Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Press, Privacy and The Paps

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  • recordari,

    Staircase, please! The gin at Alfies was watered down...

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    I was thinking of Family and Supermarket, actually. I do appreciate their tolerance of straights.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    And it's true: even after Haggard's adventures were exposed, he and those around him persisted with the notion of a cure for his sexuality. If they granted that it might simply be his nature, the whole edifice would have come tumbling down.

    OK, I'll call bullshit on the whole idea of gayness as a "lifestyle choice" you can pray away as loudly as anyone -- and his recent appearance on Oprah was toe-curlingly horrid. It also served as vivid evidence that outing doesn't exactly act as an effective reality check on this kind of nonsense. It's a lot more complicated.

    I can appreciate his point of view.

    Well, I would have loved to see Jones asked, just once, if he ever felt slightly "hypocritical" himself. Sadly, there's nothing at all unique about deep cover closet cases self-medicating with drugs or alcohol, then rationalising away their behaviour by patronising prostitutes or cruising for unsafe sex with strangers.

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

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Which is, I guess a long winded way of saying: Can we just stop pretending that political-media complex schadenfreude is any kind of public service?

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

  • recordari,

    How to avoid unwanted political-media schadenfreude in the modern world.

    Link.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    recordari:

    I'd just prefer being at least self-aware about the hypocrisy so often involved when dropping the H-bomb on others. That's all.

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

  • recordari,

    Craig. I agree. These things should be an individual's choice. What I was getting at is the media in most cases has no respect for this, and therefore you have to 'compartmentalise', as you put it elsewhere, or wear blinkers. And don't fret about my self-awareness, this has been taken care of by my months at PAS.

    And if you saw the post before I edited it, hope you're having a good laugh on my behalf, and at my expense ;-)

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Papal procurement. Vatican must have heard the conversation.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Andrew,

    Jeremy Andrew - ur, why? You've lost me.
    There is a continuum of sexual orientations among us human apes: from omnisexual to asexual: asexuality is a late-discovered but now well-documented orientation.

    We thought that obvious supporters would be from another minority
    orientation - homosexual people. Not so. They have been rather hostile.

    There is a spectrum of religious orientations in us apes: from animist to pantheistic to monotheistic to atheist. Atheism is a relatively modern development - early atheist had a tendancy to get burned at the stake.

    I'm just saying that atheists don't have much expectation of support from the Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientologists or Southern Baptists, even though they are all minorities compared to the Catholics, Anglicans and Muslims.

    Might well be a faulty analogy, but the enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend. (I know using the word enemy is taking things a bit far in general).

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report Reply

  • Islander,

    Actually, jeremy Andrew, atheists have been a constant presence- your useage of 'burned at the stake' limits things to about 500 years ago.
    I was talking about asexuality.


    Atheists are people who dont believe in gods or god. We await evidence. It has NEVER been forthcoming. (Anecdata denied.)

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report Reply

  • Just thinking,

    Jeremy, why play the Martyr card?
    You're safe in the knowledge you will get blood transfusions etc that some of you straw men won't.

    Sacha - those panties smell nice?

    Putaringamotu • Since Apr 2009 • 1158 posts Report Reply

  • anth,

    I've often wondered why the withdrawal method is encouraged by the Catholic church

    It not only isn't encouraged it is put in the "intrinsically wrong" category along with other forms of contraception. They are OK with natural family planning or periodic abstinence. The confusion seems to be because the rhythm method is one form of calendar based NFP but for some reason I don't get is often mistaken for withdrawal.

    Since Nov 2006 • 77 posts Report Reply

  • Cecelia,

    Going back to the original post: I have just seen the relevant Media 7, found it interesting but wanted more:)

    Hibiscus Coast • Since Apr 2008 • 559 posts Report Reply

  • philipmatthews,

    Relevant quotes from a story about Anika Moa and her wedding in The Press today:

    "Some papers in Auckland said some lies – don't believe everything you read. Journalists are different up there, there are some good ones but some of them are evil. I got hounded by Woman's Day to tell my story and I didn't want to do it. I felt for what Alison Mau went through. I had to get my manager to tell them to back off. The Herald on Sunday has a new gossip column, too, which is just awful. It hurts people."

    Story here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/3411489/Anika-Moa-on-her-wedding

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2007 • 656 posts Report Reply

  • dyan campbell,

    Relevant quotes from a story about Anika Moa and her wedding in The Press today

    This kind of intrusive press is just weird, and it's never remotely what the fans are interested to know. I love Anika's music and don't need to know anything beyond what she wishes to tell the press.

    Leave it to bloggers - and fans - like me - to write about the music rather than the private live of the musician.

    Here's what my Canadian friend Scruffy the Yak has to say about Dimmer
    Scruffy the Yak

    Those aren't the same videos I sent him, incidentally, I sent Seed and Crystalator (live) but I guess my influence only goes so far...

    I sent Scruffy the Yak a million other recommendations... NZ has a lot to choose from...

    auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 595 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    I really liked that personal detail about a muso who has always been unapologetically confessional - and it didn't seem unwillingly extracted in this case either (unlike some recent Hollie Smith coverage). Both lovely. Sigh.

    And good on you for spreading the word, Dyan.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Islander,

    I really enjoy Anika's music (I am privileged to have CDs she's gifted me) and - long as she's happy and making more songs- I absolutely dont give a a rat's about her personal life. Except if she is wrongly reported...

    Off to play "In Swings The Tide" for about the hundredth time-

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    A pertinent moral conundrum: Michael Laws got a very bitter taste of his own medicine in the Herald on Slumday yesterday. (I haven't linked to it on purpose.)

    What's the appropriate response:

    1) Karma's a bitch.
    2) Couldn't have happened to a nicer douche-bag.
    3) It was appalling, regardless of whether or not the target is a super-sized douche bag with a serious karmic overdraft.

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

  • giovanni tiso,

    I go for 3).

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    I go for 3).

    Indeed, Gio. But honesty compels me to admit that I was sorely tempted to bake a schadenfreude pie -- and there's still a hopelessly naive part of my soul that hopes Laws is going to engage in some soul-searching about the same crap he's dished out to others from his various media bully pulpits. Won't hold my breath waiting, though.

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

  • Sacha,

    Lhaws seemed to handle the intrusion quite well. Now wondering if he simply expects everyone else to be as capable when he's dishing out crap?

    Snap, kind of

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Lhaws seemed to handle the intrusion quite well.

    Oh, I have a funny feeling that we're going to see a grovelling apology to Laws, dictated by the local equivalent of Carter-Ruck. Most of the people Laws craps on for being degenerate apes don't have the means to do the same.

    Money talks and bullshit walks?

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

  • Russell Brown,

    This kind of intrusive press is just weird, and it's never remotely what the fans are interested to know. I love Anika's music and don't need to know anything beyond what she wishes to tell the press.

    Leave it to bloggers - and fans - like me - to write about the music rather than the private live of the musician

    I thought the Press story was actually really nice -- and relevant in that she's written about her new love on her new album. It rang true.

    But yes, I wonder if anyone at the HoS dares to think about how cloddish and hurtful those "gossip" pages can be.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Andre Alessi,

    I'm pretty sure we'll see an opinion piece about how important privacy and "innocent until proven guilty" are from Lhaws next week, and condemning domestic violence.

    Then the week after he'll be back to calling for the forced sterilisation of people who wear hoodies, or something.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    Just to side-track the discussion for a moment (but not derail it), I wonder if anyone else has been to any of the docos screening at the Rialto over the past week. Pinki's Smile was touching (about a hospital in India providing surgery to fix cleft palates in India) but the real beauty was a doco Pop Star On Ice, about the flamboyant US figure skater Johnny Weir. My daughter is considering setting up a NZ branch of Johny's Angels.

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

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