Searching inquiries
Thursday, November 17th, 2011I’ve just stepped off the plane back from Melbourne to find that the police are following up a complaint from the Prime Minister by executing search warrants against the media in what could be seen as an attempt to prevent the publication of material that might embarrass him shortly before an election. I’m just wondering […]
Conflict of interest
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011John Key has “stormed” out of a press conference, refusing to answer questions about the teapot tapes. Actually it was more of a scuttle (scroll down for video). But before that he was pushing the familiar line that New Zealanders are more interested in the economy and the serious policies that matter. Now, I’m all with […]
Billboard “vandals”
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011Let’s put aside the law for a moment. No doubt the Police can come up with some charges – even if it’s just billsticking – against those who doctored hundreds of National Party billboards by adding the phrases “The Rich Deserve More” and “Drill it, Mine it, Sell it”. There is no general defence of “freedom […]
Of sneaky devices 2
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011I see Andrew Geddis has weighed in on Teapotgate (has anyone else called it that yet? Am I first?) He (and others) see another possible defence in the argument that the occasion was so inherently public and the wodge of journalists so close by that Key and Banks “ought reasonably to [have expected] that the […]
Vote for Change Changes Pamphlet
Monday, November 14th, 2011I complained to the Advertising Standards Authority last week about Vote For Change’s pamphlet advocating SM. I thought it was badly misleading in several respects. Graeme Edgeler explains one problem with it here (where he also has a copy of the one side of the original pamphlet). Another was that it tried to cash in on […]
Of sneaky devices
Sunday, November 13th, 2011John Key’s cunning plan to send a signal to the troops by sitting down for a cuppa with Act’s John Banks may have come undone by another sneaky device. It seems that the conversation was recorded and may contain “game-changing” comments, according to the Herald on Sunday. The paper says a freelance cameraman was stopped from […]
Horsing around
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011Did the fact that the Melbourne Cup is being run within 24 hours of the leaders’ debate cause TVNZ to mix them up? There’s a terrific book called “Breaking the News” by James Fallows that excoriates the US media for treating election coverage like a horse race. When voters ask questions of politicians, he points […]
Radio NZ supports SM?
Monday, October 31st, 2011I’ve just listened to all four of Radio NZ’s primers on the various options for the referendum and noticed an interesting thing. (I found them on the Morning Report segments: the Supplementary Member on is here, for example. I couldn’t get the relevant links on the special RNZ election page to work). They are generally […]
Political protesters
Monday, October 31st, 2011Interesting that both our major parties’ election events had speeches interrupted by protesters over the weekend. Protesters reportedly urged John Key to “stop the war against the poor”, began to unfurl a banner and tried to throw something onto the stage. A protester at Labour’s transport policy launch called out to ask what the party was going to […]
Told you so
Friday, October 28th, 2011High Court agrees with me You might remember that I argued (here and here) that the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s decision to uphold complaints against TVNZ’s documentary on the Aramoana massacre on grounds of taste and decency and children’s interests, was wrong. The High Court has agreed with me. It has upheld TVNZ’s appeal. (I should […]
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