Ethical standards in journalism and broadcasting have been dropping for a long time and it’s no surprise to see the new lows plumbed by TV3 News and Current affairs head Mark Jennings who now approves broadcaster Paul Henry continuing with his “private” deal to promote Skycity casino.
Last weekends Sunday Star Times describes how Henry is one of Skycity’s “ambassadors” – free meals, drinks and accommodation at any time – as part of a “long-standing relationship” between the casino and what the SST describes as a “controversial broadcaster”. (I can think of a host of other more appropriate titles for Henry – and no, journalist is not one of them)
In January Jennings told the New Zealand Herald that a commercial relationship with Skycity would not be appropriate for Henry on the news and current affairs show – The Paul Henry Show.
Jennings now says that because no money changes hands – Hey Presto – it’s not a commercial arrangement!
Just how pathetic and sordid that sounds is lost on Jennings whose grasp on ethics or moral behaviour is less secure than a circus performer’s grip on a greasy pole.
So Henry is approved in his role pumping up patronage at Skycity for along with TV1’s Mike Hosking who is equally compromised.
Neither of these men can claim independence or professionalism in their broadcaster roles – they are corporate chatterlings.
And underlining just how sick their promotion of Skycity is an article in this morning’s New Zealand Herald reporting that people seeking help for problem gambling are at an all time high with Pasifika people showing the steepest increase.
None of this is surprising because Skycity’s pokies are designed to addict vulnerable people – and the most vulnerable are the hundreds of thousands of low-income people who gamble from a mixture of hope and desperation.
Stealing (because that’s what it is) from the pockets of low-income families is where Skycity gets the money to give Henry and Hosking their untold freebies and where the money will come from to build the new convention centre in John Key’s sordid deal with his favourite corporate.
No wonder Hosking and Henry are such cheerleaders for John Key and Skycity..
And don’t hold your breath waiting to see if The Paul Henry Show or Seven Sharp will cover the story…
What to do ?
The roughly 48% of the voting public love jonky and his satellite minions , the largest turn out coming from the very same at-risk you write here about .
Has thirty years of neo liberalism turned good Kiwis into criminal worshiping , hate filled , vile , greedy morons by association via their votes for jonky ?
Or was the election rigged ?
Was the election rigged by mobsters with talents for such things ?
paul henry and greasy little hoskings have no influence over me because I never , ever watch them .
So , who then do they appeal to ?
The same 48% who voted for jonky ?
Are henry and hoskings simply installed so as to make the claims of jonky et al justifiable ?
That henry and hoskings seemingly represent the opinions of the masses , because they appear to appeal to the masses therefore the masses by proxy , have spoken ?
It’s my opinion that the election was rigged and now the jonky powered propaganda machine is being cranked up a notch or two .
What to do ?
There’s the elephant . Over there by the drinks table chatting up paula bennett .
We see the elephants . Now , what to do about it ?
I agree with your statement that the election was rigged. How quickly King John has moved on some issues, manipulating the minds of the sheeple to believe that NZ really should get involved in the ISIS war so that he can get away with new spying techniques. For me, his selling off of state houses has this morning changed my world. I have no idea where I will go or what will become of me. I am an invalid and needed my home, it was my security. I also lived off food I was able to grow in the garden. Without this security, my life is no longer worth living. I will not go quietly.
Ugh! Pressed thumb down by mistake …. apologies while I try to figure out how to thumbs up instead!
While Henry and Hosking enjoy the benefits of selling their journalistic souls to Sky City we have a true journalist being raided by the police.
Dirty Politics continue unabated.
Yep – Fucking depressing them still being on TV
John Minto,
You now are a guiding light along with Martyn.
I opposed you in 1981 during the Springboks tour, but find myself aligned with the same cause now as you fought so gallantly then for apartheid.
Now our collective new cause is another form of apartheid through police suppression of our free speech and privacy and media suppression.
As you see the media has been muffled from free speech on political issues severely during the Key years and this was how the South African Government suppressed free speech during apartheid so again that past cause is similar to the modern version we are today, as we are all being subjected to.
So go fight for us as you did then.
Time for you to stand tall as you did above the crowd and have the balls as you had then to get a following going, as we will join the march for free speech when you set about the revival of “no press apartheid” march 2014.
Can you arrange for KDC to fund a free TV/RADIO free speech media for us and all these urgent issue to be aired publically to turn the public in favour of freedom and democracy?
@cleangreen, yes we need a free TV/RADIO for free speech. Now we all know what is going on in this filthy government we need to DO something! What are we going to do? We are up against bald faced liars, cheats and the filth, it is ridiculous the bullshit we are having to swallow on the spews news and middle class crap radio. It’s sick!
I would sooner that KDC funded the IMP to run again in 2017, without any other interference this time.
Fair enough, Dennis, but how do we stop “any other interference this time,” without trying to counter the right wing spin?
Being a sky city ambassador was Len Browns undoing. The council used this as evidence of defrauding council expenses.
The state to which we have sunk is that people don’t even get that there is something wrong about Hosking and Henry putting themselves in the positions they are in by doing such a deal.
Their complete lack of any sense of ethics is reflected by the position they are in – in the SkyCity pockets.
It really is time to stop the rot. The sooner the better.
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