I don’t want to get into the argy-bargy about the Prime Minister’s hour on RadioLIVE last Friday. I listened to it and enjoyed it. Good to hear John Key reading the weather and being a gushing fanboy interviewing people he looks up to. He does it well.
I saw Mr Key copped a bit of ‘fiddling while Rome burns’ flack, and RadioLIVE (inevitably) came under criticism too — with assertions the show ‘undermined RadioLIVE’s credibility’ from RNZ’s Mediawatch. Their argument, as far as I can make out, being that because the PM didn’t instantly address the ‘breaking news’ of a second credit rating agency downgrade — but waited until the hour-long show was complete to do so — that was somehow a Very Bad Thing …? I don’t get it. Nor do I understand the basis for their claim that the station had somehow, for that hour, given ‘editorial control’ over to the PM. Rubbish.
Today’s Media Statement ‘Labour lodges complaint about Prime Minister’s Hour’ was the smallest of surprises …
Press release from Labour Party re complaint to BSA and Electoral Commission
Mediaworks’s response seems sensible and dignified…
Rachel Lorimer, a spokeswoman for RadioLIVE’s parent company Mediaworks, said care had been taken to ensure the show was neither election programming nor election advertising.
“The Labour Party is entitled to ask regulators to check we have acted lawfully,” she said.
Mediaworks wouldn’t comment further while that process was underway.
No doubt the radio station took advice.
Time will tell.
– P
I didnt hear the show. So cant comment on the rights wrongs whys or wherefores. What i can do is observe that media in general are giving Key special treatment – and in most if not all cases – no close questioning. Only once have i ever seen him nailed except on one occasion by Corrin Dann before he became the latest Breakfast Host. I offer that in the light of your observation regarding media allegedly handing editorial control to the PM or words to that effect. I think that anyone can be forgiven – even Labour – for making that complaint. If you watch Breakfast on One – its almost embarrassing – one can imagine the floor staff wiping the goobies off the floor and furniture after interviews with the Prime Minister. Its like the blow job you have – when you arent having a blow job.
Most media personnel may be paid – what – (and im only guessing) say $100K upwards for a frontperson – and at the moment if i was to look at how Key is treated compared to Goff – i could tell you which way they vote with some degree of accuracy i think.
When push comes to shove at election time – some pollsters may end up surprised at the deepseated and at present unvoiced perceptions many kiwis actually have of John Key and his little band.
Re the dignified response from the broadcaster (and remember John Key called a group of them “clowns” and asked them to “grow up” recently) – while they are at it (the regulators) i wonder if they could delve further into the Joyce backed virtual bailout of one broadcaster in particular.
Media are only dignified it seems – when it suits them – the rest of the time they can appear to be glib and quite out of touch with what affects the great unwashed. They just love Keys aspiration.
Thanks for your comment, Ivan. I can’t get into debate on RadioLIVE issues because of professional obligations.
But let me say this: I think the Mediaworks spokesperson’s statement that ‘care had been taken to ensure the show was neither election programming nor election advertising. “The Labour Party is entitled to ask regulators to check we have acted lawfully” is a very good response.
On the larger subject of whether Mr Key/National is getting an ‘easy ride’ in the media … from experience, I know there’s not usually a unified monolithic response to politicians by the members of the news media. In fact there is often a contrarian reflex to punish mistakes and highlight political missteps of ‘winners’ — even by those whom the public the think damned-news-media universally regard as golden boys.
If Mr Key and his colleagues were more confident of the news media I think you would see more willingness to appear in ‘hard’ interview situations (rather than the photo ops and stand ups) and less of ‘The minister was not available to appear on our programme’ … which I hear A LOT.
Re Phil Goff’s treatment: Yes, I’m sometimes troubled by how insignificantly he appears to be regarded by some. It’s a pig of a job, Opposition Leader.
It’s very difficult to get airtime, let alone ‘cut through’ — which is why oftentimes, the Opposition of the Day will allege govt sleaze and corruption, or nepotism … trying to find a ‘hook’ to gain attention.
Goff’s curse is that he leads an Opposition in the first term of a very popular government which has good political management and a (for now) populist leader who scores extremely well on ‘likability’. Clinton had the same charm, despite the Republicans throwing every scandal they could dredge up or invent.
But every dog has its day. – P
I dont have a media background Pete – im just a TV watcher occasional radio listener – and a general human being. My opinion is that there is a monolithic seachange in media approach. I believe that there has been a shift toward populist shockjock opinionated and quite trite media. They look privileged – they sound privileged and they act privileged. I cannot get my head around the way news presenters now comment on the news – they inject personal opinion – regularly. It all started with Holmes – and it is continuing. Holmes wasnt a newsreader – but his nasty little influence and populist style appealed to the worst in people.
It is really all bread and circusses now. National have cottoned onto it thats for sure. But its all coming to an end. There is a giant locomotive load of issues advancing at flank speed down the track toward this Nation. I always remember listening to the sunday radio stories as a child (no TV) – and the story of the big bad wolf and 3 little piggies – “i’ll huff and i’ll puff and i’ll blow your house down …” – interesting thing is that the houses made of impermanent materials blew down. Object lesson. My opinion is that we have an economy and social structure made of straw … we need a house that will stand and not fall.
Ivan, I started to reply to you, then thought I’d like to do it as a separate post. So:
http://www.thepaepae.com/media-bias-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder/19166/
– P
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