I watched both networks current affairs over the weekend.
The Nation is fun if you like bloodsports. The one thing they do well is their social media stuff during the show, and that’s about it. They haves introduced a new ‘Twitter Panel’ who tweet live during the show which is far preferable to the actual twitter account for The Nation which is gloriously defensive and spends most of its time trying to yell at other twitter commentators that it isn’t right wing and biased. The tiny viewing audience however means that no politician in their right mind would agree to go on the show to get mauled by Patrick Gower. If you want a fair run without the homicidal chipmunk of current affairs creating his own narrative to beat you with, you go on Q+A.
Sure Q+A is dull as hell. Sure Q+A have the most boring and predictable panelists, but in terms of fair questions and the chance to hear the actual answers, it’s far better than the ‘GOTCHA’ moments The Nation tediously attempts to manufacture every second of the show. Q+A also rates its arse off compared to The Nation.
Winston is on against Osbourne and he crucifies him. If it was an audition for a drowning man, Osbourne won. He became so shrill at the end only farm dogs could hear him. He is totally out of his depth, the fact Key was predicting that Winston had zero chance of winning just shows how far out of touch National are with an electorate they have taken for granted.
The panel is Michelle Boag saying all the things Michelle says, some other person I’ve never heard of and bloody James Dann!
Who the hell booked James Dann as a panelist for Q+A??? He was awful. He looked like a blinking possum in the headlights who was as deeply out of his depth as Mark Osbourne was and when he started slagging Mark off for the way he looked I just buried my face in my hands. Why did the Labour Party think putting a clown like James Dann up as a their voice on a prime time current affairs show was a good idea? Attacking Mark over the way he looks is about as childish and juvenile as it gets. Embarrassingly Boag pulled him up on it and slapped him down, even the host had to step in for God’s sake! I was waiting for James Dann to bust out, ‘I know you are, you say you are, but what am I’. That shit may float as cutting edge satire in a natural disaster zone, it ain’t doing Labour any favours at 9am on TVNZ.
God he was awful.
Awful.
He managed to out redneck a redneck.
The rest of Q+A became a bit of a snore fest, but the interviews were far better.
If I would score it – The Nation 2 stars out of 5, Q+A 3 stars.
The Nation desperately needs some actual direction from the directors to reign in their grievous bodily harm approach to current affairs, and someone needs to wake up Q+A.
Sleepy current affairs vs vicious current affairs – this is why the state of the fourth estate in this country is so brain dead.
Be fair Martyn, Q+A is multi-tasking, seeking to achieve a variety of things.
You must have missed it but today they were covering a medical field with some PD for medics. That’s what Michelle was there for – as an example of having a face like a burst arsehole. And it was, she was, absolutely perfect!
Much as I disagree with Michelle Boag, what you have said is ad hominem (should be ad feminam), does nothing to address the issue, and while the medical PD idea is interesting, I think you have used it in a demeaning way to achieve little more than a bad taste award.
She’s certainly an archetypal bogey woman. Balance on the panel? Not much. Media have to find standards that exclude party media shills – they can’t do neutrality and they prevent rational balance.
Nice they called ‘Obspawn on the 7500 jobs – shame they didn’t call him on trying to sell that blatant lie.
Q & A was better this week but only because of the debate. The debate was awesome. I’m starting to think that Osbourne can only speak when he has another MP behind him pushing the buttons. The panel was dire. At least Boag trots out reliable rhetoric.
More like when Steven Joyce has his hand up Osborne’s backside, working his mouth…
I’m waiting for people to start calling him Mark ‘Sooty’ Osborne. I think it would look great on the hoardings.
“Vote Osborne – Because a fat glove puppet devoid of independent thought is all Northland deserves!”
Then explain the strings I could see
@ Kate Davis – I did hear through the grapevine, but can’t confirm Lord Haw Haw Steven Joyce was there with Osborne today, but out of camera shot.
Someone who can’t speak for himself, is hardly going to be able to speak out for his constituency is he? Osborne is an absolute insult to the Northland electorate! A true Natsy Patsy, to dance to Key’s tune!
Yes did you all catch the Boag troll sending a veiled threat to the moderator when he was grilling her too aggressively for her comfort zone.
She said eyeballing him, “Look your show hasn’t even reached the 30% ratings”
That sounded like a threat to shut up or get cut off at the knees.
These NatZ are real Nazis aren’t they, as they use the totalitarian threatening approach as Goebbels did in 1933 when he killed off all the dissenting media facilities of that era.
Look again Martyn. He isn’t a chipmunk, he’s a groundhog. Constantly digging holes for himself and thinking every day is his day.
the auto-cue reader they had running q&a was way out of his depth..
(he puts the ‘wood’ in ‘wooden’..)
..and following that timber-theme – the pairing of him with the guy who looks like he should be running a how-to handyman-show was a nadir of sorts…(and his name is ‘wood’..you couldn’t make this stuff up..)
..and ‘the moment’ for me was osborne desperately sliding his eyes sideways to his auto-cue – joyce…
..(who i imagined waving-furiously/holding up prompt-cards.)
..it was a total fucken trainwreck..
..and on the other dire-offering..i have gower (or ‘squeeg’ as i call him – ‘cos he is so dickensian in looks)..
..he is more an energiser-bunny – constantly saying ‘gotcha..!..gotcha!’..
..and i always start the wknd with the intention of writing reviews of them..
..and end-up..’couldn’t be fucked’…
1000% Well said PU.
How sick was that to have Boag actively defending the coaching support Joyce/Goebbels machine was giving to this lackey sick-faced sock puppet of Key’s.?
Pity we didn’t have video clips of Joyce hovering around the place Osborne was at.
Yes it was a train wreck, and the Natsy NatZ will be burning the midnight oil to come up with something on Winston to come back with you can bet they are asking for help now from the old “Dirty politics” crowd from the Dark ops Ede /Slater clique band of filth.
Both are boring most of the time. The commentators / panel are predictable and usually pro-Nuts – I mean pro-Nats.
The interviewers are attacking and do not allow their guests to speak comfortably. Poor journalism. I do not watch either much anymore.
They used to have some aware folks on who had some substance and honesty and truths to share but rarely any more. Any one sick of seeing Steven Joyce and Gerry Brownlee and Jonkey and Bill English spewing the same ole tired elitist rhetoric most of the time ? Anyone sick of the attacks on their guests and poor journalism and lack of ideas and plans to turn the country toward a better way ? Bring back those who have some smarts and are not sucking up to the National agenda. Tell the interviewers and panel to back off and allow good communication and good journalism and a platform for honest exchange rather than biased Fox News style spin nonsense.
Sometimes I feel that blogs like this and a few rare others are mostly us unusual/aware thinkers preaching to the choir and that not many main streamers even hear or are interested. Hence boring poor quality biased TV national news shows that seem owned and dictated to by . . . . ? ?
BLAKE,
Hi, I think this the new way of training on purpose.
Designed to put any ‘opposition’ off balance, but when they come to Key&co can frame their questions like a statement (some unvalidated)
that only sets up the pasty answer.
They all need a good dose of RT’s ‘CrossTalk’-aye?
Cheers.
IAIN, I COMPLETELY AGREE ! ! Also on RT.com to check out are the shows called “In The Now” and “The Big Picture” and “Max Keiser”. Have you seen the past RT shows that are now off the air called “Truthseeker” and “Breaking the Set” ? I was a confirmed fan of Breaking the Set for years and miss it. You can check them out on the RT.com site. I am also a fan of the comedian Lee Camp and his RT show called “Redacted”.
I am not a communist nor am I pro Russian but this bit of rare journalism, I am finding to be very honest and valuable. That is why the likes of John Kerry and Hilary Clinton etc. are so vocally against RT. They feel that RT is just spewing out lies and propaganda and this is just not true. They fear the truth getting out of their worldwide lack of support for their invading Iraq, Afghanistan etc. and now their current greedy oil interests in Venezuela. I feel I need to go outside of NZ to get good and real and true journalism and RT is a refreshing island of interest to me now. I hope that Q & A and The Nation can improve in their journalistic quality but I am not holding my breath.
BLAKE;
Check out my reply to you in Martyn’s ‘The Aotearoa Enirvo
March 20.
It ended up a bit long tho.I’ll work on it.
RT is the only MSM a sane person can watch.
You can watch repeats by punching the name of show
in the search box,even tho not listed.
Cheers.
yes Blake
I am also an RT junkie and love their in-depth hard hitting shows and investigative journalism we wold be proud of but now don’t have.
All NZ Journos should be made to sit through the Larry King show, Keiser report, The delightful Abby Martin “Break the set” and a host of other balanced shows where the whole story is told.
Not the crap we are feed now of corporate bullshit, shame on the NZ nobbled gutless MSM, they are a disgrace.
Yep the Crowd Goes Wild pairing would do a better job. At least they do some adlib stuff and I take them mores seriously than a panel with the vindictive Boag.
Gosh…..I don’t have a TV……
Tell me…do you reckon Muldoon’s gonna thrash Bill Rowling this election?
@ Katipo – 😀
Beautiful world you’re in now Wild Katipo.
Stay there awhile and gain your sanity again.
and what an insult to the real ‘the nation’ it is –
– that this shabby show stole their name..
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