Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Misconnection

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  • Tom Semmens,

    Here i s my media question for the day:

    How can the Herald describe an fawning eight page (with more to come) hagiography of John Key as "unauthorised" when it's content clearly shows their reporters had full access to him, his family, family records, etc etc?

    Just asking.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    On the internet thing: ihug was having problems last night too, with people in the "Point Chevalier, Great North Road and Carrington Road" area losing access to DSL and phone services. Our phone works, but when I left home this morning the net was still off.

    Why is it that ihug/Vodafone gives out account credits when its services run a bit slower than normal, but not when it cuts off our access twice within a month?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    How can the Herald describe an fawning eight page (with more to come) hagiography of John Key as "unauthorised" when it's content clearly shows their reporters had full access to him, his family, family records, etc etc?

    Jesus, Tom. I found it rather cringe-inducing, but a hagiography? I'm really sorry that Ruth Key wasn't a secret Nazi, and he didn't spend his schooldays beating kids up for their lunch money and cheating at exams but you know something? Judging from Brian Edwards' very authorised and tedious biography of Helen Clark, she was an equally yawn-inducing child. I don't actually think that's a bad thing.

    Still, I guess if the cone of silence had gone down you and the Standard boys would have been muttering about a Hollow Man who must have something to hide. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, damned no matter what you do.

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

  • elsketcho,

    I have recently changed from Telecom/WorldXchange to Vodafone (read Ihug), and am thoroughly miffed with the service I have received to date. It would appear that Voadfone has well and truly dropped the ball, and going to ground (experiences where our calls are being cut off with some sort of bullshit excuse, not even making it to the 50 min plus queue, emails cannot be processed - how convenient) is really not the way to manage your over-expanded customer base. I don't want to waste another hour of my life on hold to tell them for the THIRD time not to send a paper bill that they have the gall to charge us for. Vodafone have royally stuffed this one up, and don't appear to care. Never mind the net going down. I will not sign another contract with a telecom/net provider. NOT_GOOD_ENOUGH_VODAFONEIHUG.

    Just saying

    Auckland • Since Aug 2007 • 35 posts Report Reply

  • Michael Stevens,

    At 8 pages... I dozed off - and there was nothing that exciting but it did seem a huge free promo to me. But according to the mouth-breathers over at kiwiblog the Herald is a sink of Maori Marxist-Feminists out to destroy red-blooded Nu Zild culture. But I guess they will all just say John Key is really the ultimate Manchurian Candidate now.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 230 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    Me and the Standard boys? I kinda like that, makes me sound like the leader of a male version of the Dixie Chicks. Of course its a hagiography. I don't recall ten of thousands of uncritical words of sweetness and light about Helen Clark in the Herald's lead up to the 1999 election. Sixteen pages at 10k a page in the Herald = $160K of free P.R.

    As someone has already said here, it is impossible to outspend the Herald.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • Yule Guttenbeil,

    We had exactly the same problem in Ponsonby over the last month. Broadband was working but no landline. They even told us that we were connected even though we weren't. We were with telecom and and our line experienced a fault (supposedly "clumsy" contractors in our case as well). We figured telecom had disconected our phone line because we were using another provider for tolls. So we moved over to Orcon which we had been planning to do anyway. However our landline never came back on and we had to wait almost a week before Orcon could get a contractor out to sort out the fault and reconnect us. All up we were without a Landline for about 3 weeks.

    We very much get the feeling that Telecom are doing their best to punish disloyal customers by sabotaging their services where possible.

    Auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 3 posts Report Reply

  • Zippy Gonzales,

    Poor bloody "I'm not authorised to help you" call centre workers.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 186 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole,

    For all their flaws, and they've got a whole closet factory full of skeletons, Telecom's always, IME, been great at dealing with service outages due to cable faults. No fucking around, no charges, they'll happily divert to a mobile for the duration.
    Many years ago (Eight? Nine?) I was living in Orakei and an errant cable-finding-device (aka back-hoe) went through a phone cable and cut service to thousands of houses. Obviously this was back in Telecom's darkest days, but it was absolutely no problem for the C/S person to divert the home phone to my Vodafone mobile. Got a call the following day to confirm that the line had been fixed and check that the diversion could be removed, too. No charges.

    If VodaHug are trying to charge you for an emergency divert, I'd be looking for another provider. If they have to take it up with the contractor, or Telecom, to recover costs then so be it (and there should be clauses in the contract about who's responsible in such a situation), but it's not your fault that you were without service and needed the diversion put in place.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole,

    Poor bloody "I'm not authorised to help you" call centre workers.

    To be fair to Telecom, that's an entirely justified attitude. Russell isn't their customer, his provider is. There's a whole world of pain for Telecom if they put diverts in on lines that have been unbundled from them, potentially ending on Cunliffe's desk for a stern talking-to and some adverse legislation.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Me and the Standard boys? I kinda like that, makes me sound like the leader of a male version of the Dixie Chicks

    I'll take that, because you're about as tedious and predictable as a Dixie Chicks album.

    Of course its a hagiography.

    Of course, anything that doesn't denounce John Key as Satan incarnate is going to be proof of unacceptable political bias in your book, Tom. I really do get that, but someone shouldn't throw around the dollar words until you know what they mean.

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

  • Danyl Mclauchlan,

    The problem with the Herald piece is not that it was pretty soft, but that it was sold as an 'unauthorised biography' when it was clearly a team effort between the Herald and the National leaders comms staff.

    If you're going to publish a puff piece at least have the balls to admit it - don't try and pretend you're being a journalist when you're simply making your newspaper a medium for a political parties propaganda.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report Reply

  • Gareth Ward,

    Re Winston - this may not be a particularly popular position, but I'm kinda siding with him on this one.
    I have no real problem with him saying that Glenn didn't donate to the party or himself - yes he should have gone looking at every possible angle of donation etc, but I don't think he was being horribly untruthful when he said he hadn't donated to the party.

    As always he's being a bit antagonistic and bolshy about it still, which doesn't help, but the "gotcha" media and National putting it all at Helen's feet came out looking worst in my eyes. And when it comes to Winston, that's a rare thing.

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report Reply

  • MikeE,

    Well there was no authorisation statement on the biography under the EFA ...

    ;-)

    Washington DC • Since Nov 2006 • 138 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    Speaking of tedious Craig, I was actually counting down to a ill-mannered personal attack on me from yourself, and a false BUT BRIAN EDWARDS DID IT TO! Comparison from you, because you are nothing if not a one-trick pony around here when it comes to trying to shut any debate around the National Party.

    Thanks Danyl, my point exactly. I suppose that makes you as tedious as Dixie Chicks album to, but there you have it.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • Peter Martin,

    Re Winston - this may not be a particularly popular position, but I'm kinda siding with him on this one.

    As much as it pains me,I am in agreement with you. Peters' lawyer was quite clear this morning on Morning Report that he hadn't told Peters of the donation and indeed this was the first instance he had ever told anyone he works for of the source of a donation.

    I note too that one Rex Widerstrom has claimed on Kiwiblog that Peters does know who donates to his 'fighting fund' and has provided evidence of such to an unnamed reporter.

    *sigh*

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 187 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    Winston Peters is a cunning fellow, and what will happen is he will try to turn this into the nasty, bullying Australian owned N.Z. Herald, vs. Winston - heroic defender of New Zealand democracy issue. At the moment, the Herald is showing sufficient hubris over this to indicate they will fall into Winston's trap.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    Of course the Herald's Key story was a puff piece.

    Craig, rather than shouting "Satan" and "Nazi" (i.e. rebutting comments which nobody has come anywhere near making), why not just rebut the "hagiography" notion by linking/quoting the critical bits? Out of all those thousands of words, there must be plenty to choose from, surely.

    Key said "South Island" when he meant "Canterbury". I think that was the critical bit.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Speaking of tedious Craig, I was actually counting down to a ill-mannered personal attack on me from yourself,.

    Well, at least you can count. Get back to me when you've learned to work a dictionary and know what a hagiography is. Sorry to tell you and your soul brothers on the rabid right this, but reading something you don't agree with is not prima facie evidence of some media conspiracy.

    The problem with the Herald piece is not that it was pretty soft, but that it was sold as an 'unauthorised biography' when it was clearly a team effort between the Herald and the National leaders comms staff.

    Danyl: Oh, come on... "clearly" nothing. If you've got some credible source who is willing to go on the record claiming that Key rang up the Herald, pitched this, chose the writers, lined up the interviews and got copy approval (which is the general form with authorised biographies) please enlighten us. Otherwise, you're reaching -- and I actually expect slightly better from you than I do from Tom.

    I guess next we're going to be complaining that the Herald didn't do a serialisation deal for Ian Wishart's penetrating tome on Helen Clark...

    Re Winston - this may not be a particularly popular position, but I'm kinda siding with him on this one.

    I've got a bridge in San Francisco to sell you, if you're that credulous. Sorry, but I really think Winston's been just a little too cute for his own good here. Don't get me wrong, the combo of semantic hair-splitting of Jesuitical proportions and feral aggression is delightful. In a snuff-movie way. But I think Lila Haere had Winston cold with two words today: "Pure sophistry." If a 100K donation towards the costs of an electoral petition in Peters' name isn't a personal donation, then nothing is. And we might as well accept that any register of pecuniary interests or campaign finance restrictions are meaningless.

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

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Craig, rather than shouting "Satan" and "Nazi" (i.e. rebutting comments which nobody has come anywhere near making),

    simon g: Cute, but no cigar. It's perfectly clear that Ton hates John Key, and he's entitled to his view. But I'll say this once more, seeing something in a newspaper that doesn't fit your particular political filter isn't prima facae evidence of a political bias. Ruth Key might just be a rather nice woman who got the hell out of Austria rather than hanging around and joining the Nazis like so many others . John Key might just have been a rather dull, but pleasant enough school boy. He might just really really adore his wife as much as Helen Clark does her husband.

    Stranger things have happened... And for all you know, the Herald could have been desperately trying to find anyone who'd say something nasty about Key and they just couldn't find 'em. Not some sinister conspiracy. Just wait until next week -- I'm sure there will be plenty to excite and enthral...

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

  • Peter Martin,

    And for all you know, the Herald could have been desperately trying to find anyone who'd say something nasty about Key and they just couldn't find 'em. Not some sinister conspiracy.

    *lol*

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 187 posts Report Reply

  • Gareth Ward,

    I've got a bridge in San Francisco to sell you, if you're that credulous.

    What are the views like? If I bundle this into an LAQC and rent it to Asian students I too can my have my own Lamborghini, yeah?
    :>

    Sorry, but I really think Winston's been just a little too cute for his own good here. Don't get me wrong, the combo of semantic hair-splitting of Jesuitical proportions and feral aggression is delightful. In a snuff-movie way. But I think Lila Haere had Winston cold with two words today: "Pure sophistry." If a 100K donation towards the costs of an electoral petition in Peters' name isn't a personal donation, then nothing is. And we might as well accept that any register of pecuniary interests or campaign finance restrictions are meaningless.

    I think he's being a dick about it now, for sure. And there was a million better ways to deal with it, but that doesn't change the fact for me that he could have honestly believed that Glenn hadn't donated to the party and just didn't even think about this legal fee. Everyone rushing to crucify the guy is being just as much a sophist...

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report Reply

  • John Morrison,

    Here in the wop wops we have good connections, both landline and DSL, provided by Telecom. Nowadays, we get a consistent download speed of ~1.5mb/sec so really I cannot complain given the state of development and the fact we are 5km from the nearest cabinet.

    However, a Vodafone neighbour closer to this cabinet complains it takes 20mins just to send an email because his broadband 'drops out' regularly.

    I have taken the position of sticking with Telecom because it gives us a better chance of any upgrades that happen to pass by

    Cromwell • Since Nov 2006 • 85 posts Report Reply

  • Joanna,

    I thought the standout takehome message of this post was "Sometimes some people talk to their neighbours". Are you crazy, Russell? They could be paedophiles or P dealers! Or worse - bloggers!

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 746 posts Report Reply

  • Mark Harris,

    Brown, you bastard. You linked to a Kiwiblog post including comments without giving a mental health warning. How will I recover?

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report Reply

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