sincerely have enormous respect for, even when he’s being an effing fool) had gotten as much rage on when the media – including Campbell Live – where giving anti-vaccination nuts “balanced” airtime to push Andrew Wakefield’s theory that there’s a link between vaccination and autism. A theory, BTW, which has now been exposed as "an elaborate fraud" by investigative journalist Brian Deer and the British Medical Journal.
BE'sMMV, but that was a real "disgrace"; one where speaking dangerous quackery actually puts the lives of God only knows how many children at risk.
You’re right that the interview wasn’t exactly John Campbell’s Frost/Nixon, but the rage seems somewhat misplaced and exaggerated IMO.
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Lucy Stewart, in reply to
Their work has been superb, and accessible to those offshore through podcasts and streaming audio. Well done, Radio New Zealand.
The first thing we did when the tweets started coming through was bring up NatRad on my laptop. And the moment I knew it was real was when Hewitt Humphrey started the 2pm news bulletin with "There has been a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch..." That was when it got hard.
(Seriously, if aliens ever invade, I won't believe it until I hear the pips go and Hewitt Humphrey or Catriona McLeod or Nicola Wright lead the hourly news with it.)
Unlike pretty much all of the TV coverage - not that I'm not grateful we managed to get TV3's live stream right afterwards onto our TV, but should we really have to do it through a Australian newspaper website showing a live stream of ABC showing TV3?
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I think a lot of the nasty comments on the Kiwiblog website are set up by David. He will write about a prima facie mild topic but will be fully aware that such a topic will set off those angry posters who frequent his site. Then all David has to do is sit back and watch the carnage. It's a shame because David is quite clearly a very intelligent person. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a right-wing blog that caters to intelligent discussions (yes, they do sometimes happen by right-wingers). It would be my (no doubt unheeded) suggestion that David does a total clear-out of his blog and start again maybe even something along the lines of this blog (subject to copyright!) albeit with his neo-liberal take on things. Ensure posters abide by the rules and get rid of the nutters. My 5 cents anyway ...
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
I suspect I’ll be shouting at things by the end of the week. Sigh.
Why wait? From a 'Bryan' over at Brian Edwards' place:
The only people who could support John Campbell must be scientists working for NIWA.
The Ring Cult really shouldn't be on the internet without adult supervision.
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Hilary Stace, in reply to
[off topic] Craig, fortunately, I didn't see John Campbell on immunisation, but I'm guessing he didn't shout at the people refusing to immunise their children. The only mainstream media I've noted which has dealt with this topic well is Kathryn Ryan who actually interviewed Brian Deer.
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Kim's interview with Paul Offit was pretty good. Listen here.
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uroskin, in reply to
Kiwiblog is no longer the NZ blog of note. Steven Gray has now far more daily visitors.
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BenWilson, in reply to
My 5 cents anyway ...
Heh, I doubt DPF would take it well to be told that he should turn his site into Public Address.
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I'm guessing he didn't shout at the people refusing to immunise their children.
Hilary, he didn't shout at people who believed in Ken Ring, either. This was the equivalent of shouting at Andrew Wakefield, and who wouldn't like to do that?
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Thanks Mark. How did I miss that? And Emma, thanks for clarification. Wouldn't it be great to have a serious TV scientific forum. Sort of like Media 7 and the Court Report but for deliberating on scientific theories. Somewhere to acknowledge alternative views because they are so widely held, but challenge them over scientific method, data etc. Have a real discussion and see if there is any room for agreement. (Reminds me of the Big Bang Theory episode when Leonard decides he can't have a girlfriend who believes in astrology)
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Carol Stewart, in reply to
Hmmm. You're right, it wasn't a very good interview and it seems to have had the unfortunate effect of increasing public sympathy with Ken Ring.
People seem to be very upset about the interview being unbalanced - it didn't seem that unbalanced to me, they gave a lot of time to the people who had believed Ring, and very little time to Kelvin Berryman.
It'll be interesting to see how the BSA handle the inevitable complaints.
I'd like to see Kim Hill skewer Ken Ring. But she doesn't suffer fools too patiently either.
Just in case anyone (Hilary?) is in any doubt about the extent of Ring's scientific illiteracy, this is the guy who is on record saying that ozone depletion by CFCs must be a myth as CFCs are 'heavier than air' and therefore behave like bricks in a swimming pool and can't possibly travel to the stratosphere. Seriously. -
Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
Have a real discussion and see if there is any room for agreement. (Reminds me of the Big Bang Theory episode when Leonard decides he can’t have a girlfriend who believes in astrology)
It is surprising to me how many medical people I have met, turn out to be deeply religious. Also a salvation army donation collector and churchee I once knew was also the science teacher at Mt Albert College.Both seem at odds with themselves to me.Jus'sayin'
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Somewhere to acknowledge alternative views because they are so widely held, but challenge them over scientific method, data etc. Have a real discussion and see if there is any room for agreement.
This would be like setting up a discussion between biologists and intelligent design proponents. Isn't life a bit short?
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This would be like setting up a discussion between biologists and intelligent design proponents. Isn't life a bit short?
And if we're going to have that debate with people who believe tides cause major earthquakes, why not include people with think they're caused by homosexuality, or licentious behaviour, or uncovered boobies? They're no more or less scientific.
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Martin Lindberg, in reply to
And if we’re going to have that debate with people who believe tides cause major earthquakes, why not include people with think they’re caused by homosexuality, or licentious behaviour, or uncovered boobies?
Hmm, boobies you say? Who has ever heard of covered boobies?
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Sacha, in reply to
Isn't life a bit short?
Ooh, ooh. this from Te Onion (h/t @farmgeek):
During an unexpected moment of clarity Tuesday, open-minded man Blake Richman was suddenly struck by the grim realization that he's squandered a significant portion of his life listening to everyone's bullshit, the 38-year-old told reporters.
A visibly stunned and solemn Richman, who until this point regarded his willingness to hear out the opinions of others as a worthwhile quality, estimated that he's wasted nearly three and a half years of his existence being open to people's half-formed thoughts, asinine suggestions, and pointless, dumbfuck stories.
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linger, in reply to
(They're only out for themselves, you know.)
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