Table of Contents
On page A21 of the Weekend Herald, the Media Insider, aka Shayne Currie, tells us of some heartening news for those at the coalface of journalism. Media trust in New Zealand is edging up, with still a lot of work to do, according to the latest Acumen Edelman Trust Barometer. (If the journalists were half decent, there wouldn’t be any work to do.) In a statement, Acumen Chief Executive Adelle Kelly said media could “reduce division by prioritising accuracy and balance over amplification”. Now, name me a journalist who is going to take any notice of that advice. The trust barometer had two key areas of focus for media:
“Write accurate headlines instead of exaggerated ones or fear inducing ones.”
“Dedicate equal time and coverage to different viewpoints on big issues.”
Unbeknownst to me the journalism schools must all have closed and now the leftie numpties are being educated by the chief executive of the Acumen Barometer. Hardly believable is it? If I were the Media Insider, I would have kept this sort of embarrassing stuff well hidden where nobody could possibly find it. Not that there’s anything wrong with it – it is perfectly good advice. The joke of it is the so-called journalists will take no notice of it. In fact you don’t have far to go to find the proof: just flick from page A21 to page A19.
That’s where we find trusty leftie Thomas Coughlan. His article is headlined “Carry on… grappling with the ghost of Covid”. Now I don’t want to be unkind but his headline is misleading for starters. The government, to whom he is referring, is not grappling with the ghost of Covid; it is grappling with the effects of decisions made by the tyrant who caused the pandemic to be exacerbated – one Jacinda Ardern. Does Thomas allude to Ardern in his article? Only once. To do more would ruin the whole purpose of it – which is to have a go at the coalition.
Thomas says the coalition parties have an almost Freudian relationship to Labour’s Covid response, hating it not just because it trampled their free and liberal ideology but because, for National and NZ First, Covid shredded their political fortunes. According to Thomas, National’s popularity sank to an all-time low from which it never recovered. He claims the government is also deeply envious of the popularity of the response and how it imbued Labour with a mandate almost unthinkable now. Almost? Here’s Thomas having the equivalent of a journalistic orgasm over his typewriter at the thought of the little ‘king of sausage rolls’ creaming the government in November.
Let’s pull that apart, shall we? Thomas must have a different rear-view mirror to the rest of us. From my recall, National happily went along with the response, even signing Mallard’s Nazi-type instruction that no member of parliament was to engage with the protesters and so they all hid in the Beehive in the most disgraceful display of political theatre ever seen. Talk about abrogating political responsibility…As for NZ First, they paid the price for going with Labour in 2017 and were thrown out. Recent noises from Winston cast doubt on whether he has learnt his lesson. Make no mistake, he has and deep down he knows it. (Read my postscript at the bottom of article.)
Thomas goes on to say another contrast with Covid is the way Luxon is only playing a supporting role in the energy response. The implication appears to be that Luxon is not being the tyrant at the podium of truth, saying ‘First Maiki, then Jenna’. Thomas notes that when the $50-a-week assistance package was announced it was Nicola Willis who fielded most of the questions. Well, Thomas, perhaps that’s because she’s the minister of finance. (Are we to suppose all journalists are this moronic?) He points out that when the energy ‘phasing system’ was announced, one of the most significant parts of the emergency response, Luxon was in Christchurch opening a new stadium.
Thomas then says, proudly, “Dame Jacinda Ardern would never have been absent for such a significant moment in the response.” He’s right there. Narcissistic tyrants, commonly known as dictators, never are. These control freaks don’t even trust their own to get on with the job. The truth is none of them were up to the task, including the tyrant herself. She’s now parading herself on Sydney’s Northern Beaches where, unfortunately for her, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party is making huge gains in popularity.
Luxon was in Christchurch opening a new stadium because he has ministers who are up to the task of handling announcements and press conferences while he gets on with his own commitments. Thomas thinks Luxon was absent because he’s one of the government’s poorer communicators and is just as likely to instil fears as much as assuage them. While there is some truth to that, it is not the reason. Thomas does have a more charitable view, though: he thinks Luxon’s role is to portray the government’s “keep calm and carry on” message. What utter tripe.
You get the picture. His hero is Dame Jacinda Ardern and her handling of Covid was beyond reproach. Her standing at the podium of truth lecturing us all, saying she was the only source of truth while at the same time lying, was something we’d all like to forget but never will. Thomas however, looking through the Coughlan rear-view mirror and wearing rose-tinted glasses, sees it all differently.
How should we rate Thomas on the Acumen barometer? To give him his due, once his adulation with the tyrant was complete, the temperature dropped somewhat and more sanity was evident in his writing about the energy crisis and the possible economic effects. Thomas is probably a bit long in the tooth for journalism school, if indeed they still exist, but like most of today’s left-leaning newspapers scribblers and broadcasting dribblers, they need to keep in mind the sage advice coming from the Acumen Edelman barometer. But, in reality, how likely is that?
Postscript: I have just watched Winston addressing a packed hall in Westport. The subject was NZ First’s policy on MINING AND MINERAL EXTRACTION and the resultant benefits to the economy. He was lauding the industry to the high hills. Going with Labour? I don’t think so.
