Bradley Ambrose was the journalist whose recorder accidentally picked up the infamous Tea Pot Tapes conversation.
Key bizarrely ended up claiming taping conversations could lead to more youth suicide, and used bewildering power to send police into news rooms around NZ and seize the recordings. Throughout this farce, Key repeatedly defamed and denigrated Bradley.
Bradley is trying to take a defamation case against the Prime Minister, but it’s not cheap.
Good bugger, Greg Treadwell has set up crowdfunding to help cover the costs…
As I said, I’ve never met Mr Ambrose. But there are some things I know about him. He’s a journalist so he hasn’t a brass razoo to his name and needs his reputation intact to get work. He’s a journalist so the truth matters to him. He’s a journalist so it is his job to get as much public interest information out about electoral candidates, including the stuff they don’t want out there. And he’s a journalist so he won’t get much sympathy because people like Mr Banks and Mr Key do their best to make journalists seem untrustworthy (and, of course, some are).
But there are things I know about Mr Banks and Mr Key, too. They are politicians so they have both money and power. They are politicians so they use that power to repress opposition at every opportunity. They are politicians, and for many politicians what is true is less important than what is believable. And they are politicians so they should know better than to discuss private things after having invited the media to a publicity stunt. As the young would say, FFS.
I don’t know if the court will find in favour of Mr Ambrose but I do know that in seeking redress he will face huge personal and financial costs. So on his behalf, and in a way on behalf of journalism itself, I have started a Givealittle page to help fund his court costs. To even take the case requires a $38,000 filing fee, without which he can never have his day in court. If you want to help, click here.
It’s a very lonely road fighting a matter of principle on your own.
…this Government has done more to kill off critical media and intimidate journalists than any since the waterfront lockout. If we don’t stand with our journalists, then who will?
I have just made a donation.
I wonder why it has taken so long to consider taking Key to court?
I hope all people including the National party supporters who value justice, irrespective of who the high person of power is involved, will support and contribute to this very important and worthy cause.
I wish you luck but my gut feeling is that even if the unlikely happens and the case even gets to court, no judge in the land is going to risk his job and reputation by ruling that John Key has defamed anyone anytime.
It’s attitudes like this that enable pillocks like donKey.
Should that happen Marcus, then that will be enough evidence of the fact we are living in extremely dark times, a fascist state with one law for the hierarchy and one law for the rest of us.
If what you say becomes fact, such our judiciary being bought out to protect the nation’s power brokers, therefore denying Kiwis justice, then we need to be scared, very scared indeed!
I sincerely hope you are wrong. However ….
Kim jon ung of North Korea comes to mind Mary, we are in a dictatorship
as well, no one should be afraid of John Key ,if hes guilty the courts should say so ,its terrible to think the courts would take Keys part, but its not outside the realms of possibility.
Do you hold our judges in such low contempt?
I hold our entire justice system in low contempt. National ministers frequently and brazenly interfere in police investigations, court processes and court decisions.
It has become a corrupt judicial system weighted to serve the political needs of the National government
It will take a brave judge to stand up to them.
I’m on board for supporting Bradley Ambrose. Go for it Bradley and all the best 🙂
Some interesting times ahead in April, with not only this legal case being heard, but also that of the “prominent NZer” early in the month as well. And both cases with one very particular connection!
Then wait for the elephant, pandas and possible contrived raised terrorism alerts to be rolled out at about the same time, as distractions!
Promiment NZer could be innocent, and proved to be, but mud sticks and it would be hard to get back into politics,so his career is over in that regard.
@ELLE
“could be innocent” – what are the odds on that?
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