Posts by Russell Brown
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Russell: that's a tricky kettle of fish. Where do you draw the line in terms of self-censorship and how do achieve consistency? It would seem the only way to do that is to avoid politics and religion altogether.
Obviously, the reaction to the Mohammed Cartoons was stronger than to say the Chocolate and Piss Christs, but that doesn't seem like a good reason to not print them.
But, as I said during the events, newspapers decide not to grievously offend their readers all the damn time . They play different role in the culture than, say, late TV, fringe cinema or private websites. It doesn't particularly bother me that hardcore porn is available on the Internet, but I'd think it was a pretty poor show if the Dom Post ran it as a heavily-promoted four-colour spread in Saturday's paper - as it did with the cartoons.
Granted, sometimes, the mainstream media's desire not to offer grievous offence can be irksome - and I speak as someone who worked on a comedy programme that aired on National Radio.
But given their generally-agreed lack of merit, the only reason to run the cartoons verbatim was to say, in effect, "you're not going to tell me what to do".
And yet, in a way, the newspapers who ran them were being told what to do, from all sides. The orginal commissioning editor at he Danish paper subscribed to theories I generally find stupid and baseless, the cartoons were crap, and the whole thing only became an international scandal in the first place because unpleasant mullahs actively disseminated the works in question, along with a few choice ring-ins. I found it easy enough to find reasons not to play ball.
Did I just start the thread again?
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Actually, we were very impressed with Craig's ability to seamlessly depart from script and just talk off the top of his head - points to anyone who can pick those parts, because we could only tell by the fact that he was looking straight ahead and not down at his script.
But yes, I think we have a new radio talent.
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The second part of our report on Christchurch's substance subculture, comprising a visit to Christchurch's original NOS lounge, The Lab.
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The first part of our report on Christchurch's substance subculture, featuring an interview with Dr Paul Gee of Christchurch Hospital Emergency Department.
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This introduction to this week's show, with David Slack and Russell Brown - includes audio from the Apple-EMI press conference in London.
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Well, about 200 actually ...
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A report on the remastered This is New Zealand with interviews with Hugh Macdonald and Kit Rollings. (Includes programme intro.)
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It's a hard job, but someone had to to do it ...
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At the end of the day, U.S. commentators like Derbyshire have a disturbingly fascist bias towards the glorification of violence as an end unto itself.
So long, of course, as it doesn't personally involve them or their children.
You may recall the release of American journalist Jill Carroll in Iraq. Her crimes (ie: wearing a headscarf and saying she hadn't been mistreated) provoked a particularly loathsome bout of violent, hateful misogyny in the forums of Little Green Footballs et al. Those people are weird in a very bad way.
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I don't know how outraged opinion has been in the U.K. over this sailor thing. I assume its split along partisan lines with the Telegraph demanding that gunboats be dispatched to treat the beastly Persians to a lesson in Her Majesty's justice, and the Independent and Guardian insisting on a diplomatic solution.
Actually, the Telegraph seems pretty realistic too, and is crediting diplomats on both sides and implying that the apologies from the sailors were a negotiated substitute for apologies from senior politicians in London. Which makes the brave Mr Derbyshire look even more stupid, given that would mean the sailors were acting under direct orders.
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