Chris Lynch
Chris Lynch is a journalist, videographer and content producer, broadcasting from his independent news and production company in Christchurch, New Zealand.
OPINION: It’s no surprise the Disinformation Project, long functioning as a political weapon, has finally collapsed.
For several years, it served as a platform for far-left ideologues, led by Kate Hannah, to demonise dissenting voices under the guise of protecting the public from “disinformation”.
The project didn’t expose lies – it tried to silence opposition – and it failed.
Hannah and her colleague Sanjana Hattotuwa, desperate to stay relevant, tried to hold secretive media briefings before the 2023 election, trying to manipulate media narratives, but when they were called out, they cancelled.
As their media presence dwindled, their rhetoric grew increasingly inflammatory, desperately pushing unsubstantiated claims to maintain relevance.
Lazy television and radio producers indulged their egos by repeatedly booking Hannah and her cohort to spew their nonsense, without subjecting them to scrutiny.
They were given free rein to push their one-sided narrative, unchallenged, in a media environment more interested in promoting their views than questioning their credibility.
Despite stirring controversy with bold assertions, they failed to provide evidence, relying instead on sensationalism to stay in the public eye.
I called out Kate Hannah after she made an unsubstantiated comment to Stuff (of course) about a documentary she hadn’t even bothered to watch.
Her arrogance was staggering – so full of self-importance that she felt no need to actually view the material before passing judgement.
For Hannah, her opinion was apparently so infallible that facts and evidence were irrelevant.
This eagerness to criticise without basis perfectly summed up the Disinformation Project’s flawed approach.
The truth is, the Disinformation Project was never about safeguarding facts – it was about controlling them, which is why she was seen a darling of the Ardern government.
Chantelle Baker’s defamation case against the New Zealand Herald and Kate Hannah showed just how far the project had gone off course.
The Herald was forced to make a “substantial” out of court payment to Baker, further exposing the Disinformation Project’s crumbling credibility.
While the project was quick to target conservative viewpoints, it conveniently ignored misinformation from the Labour government, particularly around Covid-19.
Its bias was laid bare when it turned a blind eye to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s misleading statements on Covid, proving it was more interested in protecting political allies than holding power to account.
With the project now dismantled, media outlets like Sean Plunket’s The Platform are thriving, attracting audiences tired of the mainstream media’s bias.
These platforms are proof that New Zealanders are rejecting the ideological censorship pushed by projects like Hannah’s.
In the end, the Disinformation Project imploded under the weight of its own hypocrisy.
New Zealanders have moved on and so should Kate Hannah.
The days of silencing dissent through political smokescreens are over.
This article was originally published by Chris Lynch Media.
