Freedom of speech and movement are fundamental rights in a liberal democracy and many New Zealanders fought and died so that we may continue to enjoy them. The lockdowns have seriously challenged these rights and we largely accepted these without question until the Prime Minister chose to use daily media briefings on Covid-19 as a platform for herself, rather than leaving it to health officials as would be expected.
The media love bad news because it sells. However there has been little questioning from the media on much of the lockdown rules and little in the way of criticism, and much like the climate change debate critics risk being cancelled.
But even I was taken aback when I learned that a public servant had taken it upon themselves to essentially try to censor the media.
A Nelson Marlborough DHB employee emailed the Blenheim Sun community newspaper saying that “As an advertiser I am feeling reluctant to direct my spend at the Blenheim Sun,” and went on to say that “It’s about the escalating level of racist and anti-Govt and disinformation they are allowing to be published in the ‘text to talk’ section.” But she went one step further and contacted one of the Sun’s advertisers, to voice her concerns about the ‘txt talk’ with them.
The ‘txt talk’ section is where readers are able to express their views freely, within a limit of 70 words. “Txt talk” is effectively the public square and the Sun do moderate the texts but it is a place where views can be aired within limits.
Is the Sun’s “txt talk” platform reasonable? Well, the Press Council think so as they ruled on a complaint from a reader who took offence to some of the content from another individual. The Press Council noted that “The format seems to encourage forthright comment and in this instance it included opinions that some people might find offensive.” But the Press Council ruled that “It was noted that the Txt talk page gave equal prominence to strong opinions to the contrary. This provided fairness and balance and gave readers the opportunity to see and weigh different sides of the debate.”
This is alongside another concerning incident where a public servant has crossed the line with the media. My colleague Nicola Willis recently discovered that prior to the last election Kainga Ora commissioned advertorial material featuring Labour Party candidate Arena Williams and when they found out about her candidacy, they sought to “proceed as though we didn’t know about the impending announcement.” Why would Kainga Ora knowingly promote a political candidate?
This is a very concerning trend. To be clear these poor judgements are being made by local public servants, but regardless, what they are doing is just plain wrong and it must be stopped. Free speech means at times that we will hear, see or read views that we do not agree with, just as there will be those that will not agree with what we say or do. We must remember the wise words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall; “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
