OnPoint by Keith Ng

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OnPoint: Sunlight Resistance

397 Responses

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  • Katharine Moody,

    A journalist who gets it!!

    Thank you, Keith.

    Wellington • Since Sep 2014 • 798 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming,

    Well said, that man. Thanks, Keith.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen,

    On point!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Tristan,

    This media framing, repeating, reporting seems to be very effective

    john key calling Keith a hacker over mapping network drives at winz while at the same time saying accessing a website (much more complicated ) was just fine turned my brain inside out

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 221 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    I’m also stating it explicitly because the connection needs to be made: National’s landslide victory means that the media’s reporting of Dirty Politics has had no effect. The media had no power to punish politicians for bad behaviour.

    No, the media doesn’t and nor should it. Voters do, and perhaps if some folks on the left had actually deigned to go out and make a political argument why the electorate should have gotten their vengeful smite on instead of considering it all so self-evident anyone who thought otherwise was malignantly stupid things might well have turned out differently.

    It may so be pertinent to point out that the media may be the “court of public opinion” but it isn’t a judicial body either, though you could be forgiven when too many journalists (and over-excitable columnists and editorial writers) are a bit fuzzy on the non-trivial differences between an allegation, a charge and being convicted of a crime in a real court of law. Or have we forgotten a certain newspaper that was determined to hound an elected mayor out of office because they really didn't approve of where he was putting his penis?

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

  • wasabicube,

    Thank you for summing up this sad state of affairs. Great post.

    Whangaparaoa • Since Nov 2006 • 15 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Kumara Republic,

    DeepRed:

    Did you omit the by-line accidentally? Don't want to give the impression you're linking to news content rather than an op-ed column by Nicky Hager.

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

  • kiwiwolf,

    A day well spent, Nailed It

    Whangaparaoa • Since Sep 2014 • 30 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell,

    Thanks Keith. spot on.
    And it's not just about not getting a straight answer. You then have to report you didn't get a straight answer, and outline in detail why it matters and what's at stake. Following that up with further stories and quoting anyone who will be quoted.
    Then when reporting smears like 'left-wing smear campaign' you ask the person who claims this to back it up with evidence- what are the smears; what is the role of the 'left-wing' and what evidence is there of a campaign?
    It's not comfortable when the powerful frown on you - especially when you're used to smiles. But get over it and grow up.

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Terry Baucher,

    Sensational post Keith, well said.

    Devonport • Since Nov 2008 • 91 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    Did you omit the by-line accidentally? Don't want to give the impression you're linking to news content rather than an op-ed column by Nicky Hager.

    Ah yeh, I meant to say that Nicky Hager is standing his ground. If it does eventually have an impact, then it'll fall into the slow-burner category.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Trevor Nicholls,

    +∞

    Wellington, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 325 posts Report Reply

  • Myles Thomas,

    Thank you. A must read post

    Auckland • Since Apr 2011 • 130 posts Report Reply

  • phplad,

    mr Ng. Exactly the post dirty politics thoughts I have with my pillow at 4am.

    New Zealand • Since Aug 2014 • 17 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Thanks, Keith. Nothing much has changed since I wrote about this topic during the campaign.

    No sign of media organisations and journalists having a good look at their conduct, just loudly demanding that from the loser of the election. And giving the winner a free pass. Speaking power to truth. Jay Rosen should be compulsory reading in every newsroom.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • John Small,

    Great post Keith - thank you very much. One comment: I think we can rule out this one:

    "Or maybe Key is right that people only care about tangible things, not wishy-washy things like integrity. Maybe they expect no integrity from politicians."

    People do care about integrity. We know that because the ratfuckers target the integrity of ordinary people, and it works.

    New Zealand • Since Sep 2013 • 10 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    You know one telling little thing about our media that has amazed me? Not a single newspaper or magazine has bothered to get it’s book reviewer to read and review Lusk’s book. Is it because they lack book reviewers, or they lack the curiosity, or they so part of the game that they don't need to review his book to know what it about and assume the public are stupid to care? All of the above?

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

  • Alastair Thompson,

    " so even when people were convinced National was doing bad things, they refused to vote for the alternative."

    I think you could be on to something with this theory.

    There is a seat of the pants quality to so much of what JK does that I think the full spectrum dominance alternative postulate doesn't hold water.

    Plus I think the fact that JK was secretly calling DPF every night is confirmation that he didn't know what he was doing would work.

    I suspect another aspect 0f the absence of democratic just deserts in all of this is increasing public contempt for media in general including Hager and Greenwald. Add in the age old prejudice towards Germans and you have a recipe for a shit load of conservative NZ ers to decide "fuck it" this time I'm going to get out and vote which would also explain why for the first time in ages National’s polling percentage actually turned up on the day.

    I.E. I think what I am.saying is that the failure of the Gallery in this particular election may be put down to some rather exceptional circumstances that everybody faced.

    THAT SAID BRILLIANT PIECE.

    The cult of saviness critique has been apt for the NZ gallery for some time in my opinion.

    Al

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 220 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    The sky is falling!

    Did you omit the by-line accidentally?

    That's getting more than a bit precious!
    Since when did we start putting by-lines on 'links' - as a must do?

    The page opens to the comments section of The Guardian
    with Hager's name plainly visible, I think possibly the feeble-minded and small children might need the authorial assistance you are insisting on, rendered earlier in the process, but by and large the rest of us are adults and can make our minds up on content.

    Last time I looked "op-ed columns' are a big part of the 'News content' of newspapers these days.

    As are the comment sections for fleshing, and hammering, them out.

    Have you any other cavils (or larger gripes) with the actual content of Hager's arguments, or are you just ignoring that completely, while trying to look upset.

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • CJM,

    I wasn't aware that people were being 'dicks' to political journos. How has this manifested itself? Is this some kind of twitter babble?

    Anyway, magnificent piece but tragic that it has to be written.

    Auckland • Since Aug 2014 • 107 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Have you any other cavils (or larger gripes) with the actual content of Hager’s arguments, or are you just ignoring that completely, while trying to look upset.

    Ian:

    What I’m going to do is stop engaging with your tiresome imputations of bad faith in my direction, because it never ends up anywhere worth going. I gave Red a pretty minor but good-natured ping on a small matter of clear attribution, and he responded to it in kind. End of story, as far as I'm concerned.

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

  • izogi,

    Great collation and insight, Keith.

    As a meta-comment, I don’t understand Amazon’s affiliation programme too well, but I wonder if you intentionally left that ‘tag’ parameter in the URL you supplied for Simon Lusk’s book. Possibly some of the other ones, too, but I’m not sure what they’re for. Or maybe just go to Amazon’s front page, locate the book, and take the URL from there. :)

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 1142 posts Report Reply

  • Sue,

    I could be wrong but is it that our journalists simply don;t know how to ask questions. Sure John Key has all his tricks and tools to not answer questions, so don't political journalists need to do one better and work out how to ask him questions and get an answer?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 527 posts Report Reply

  • Andrew Geddis,

    I'm not sure I get this.

    You say that the media tried really hard and asked the right questions and put the pressure on, etc, etc. So it "did its job" in that sense. But the nub of your complaint then is:

    I’m also stating it explicitly because the connection needs to be made: National’s landslide victory means that the media’s reporting of Dirty Politics has had no effect. The media had no power to punish politicians for bad behaviour.

    But like Craig says, exactly why is this the media's fault? What more could they have done? Are you saying they should have actively campaigned against National, in the sense of explicitly told their readers/listeners/viewers "this Government is not fit to be re-elected and you should vote for someone else"? Sorta like the NZ Herald did with the Electoral Finance Bill back in 2007 (remember how much we loved that)?

    So here's a thought. Maybe the reason that the media’s reporting of Dirty Politics has had no effect is because voters actually didn't care that much about it. Maybe they discounted the ugliness and wrongdoing - especially once Collins went, accident or no - because they judged National and Key to be doing a good job on the things that they believe matter. And maybe people like us who were sickened by what we read are just outliers who live in a social media bubble with other people like ourselves, and so have no real clue what the rest of New Zealand think or believe.

    Which has nothing to do with the media at all.

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2007 • 206 posts Report Reply

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