David Fisher is writing a hit piece on me, The BFD and Reality Check Radio. In the interests of transparency here are my replies, along with copies of his questions, since Fisher is prone to making things up, like his article of nearly four years ago claiming I’d lost a case that was only recently heard and for which no judgment has yet been released.
This email arrived on my birthday and I was so pleased to receive it. I enjoyed it immensely. I hope you do too.
- Your Reality Check Radio interviews with NZ First candidates suggest you hold a different perspective on Mr Peters than previously. A review of the former Whale Oil blog shows over a number of years during which you referred to Mr Peters as “Winston Raymond Peters, 65, pensioner of St Marys Bay” (although previously of ‘no fixed abode’ after he lost his Tauranga seat). The repeated use of Mr Peters’ name as if he were appearing in court came with comments such as a 2008 post in which you said Mr Peters was a “proven liar” who was “becoming like the dirty old raincoat-wearing man playing with himself in a park” and asked “why does WRP, 63, sweat like a rapist”. In one RCR interview you reference a meeting at TV3 to which you appear to refer in a November 2011 post: “I had words with him in the studio this morning at Tv3. I’ve called him a liar, corrupt and a thief”. Around that time, after the 2011 election, you reflected: “Winston Peters is a natural born liar. He has charmed the bewildered and the deluded yet again.” The comments continued in the years beyond this, for example “Winston Peters has never really displayed much of a conscience when it comes to rorting taxpayers or selling policy to donors”. The RCR interviews in the 3.5 months leading up to the election include much commentary by yourself on Mr Peters that is positive. An example is the interview with Kirsten Murfitt, in which you speak to Mr Peters fulfilling pledges to supporters and his vast knowledge of history and politics. I’m hoping you are able to describe how you came to shift your perception of Mr Peters.
People change, as have I. It’s a shame he doesn’t seem to be able to, and that’s just sad. I’ll pray for him. Here are the interviews he was talking about.
2. In the RCR interview with Kirsten Murfitt you speak about spending time with Mr Peters in this way: “Him and I catch up every now and then just on the quiet – we don’t make a song and dance about it. We sit there and we just talk. And, you know, we’ve been known to talk for hours, the two of us, about everything going back in history. You know his knowledge in politics is vast. He’s quoting people that I know what he’s talking about but I can’t remember the exact quote but he’s quoting it, you know, directly. And we just sit there and talk. And then the other funny thing that I find is a couple of days later, or even a couple of weeks later, I see him say something at a public meeting or put out a press release. And the things that I was arguing with him about and we were disagreeing on, he’s now picked those up and adopted them without making a fanfare out of it and I’m sitting there thinking, ‘oh, I’d better go and have a few more of these chats with Winston’.” While it appears to be another example of your shift in views about Mr Peters, are you able to expand on the suggestion your discussions have led to Mr Peters including issues you have raised in speeches and press releases?
Winston is an amiable and likeable character. If I have influenced him then, good; if not, too bad. Interview with Kirsten Murfitt.
3. Congratulations on your election night interview with Mr Peters which is all the more extraordinary given it took place before Mr Peters thanked his supporters, which has always been a priority for him on election night. It would appear to be the only interview Mr Peters carried out for weeks after the election. What is it about your approach to political interviews that made for a compelling election night pitch to Mr Peters?
Unlike the rest of the media scrum, I did not publish inaccurate articles and rail against NZ First in the run-up to the election. That is probably why he was willing to grant me an interview. Far be it for me to teach you how to do your job – I thought Herald journalists were “trained and skilled”. Here is the election night Interview with Winston Peters that seems to have made wee David a bit jealous.
4. Your interviews with Mr Peters include discussion on the perceived failings of media in which you pose questions as if not part of the media and Mr Peters responds in a way that distinguishes you from other outlets. The High Court has found your activity on the defunct Whale Oil blog was that of a journalist whereas Dirty Politics (and subsequent court hearings) alleged you or those connected to you had received money for writing particular posts, which is not considered journalistic practice. Do you currently consider yourself a journalist and what is it about your journalism (if you see it as such) that distinguishes it from others who work as journalists?
Hello! PIJF! Cash for Content! A bit rich coming from NZME and you, don’t you think?
5. A review of the RCR interviews done ahead of the election show there were 14 interviews done with political candidates of which nine were done with NZ First representatives. You do speak in some of your commentary that it was difficult to attract interview subjects from other parties. Did you feel there was a need to manage issues of balance through your campaign coverage and, if so, how did you address that? And was there any concern on your part you were providing too much coverage of one party to the detriment of fair coverage of others parties?
The Herald and Fisher talking about balance? Really? He went there? He may also notice that The BFD published far more press releases from NZ First in the run-up to the election. This was because they sent them to The BFD. The same applies to RCR – they were the only real minor party polling above the threshold whose candidates made themselves actively available for interview.
6. Former NZ First MPs have spoken of Simon Lusk’s developing relationship with NZ First during the late 2010s as a political advisor and someone who helped source donors. This is in keeping with evidence before the High Court in the NZ First Foundation SFO trial. Your relationship with Mr Lusk has been well-traversed in the past, and by yourself in the recent RCR interviews with him. In one recent interview with Mr Lusk on RCR you both discussed the Dirty Politics book in the context of attack politics. Mr Lusk said: “I just thought it was funny and it was great for business. Periodically we joke about sending Nicky all our emails again so we can get some more work.” What sort of work do you and Mr Lusk carry out? Have you assisted or had any involvement with Mr Lusk’s for NZ First?
We enjoy ourselves immensely, especially when fools like you spend huge amounts of time writing about us. The BFD and Reality Check Radio both thank you for promoting our work and driving traffic to our sites so that people can make their own minds up about information rather than be spoon-fed it through your wonky worldview.
7. During the course of the reporting that was done on the NZ First Foundation, photographs were taken of reporters Guyon Espiner and Matt Shand which Mr Peters admitted then denied organising the taking of. The photographs appeared on The BFD site where Mr Gray was described as a “sneaky thief” with other commentary about Mr Gray’s behaviour and mental health. One person interviewed for the piece I am writing raised this as an example of the close relationship between The BFD and NZ First. How do you see it?
How do I see it? Exactly as I wrote about it, a shabby little bit of agitprop from bent journos with an axe to grind laundering stolen documents obtained by someone in a bid to destabilise a political party as revenge; caught red-handed without portraying the full story.
8. One person interviewed has spoken to your credit as to how you will stand by a mate when others might not and offered your support for Jami-Lee Ross as an example of this. During the time in which Mr Ross was exiting the National Party and going it alone, NZ First accepted his proxy. Was this something that you discussed with Mr Ross or Mr Lusk during that time?
You’d never understand loyalty and mateship. This is probably why you are at the top of the list for staff exits at NZME. Good luck in the job market.
9. There is a photograph on your Instagram account of the Dirty Politics book apparently riddled with rounds and shot. Commentary with a video of that has you saying: “Nicky Hager did a great favour to me, is that he taught me the value of being apolitical or agnostic when it comes to politics. I thank him for that and I’m glad he wrote the book. It made me be a better commentator and he was trying to destroy me and he actually made me better.” Your apparent gratitude towards Mr Hager seems at odds with comments in the past. Are you able to expand on how your views have shifted?
It’s a video actually.
I had a life-changing medical event. I’ve changed. Shame you can’t. Listen to these RCR monologues.
10. One person interviewed for the piece I am writing made reference to you holding “conspiracy theory” views about Covid-19 while another pointed to the tweet sent by Mr Peters last week in which he referred to being kept in the dark over Brenton Tarrant’s email to the Prime Minister’s office on March 15 and how it aligned a “conspiracy theorist” perception of Jacinda Ardern as solely responsible for government decisions they did not like around firearms law and Covid-19. These comments were raised in the context of Mr Peters appealing to those views for electoral support and that your outlets (The BFD and RCR) offered a useful way for him to connect with those constituencies. Do you have a view on this?
Yes, I do have views. Unlike you, as information comes to hand, I am able to adjust my views and opinions. I’m certainly not mired in the past trawling through articles that are 12–15 years old on a gotcha mission.
Once again we here at The BFD and Reality Check Radio appreciate the enormous coverage that you give us. You keep doing you, David, and we’ll keep stealing your audience.
Help Fund Our NewsDesk
We are building a NewsDesk, hiring journalists and taking the fight to the mainstream media. Will you help fund our NewsDesk?
- For security reasons, credit card donations require Javascript. Please enable Javascript in your browser before continuing.
Your Donation
Your Recurring Donation
Donation Period *
Your One-Time Donation
Details First Name * Last Name * Email * Address Address 2 City State Postcode Country Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belau Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo (Brazzaville) Congo (Kinshasa) Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba CuraÇao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Republic of Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Martin (Dutch part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia/Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom (UK) United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Western Samoa Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Phone Number Payment Name on Card * .StripeElement { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 1em; } #charitable_stripe_card_errors { color: #eb1c26; font-size: .8em; margin: .5em 0 0 0; } Credit/Debit Card Donate
Please share this article so others can discover The BFD.
