Massey University needs to explain whether it is true that financial considerations were a factor in the removal of posters critical of the Chinese Government, says the Free Speech Coalition in light of an op-ed from a senior lecturer suggesting so.
Senior Massey lecturer Steve Elers warns readers: Are we prepared to risk our fourth largest export earner, $5b and 50,000 jobs, for the sake of ‘free speech’ in the form of posters?
Free Speech Coalition spokesperson David Cumin says, “While the author of the op-ed is not a member of the University’s leadership team, readers will wonder whether his perspective is an insight into the University’s decision-making processes.”
“Reflecting on the op-ed, a number of concerning questions are raised.”
“Is the author correct in his suggestion that Massey weighs free speech values against the financial value of international students? If so, how far is Massey willing to bend? Would Massey scrub its syllabus of politically sensitive lines of inquiry or alter taught facts for profit? Does the University have any principled bottom line when it comes to protecting the diversity of thought and opinion on campus?”
“Prospective students deserve to know the answers to these questions.”
What is most concerning in that Dr Steve Elers is a senior lecturer in the School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing. According to his bio at Massey he has published in the journal ‘China Media Research’. This is concerning for two reasons. Firstly, will his attitude to free speech be reflected in his teaching of future journalists? Secondly, an article he wrote for China Media Research has the following abstract ‘This paper will highlight New Zealand’s history of racism particularly in relation to anti-Chinese discursive practices’ and includes details about anti immigration legislation. Will Dr Elers next be conflating Hong Kong protest posters by Chinese students with racisim? Is he actually saying that income for the University is more important that human rights? I suspect that this conflict is due to his marketing background. In this discipline the good of the community is often subsumed to the bottom line of the employer.
Massey University Senior lecturer Steve Elers warns readers: – “Are we prepared to risk our fourth largest export earner, $5b and 50,000 jobs, for the sake of ‘free speech’ in the form of posters?”
Well Mr Elers; – if the ‘universities’ are ‘restricting and banning out free speech rights’ we (the voters) desperately need the Labour Government to honour their promise made to us during pre/post 2017 election to setup the free speech public TV channel access platform as of now two years into their reign they have done nothing, so wake up Labour and give us our public voice for all our free speech as we in the provinces’s like HB/Gisborne get no right to get our ‘lack of regional rail transport issues mentioned after our rail was damaged by the National Government under Key/joyce as they sacked 75 rail track staff in 2011 and spent the money saved to spend on Auckland rail and damaged our rail and forced the closure of our rail.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1302/S00183/kiwirail-admits-lack-of-maintenance-led-to-wash-out.htm
QUOTE;
Thursday, 14 February 2013, 1:35 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Phil Twyford
Transport Spokesperson
14 February 2013
“KiwiRail admits lack of maintenance led to wash-out
KiwiRail has admitted that its failure to maintain old and damaged culverts was behind the wash out that closed the Gisborne-Napier line, while cuts to its maintenance budget are putting the network at further risk,” Labour’s Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford says.
We have been deliberately continuously ‘snubbed by the mainstream media’ getting this “political scandal exposed ever since 2012” after the track got washed out by blocked drains, and about this deliberately sabotaged destruction from our publicly owned rail network by the National Government under the Key/Joyce ministers in 2011; – so Labour wake up and give our provinces a “TV media voice now” a you had promised us all when we voted for you!!!!!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96745495/labour-promises-freetoair-rnz-tv-channel
Jacinda – “lets do this”
Massey University Senior lecturer Steve Elers warns readers: – “Are we prepared to risk our fourth largest export earner, $5b and 50,000 jobs, for the sake of ‘free speech’ in the form of posters?” https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/11/05/international-money-driving-censorship-on-campus-free-speech-coalition/#comment-480678
Our CEAC as an NGO response is; – Well Mr Elers; if the ‘universities’ are ‘restricting and banning out free speech rights’ we (the public as voters) desperately need the Labour Government to ‘honour their promise made to us during pre/post 2017 election to setup the voice for us as a free speech public TV channel access platform.
As of now in November 2019, (two years into the Labour coalition) they have done nothing to give the community a voice, so wake up Labour and give us our public voice for all our free speech as we in the province’s like HB/Gisborne still get no voice to get our ‘lack of regional rail transport issues mentioned on National media, after our rail was damaged by the National Government under Key/joyce as they sacked 75 rail track staff in 2011 and spent the money saved to spend on Auckland rail and damaged our rail and forced the closure of our rail.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1302/S00183/kiwirail-admits-lack-of-maintenance-led-to-wash-out.htm
QUOTE;
Thursday, 14 February 2013, 1:35 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Phil Twyford
Transport Spokesperson
14 February 2013
“KiwiRail admits lack of maintenance led to wash-out
KiwiRail has admitted that its failure to maintain old and damaged culverts was behind the wash out that closed the Gisborne-Napier line, while cuts to its maintenance budget are putting the network at further risk,” Labour’s Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford says.
We have been ‘deliberately continuously snubbed by the mainstream media’ in our role to getting this “political scandal exposed ever since 2012”.
This was a planned execution of a rail service, after the track got washed out by blocked drains, after a rain storm and was never covered afterwards by the media about this deliberately sabotaged destruction from our publicly owned rail network by the National Government under the Key/Joyce ministers in 2011.
So Labour wake up and give our provinces a “TV media voice now” a you had promised us all when we voted for you!!!!!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96745495/labour-promises-freetoair-rnz-tv-channel
Jacinda – “lets do this”
Huh. David Cumin of all people, banging on about free speech.
The violence in Hong Kong is being fomented by western agencies: the CIA has “form” for this sort of thing. It has all the hallmarks of another attempt at a “colour” revolution. Posters and the like on campus need to be seen in that light.
Try imagining how the NZ government would react, were the boot on the other foot.
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