Good to see that after the ‘unruly tourists’ story, the media have moved swiftly onto the next big issue – tooting in a Wellington tunnel…
Wellington councillor seeks ‘no tooting’ signs for Mt Victoria Tunnel – Stuff.co.nz
Wellington Mt Victoria tunnel car horns: Councillor calls for quiet – Radio NZ
Wellington mayor reluctant to join bid to dissuade tooting in Mt Victoria Tunnel – NZ Herald
…I think we all wondered what the b-team news rooms of NZ would jump on next while the real journalists are all on holiday over the Summer.
The lynch mob feeding frenzy against littering tourists managed to get picked up by international media who all wondered why NZ was such a small petty place, and I think we all accepted that Apple and Brock, (the Millennials who had been left in charge of the newsrooms), had scrapped the bottom of the barrel with their 24-7 coverage of these littering tourists but this new focus on people in Wellington tooting their horn in a fucking tunnel surprised us all didn’t it?
The NZ Herald and Stuff front page looks like a 29 year olds social media feed at the moment, with stories plucked from Reddit, Twitter and something someone said on bloody Facebook.
We have a heatwave following the hottest year on record as climate change poses an existential threat, severe poverty climbing, inequality growing and a housing crisis that refuses to abate.
Yet what do we get from our media? Misidentified littering tourists, honking horns in tunnels and some bullshit about Jacinda getting text messages from Richie Hardcore.
If this is the fourth estate holding power to account, power is having a field day.
I was under the impression that any real ” journalists ” in this country had all been let go and told to change their careers since we don’t do real investigative reporting in case something gets discovered that might be the truth or real life realities.
Martyn, you’re a great crap detector
New Zealand MSM = zzzzzzzzzzz.
Not only that, it is simply not true.
Walking a child to and from Kindergarten thru’ the Mt Victoria tunnel, we got sore eyes and a sore throat, but we never noticed the tooting.
I toot in the tunnel. Bro-in-law toots at people he likes the look of. Tariana Turia wanted everyone to toot at smokers.
One night in Cleveland when a motorist didn’t move off quickly enough the car behind him tooted, and the motorist leapt out of his car and shot the hooter dead. It’s called living dangerously – the only night I ever spent in Cleveland.
Some folk around the corner toot at ducks on the road but they should be ok because the ducks don’t carry arms, just wings.
Duck tooting is aesthetically jarring but it’s better than shooting them, or garroting them as has been known to happen on the Leith in Dunedin with hungry students.
If WCC councillers are getting that upset about hooters, it might be easier just to close the Mt Vic tunnel altogether. Block it off.
That’s not such a bad idea and it would reduce congestion around the Basin Reserve which petrol-heads are forever upsetting everyone trying to tinker with it.
It’s a lovely walk over Mt Victoria, wonderful views – fantails – no tooting whatsoever. Just close the damn tunnel.
First world problems.
That journalists are so cynical says much about the media. Surfaces. I’ve about had enough of crimes and court cases and other floating trivia. Everything but what matters. Morning fog all day long.
But the public interest has two meanings. I have a folly for sensationalism myself into my 50s, but it palls regularly.
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