Reading Tova O’Brien’s stuff on Stuff one can only wonder how much she contributed to Today FM’s early exit from the media landscape. She was given the unenviable task of beating Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB. She may have dreamed of doing so. Reality of course is a very different beast.
Tova exited Today FM with an expletive-laden rant not worthy of a professional journalist. I presume that’s what Tova thinks she is, even if she doesn’t act like it. The media is a tough place in which to work. There are lots of ups and downs. One has to learn to take the rough with the smooth. I’ve been there and done that.
Prior to joining Today FM Tova was somewhat protected from the cut-throat end of the media. She was a member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. Taking on Mike Hosking is a different kettle of fish from attending a press conference where your girlfriend says “Tova, then Jessica” or the other way round. With a choice of just two television channels from which the public can access their hour of evening news, you can get away with using a microphone and a camera to spout your political bias.
Not so on radio where one outlet has had decades of dominance. MediaWorks stations have never done well in talk radio. Most people who listen to talk radio have a right-wing view of the world, which is why Newstalk ZB has been so successful. That also tells you something about the different makeup of left and right voters. Poor Tova, with her left-wing bent, was never going to make it.
Tova is currently employed by Stuff Digital in the new role of Chief Political Correspondent. My, how important. Her correspondence, if you can call it that, leaves a lot to be desired. I am not unaware that Stuff is as left as Newstalk ZB is right. But when it comes to political reporting Newstalk ZB presenters are talking about policies rather than the leaders. Tova, and the left in general, thinks elections are all about the leaders.
If that is true and Hipkins is so popular why isn’t Labour polling higher? If Luxon is so unpopular why isn’t National lower in the polls? Tova did an article on the leaders and National’s supposed problems with Luxon on August 10. She pointed out that in the latest Newshub poll, Luxon was about 10 points behind Hipkins in popularity. She did admit he could possibly catch up. In the Curia poll released last week, no doubt much to Tova’s surprise, he did. They’re level pegging.
Tova tells us, and Hipkins agrees, elections the world over are all about the leaders and New Zealand is no exception. Tova might not be aware but there’s an exception to every rule. Her Labour luvvies have stuffed up majorly in the policy area. Progress has stalled and their wacky ideas are out of step with middle New Zealand. Here’s a headline for her next article: ‘Should Labour Change Their Leader?’
This election IS about policy and that is why Labour will cop a good old-fashioned hiding on October 14.
On August 11, Tova had the gall to inform us that the fears from the bloody nose Labour got in the Curia poll had been allayed. She cited the Talbot Mills poll where Labour is five points above the Curia poll. This is a corporate poll done by the company that does Labour’s internal polling. Stuff‘s regular readers might be prepared to buy that nonsense but most thinking Kiwis won’t. According to Tova, “This shows a rosier picture.”
Tova was back on her soapbox again yesterday, Monday 14 August, championing Hipkins’s loony GST announcement. She says polls show this is hugely popular with the public. The saving is $5 weekly, less than a dollar a day. The public must be easily pleased then. She says the new grocery commissioner will ensure the supermarkets are passing on the savings. I say mission impossible to that. Tova says Hipkins doesn’t want to give to millionaires but immediately admits he is. Nothing but a desperate pitch for Labour.
Tova says one thing is for certain: the election will be tight. Really? Tova’s definition of tight appears to be very different from mine. For a political journalist or as she now is, a Chief Political Correspondent, Tova displays an alarming lack of political nous. Here’s a bit of basic advice. When you are discussing the fortunes of a political party you don’t do it based on a favourable corporate poll for that party; you look at the trend.
The trend of course doesn’t suit Tova’s narrative, so in order to try and boost her luvvies’ hopeless chances of winning the election she writes a hopelessly biased article. In doing so, she’s confirming something we already knew: she’s a leftie luvvie. She’s so biased I’m surprised she can stand up straight.
Journalism at its worst.
