I’m glad that lots of people have signed the sack Mike Hosking petition. It clearly displays the deep loathing many feel at his privileged arrogance broadcast week nightly on the public broadcaster.
But I don’t think we should sack him because we hate his opinion. Sure, the guy is an arsehole, but there’s no law against that, if there was, the entire National Party frontbencher would be in prison.
We want our broadcasters to hire opinionated people, we want them to hire controversial voices, the strength of our democracy comes from its robust free speech.
The problem isn’t that Hosking has an opinion (too few of us as NZers stand up and speak our mind), the problem is there is absolutely no counter weight to that over bearing sense of egotistical supremacy that passes as his opinion.
He lives a life of wealth that disconnects him to 99% of his TVNZ audience. He has the empathy of Bob Jones and the charm of a cavity search. The amount of times he has just mouth farted out some nonsense garbage about social issues should be the reason he goes. We look to our Public Broadcaster to challenge hegemonic structure, not embrace it and be its bloody representative 7pm weeknights.
He’s not on the side of ‘us’, he’s very much on the side of ‘them’.
Hosking is a symptom of a commercialisation of public broadcasting that goes to the very heart of TVNZ.
The problem for TVNZ was that the advertising space for Shortland Street was booked out, and advertisers required a new show at the 7pm time slot that could also appeal to the same demographic. Hey presto Seven Sharp was born, a dumbed down short segment carnival of ignorance with Hosking as its ring master.
It’s infotainment without the information or entertainment.
TVNZ is mandated to return a profit, when those interests are more powerful than the fourth estate obligations, good bye watch dog, hello lap dog.
The first thing any new Labour-Green Government do coming into power in 2017 is allow TVNZ to keep its revenue stream to re-invest in true Fourth Estate broadcasting. The thing is, TVNZ have over the last year led with quality journalists. Barbara Dreaver, Andrea Vance, Dita DeBoni, Corrin Dann and Katie Bradford have led TVNZ news with a critical edge and intelligence.
Imagine what a 7pm show hosted by Andrea Vance and Dita De Boni with those other excellent journalists as contributors could do in terms of raising the publics awareness and the level of the debate in this country?
YES!
What a line up!! Please…now
(Have to add : Am thoroughly enjoying watching the alacrity of people signing ;} )
Could not agree with you more. His last two minutes of his show where he vomits his righteous nonsense is boring and mostly full of bias B.S.
He considers himself an intellectual ( ha ha ) that people trust and actually he is more of a blown up ego thinking he is connecting with ” the people ” and he is deluded. We deserve better – sack him.
All that’s very very true Martyn,
Especially if you was in that mix, because often it needs a enthusiastic voice like your eloquent self.
One that exudes buckets of vibe all the time to give the program that zilch to want to watch it all the time.
Like as we do want watch always Willie & Martyn’s about to be award winning WAATEA 5th Estate current affairs brilliant nightly show.
Get your tongue out of there!
Hosking is a scumbag. I always thought so and always will. I’m so grateful to find I’m not the only one in this little right wing ‘paradise’ to despise the little creep.
Mind you, I never watch him. I’m off catching the often trifling offerings of TV3’s Story, which is a poor replacement of the excellent, ‘too strident and political’ John Campbell. National broadcasters are gutless wonders, so us hoping to nudge TVNZ over Hosking is probably a wasted dream
Henry’s a plonker; all of ZB are right-wing tossers pandering to the red neck brigade as Hosking does.
Tune into Channel 50 at 5pm until 6.30pm week nights – you get Check Point and John Campbell gets better and better every night. You hear pertinent information that you will never get on Channel 1 and 2 news. I just wonder how long the government will put up with him on RNZ because he is s…. stirring like other journalists should be doing but are derelict in their duties and not.
Is that on Freeview or Sky?
On Freeview – we have never owned Sky – think it is a rort so never entertained it ever.
Thanks
100% Whispering Kate.
Kim Hill was also very good on television imo…we need older women interviewers with gravitas and intelligence and sharp questioning
…Hoskings is a very BAD joke on the New Zealand publics’ intelligence
… as is that sexist idiot Paul Henry…the Pom the Aussies rejected as not up to it
NZ public television deserves better!
200% Chooky
We all love the strident older gals, as many (though not all) the young ones seem to be disturbingly very shallow.
Kim Hill is just another shill for the empire -but she does her shilling with a little more cunning than most others.
she certainly didnt let off Tory NZ politicians in her time…she was fearless
…however who would you suggest?
imo we need current affairs on tv similar to RT where the issues are thrashed out
eg.
https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/347416-us-syria-regime-change/
https://www.rt.com/shows/sophieco/
https://www.rt.com/shows/on-contact/347418-counter-establishment-politics-sawant/
https://www.rt.com/shows/keiser-report/347871-episode-max-keiser-931/
I suggest Judy Bailey. When we lost her, we lost a gem ! ! !
Another stupid TV – CEO decision.
Now there is a professional – BRING BACK JUDY BAILEY!!! But then Judy is wise enough not to come back. It is great seeing her in other public forums and she looks wonderful!!!
Kim Hill rips into anyone, whether left or right. I have heard the claim that she could reduce Hitler to tears in less than 10 minutes.
You never agree with everything she says but when she hosts a show you always get the unexpected.
Petition update: over 19,400 signatures for TV NZ to sack the prick.
Growing all the time.
How can one sign the petition ?
I have been unsuccessful looking online.
https://www.change.org/p/tvnz-get-rid-of-hosking-1347aa6d-8044-4a33-ba59-7fe0a5dba42b, just make sure you don’t sign the wrong one, some nat support obviously got his nickers in his twist and has start a pro hosking one
Sad state of affairs in NZ Broadcasting when Mike Hosking and Paul Henry are your top two broadcasters?
Pretty pathetic that we can not keep the good ones like Judy Bailey and yet have these two idiots. I agree Jack – it is beyond sad and beyond embarrassing.
Yeah but there is no sign on the remote horizon that anyone at TVNZ like Andrea Vance or Dita De Boni will ever get a shot at having a prime time show, to provide some intelligent current affairs reporting.
So it’s just hypothetical really, and will most likely never ever happen as much as many would like it to, and the reality is that a red neck with ignorant views pretending to be intellectual does have that opportunity on prime time, which he fully exploits to push those views.
I have to disagree on this one, Hosking needs to go, make no mistake. While you would think most people would realize his opinions are far right, I think there is a very large chunk of people out there that actually do believe he is just reflecting a “centre right” common sense approach, and that’s a dangerous thing in this age of ignorance.
Ignorance which is partly due to our overly complicit with the government media, which is generally unwilling to question or embarrass the government.
MK crapping, I suppose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mHtl28hHfg
Hosking is a massive bludger on the taxpayer and should be forced to pay it all back with interest .
Nobody asked us if we wanted to pay the dickhead an exorbitant amount of money to spout his mindless drivel at primetime 5 nights a week .
Put him on at 3’oclock in the morning if you must have him at all.
Also the CEO of TVN.Z needs to get the ‘Weldon Treatment’ for hiring him in the first place !!
Hosking must go !!!!! Hosking must go!!!!! Hosking must go !!!!!
I can sense Queen St. march coming on and a sit down protest outside TVNZ studios.
It’s time!!
20000% Grant love to see the march/sit in & people power for all issues Hoskings In’c doesn’t care to mention!
Like homelessness, TPPA, no policing, mistreatment in prisons, medical/hospital cuts, transport mess, Auckland housing bubble, no media fairness, Gov’t regulation against unions, and a hundred others.
I am surprised Corrin Damn made your list Martyn.
Whenever he is reporting on political events of the day he always comes across as if he is defending the current govt.
His interviews with any left wing politician particularly those from Labour are are rude, nasty and totally unprofessional.
His whole demeanor changes if you compare interviews with those from the govt and the opposition.
I no longer watch or listen too him.
He is JUST another right wing mouthpiece.
We have enough of those as it is
You’re dead right there. Surprising to see Martyn list Dann as a quality journo.
He’s as bad as the rest of the shiny-arsed Tory butt-lickers that infest the media now days.
100% agree, how the heck would Corrin Dann make a list for being anything but right wing biased, he’s completely pro national.
It may not be the total solution but its a damned good start. When the National bootlicking media brigade start to realize that being Key’s little rent boy/girl is not the road to journalistic credibility and success then journalism will change for the better.
They really do not care: haven’t you noticed it’s now all about the advertising revenues, money in general and ‘lifestyle’ (and keeping the uninformed masses uninformed of course).
The best strategy is to never watch any of the crap TVNZ broadcasts and use the time saved productively.
Petition update:
Now over 20,000!
Reading the comments around 3 out of 5 people say they switch off when Hosking is on.
Take note TV NZ! I bet your advertisers are also taking note!
“The first thing any new Labour-Green Government do coming into power in 2017 is allow TVNZ to keep its revenue stream to re-invest in true Fourth Estate broadcasting.”
Totally agree. Currently we are not regarded as citizens, we are assumed to be units of economic value and especially as advertiser fodder, eager for the glossy magazine lifestyle. Sadly, that is a meme that many NZers have bought into to a greater or lesser extent. How to change the conversation then?
He’s NZ’s Lewis Prothero (V for Vendetta). Don’t know how anyone can listen to him.
And who, exactly, is it that stands back in the shadows as we get butchered by hoskings and henry ? I can tell you.
The Banks.
The Banks drive commercial over-booking during shortland st. The Banks push the hoskings-henry clones into our brain stems whether we like it or not. ( The little prick’s every where on hoardings in Ch Ch right now and you can’t help but see [it] where ever you drive. )
It’s reported in the NZ Herald this morning that the ANZ ( Remember those scum? Pulling fancy tricks on Farmers via interest rate swaps ? ) is ‘ cleaning up ” in the Auckland Mortgage wars.
http://insights.nzherald.co.nz/article/nz-mortgage-wars
All foreign owned banks OUT! Fuck off ! Fuck off out of New Zealand / Aotearoa you filthy fucking swine.
All mortgage debt ? Written off . Gone. Done. And after the wailing , crying and the wrenching of hair ?
Peace.
I can hear the unimaginative, linear thinking, accountant types blustering and eye rolling . But then fuck you too! You, you equally filthy swine who lube up the Beasts appendage while we’re bent over debt barrels until we die of exhaustion. We’re being Rogered by monsters in suits with the unforgiving power of the wealthy narcissist. ( A quasi- power that can be taken away more easily than they dare think about and we seem oblivious to seeing that we can wield?? )
The Banks are our mortal enemy and hoskings, henry et al are their means of their being able to control our minds. Or what’s left of ‘em.
Yes he is entitled to his opinion but not if we are paying for it. He works for the state surely they must have ethics and a code of conduct.
Others on TVNZ do not voice there personal views like he does. He uses his paid role to be a mouth piece for the pnats now is this right I don’t think so. Many NZers are sick and tired of people like Hoskings.
TVNZ is a joke because they rely on advertising dollars. That’s the problem, Hosking is the symptom. TVNZ is really just another market driven media company, not much different from mediaworks. Any charter that TVNZ has to abide by is ultimately pointless. It’s token resistance against capital – a waste of time.
If TVNZ was sold off and its charter thrown in the bin, very little would change. If Labour won’t fully fund it and de-commercialise it, then nothing will change.
It’s in situations like this that we see the failure of the left in NZ. No ideas because they can’t detach their mouth from the nipple of capitalism.
If Labour doesn’t have the guts to fully fund it, then sell it off. We may as well flush the dunny and move on. We need to kill off TV. It’s a horrible medium for information. It’s one-way, it creates a passive audience and it is controlled by the powerful. Thankfully it’s dying. If we sold it off, we could invest public money into internet news organisations.
I’d never watch TV news – the internet is just a click away. Give me 10 minutes on the net and I can get more information than what the 6pm TV news could ever give me.
Never watch TV3, TV1 or Prime any more they are stool pigeons for Nasty NatZ.
Lets follow Brexit and tip them out of the bee hive ASAP.
“The problem isn’t that Hosking has an opinion (too few of us as NZers stand up and speak our mind), the problem is there is absolutely no counter weight to that over bearing sense of egotistical supremacy that passes as his opinion.”
Agreed. Someone like Bryan Bruce, calmly and intelligently offering a counter-view that firstly tells a more realistic side of the story and secondly, exposes Hosking as an ill-informed, immature,prat.
Now that would be something I’d watch!!
Replace Hoskins with John Campbell
One Martin Bradbury would also be an excellent choice to replace Hoskins the antidote to Hoskins drivell
1000000% Dearth.
Yes Hosking is a renowned idiot.
He needs to be let go.
I also had two small sausages and a ham and egg thinga- ma-gingy for lunch.
Now…what were we talking about?…oh yes Hosking’s rants. Well… not very memorable , I must say. Hard to see what people see in him. Not a lot of substance there… that’s for sure.
TVNZ was looking to merge with media works was it not? As was the herald and Fairfax media – these MSM outlets are starting to feel the pinch of online programming/ news/ Netflix and the like.
Times are going to get tough… Why would people bother with ‘rubbish with ads’ when they can choose what, when and how they want to watch. Thanks but no thanks – TVNZ = one big pit for tax payers money.
Hi Kim Dandy,
NZ First Tracy Martin last week in Parliament requested if there was any truth in rumoured plan to merge TV1 with toxic media works and the minister said NO.
Usually when this lying Government says no later it winds up being yes.
Typical left wing attitude. You support freedom of speech until someone disagrees with your views and then you want to ban them. Hypocrites.
No, Michael. It’s not his right to free speech that we object to, but what he’s saying with it. Just as you’d object to someone outside your home yelling obscenities at your wife/girlfriend, you’d want them to STFU wouldn’t you?
Anyway, I don’t recall you or any other Rightie standing up for Sue Bradford, John Minto, or Nicky Hager, when they criticised the government? In fact, some were so keen to silence Sue Bradford that they issued death threats against her.
As you Righties are so fond of tell us, if Mike Hosking wants a broadcasting platform to spout his bigotry, let him pay for it out of his own wallet; he can set up his own TV station.
NO we want the the truth not some lying right wing scum fuck
Why has Hosking’s opinion been given such unprecedented, wall-to-wall coverage (prime time TV, radio and the Herald)? He came far, far behind Campbell in a popularity poll, so it is not because of public demand (popularity). It is not as if there is a shortage of talent (in the past we have produced current affairs programmes that have been informative and entertaining, unlike the trite Seven Sharp). It is disturbing that this man has been promoted to such unwarranted prominence.
It is way more than time for Labour and the Greens to get behind Winston Peters and voice some concern at the control and manipulation of the msm. Dirty Politics is just the tip of the iceberg.
It is great that someone has started a Keep Mike petition because it means that it cannot be claimed that all those who do not sign the anti-Hosking petition, actually support him.
Kia ora guys,
Suggestion – start a boycott of those companies that sponsor Hoskings shows. I learned today on RNZ’s Media Watch that ASB sponsors his ZB show and are going to start sponsoring his 7 Sharp show…
By boycotting ASB and letting them know that you are doing it because of their sponsorship, this will make them reassess their sponsorship and might force TVNZ’s hand if ASB starts having legitimate concerns about clients shifting their money.
Cheers
Typical response from the left. Ban anyone from speaking if you disagree with their views.
I think Bradbury is arsehole, but there’s no law against that, if there was, the entire Labour/Green frontbencher would be in prison.
What a joke to say that journalists Barbara Dreaver, Andrea Vance, Dita DeBoni, Corrin Dann and Katie Bradford are quality journalists. They are just month pieces for the left. Perhaps a petition should be setup to sack them.
That’s a bit rich coming from a typical right-winger like you, Thetruth. Didn’t you and your cronies hound Sue Bradford from Parliament, with threats of violence, rape, and death?
And where was your advocacy for free speech when Nicky Hager published “Dirty Politics”, and was abused by the Right – including certain right-wingers who were discussing sending Hager’s address to Chinese criminals so they could send a hit-man after him?
There’s your “free speech”, Thetruth, and it has the noisome stench of hypocrisy permeating it.
First off I want to say fantastic blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was curious to find out how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing. I’ve had a difficult time clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts out. I truly do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually lost simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or hints? Cheers!
Sacking Mike Hosking isn’t the solution but think of it like this. Someone has a bit of a rumbly tummy thing with diarrhoea. Changing their nappy is not the solution to the real issue but getting rid of the crappy stuff issued makes life more pleasant for everyone.
Mike Hosking really does have some good allies.
Fellow narcissist and purveyor of unenlightened opinion Michael Laws is now trying to drum up support for the other Mike.
Birds of a feather do stick together, its true.
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