New Zealand journalism has reached new lows of racism and complicity with genocide in the past week with the uncritical broadcast of the most blatant Israeli propaganda direct from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu – the man the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court wants to arrest for trial on war crimes – and Israeli military spokespeople.
This uncritical broadcasting of Israeli propaganda is common in western media and is led here by Television New Zealand and Radio New Zealand. This morning on RNZ’s Morning Report a New Zealand journalist asked a commentator the Israeli propaganda question:
What’s Israel doing to stop these attacks by Hezbollah?
Unbelievable. As though attacks by Hezbollah were the problem rather than 76 years of Israeli massacres, ethnic cleansing and a brutal military occupation.
It is clear to the rest of the world, if not RNZ, that Israel has been deliberately trying to provoke a wider war in the Middle East but no-one listening or watching our state broadcasters would be any the wiser.
While the people of the world want Israel to stop the carnage, TVNZ and RNZ are all but egging it on.
Israel’s deliberate provocations to widen the war include:
- The assassination of Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr in Beirut
- The assassination of Hamas Leader Ismail Hanniyah who was negotiating a ceasefire agreement with Israel. The assassination took place in Iran in a flagrant breach of Iranian sovereignty
- The Israeli missile attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria which killed several top Iranian officials
- The “exploding pager” attack in Lebanon
- Extending its genocidal slaughter to Lebanon and Yemen
- The assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
And yet while Israel fans the flames of war, our state broadcasters report that Israel is the victim.
Yes, TVNZ and RNZ cover the killing of innocent civilians but only in the context of Israeli propaganda narratives which dominate the reporting. Israeli propaganda about “human shields”, so religiously and uncritically reported by western media, blames the Palestinian resistance organisations for the deaths.
Last night Israel slaughtered Palestinian journalist Wafa Aludaini and most of her family in a direct missile strike on her home. Wafa was friend to New Zealand and a women with more journalistic integrity than the combined news leadership of both our state broadcasters.
John Minto
National Chair
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
John – Most NZers want peace in the Middle East including myself…However, Hezbollah is not keen on peace with Israel based on their actions…and, judging by the parties/celebrations breaking out across the Middle East – Hezbollah is not overly liked either…
Israel is not at all interested in peace. Bibi knows that he will be in prison if he stops fighting. Within a few weeks they will be invading Iran. Lebanon is supporting Palestinians and that is why it is fighting Israel now.
Peace cannot happen without Justice. One State for all. Muslims, Christians and Jews all lived there together before. But Europe feels so overwhelmed by guilt over the concentration camps that they cannot come to terms with this.
And of course you have the US who wants to keep Israel as their little bolt hold in the Arab world, keep them arabs under control.
The US continues to endless give Israel money and bombs whilst having lots of people living in poverty in their ‘great’ democracy. The irony of it all.
Michal – Peace cannot be achieved without Israel…Sadly, Iran leadership does not understand this based on their actions…funding, and arming hate groups…that needs to stop for Peace to work.
Some would say, there would be peace if there was no Israel…. and they would be right.
stand_alone_complex: There stands the issue…wiping out a nation (Israel) for so -called “Peace” is not Peace
You need to understand that Israel is the hate group. Not every individual citizen but enough of them to elect a corrupt genocidal government that has no interest in securing peace with the Palestinians
Bonnie – Okay, let’s pretend there is not Israel…result no State for Palestinians still why?
– Gaza Strip would be Egypt
– Judah (West Bank) would be Jordan
– Golan Heights would be Syria
– The remaining parts would be Lebanon
No Palestine State…Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon have rejected the formation of a Palestine State
Well put @ Michal.
Nathan, supporting a pedophile society isn’t rational like your logic that somehow Hezbollah don’t want peace when your idol state commits genocide on helpless Palestinians.
Stephen – Anti-western, extreme Islamic hate groups have hijacked the Palestinian support groups…Those hateful groups have ruined Lebanon and Syria and attempted it in Jordan…all in the name of ‘Freeing Palestine…
We can’t explain your ignorance however any fair examination of the evidence shows that Israel are the cause of the problems in the middle east and if they could have learned how to get on with the people who lived there instead of selfishly wanting it all for themselves there would not be any problem. Don’t try and give me any of the BS that they have any historical right to the land either.
While the media make a big fuss about any Arab nation that retaliates they constantly ignore the way Israel provokes them.
Bonnie – Calling it BS does not make it so…Iran is not an Arab nation, they are Persians mostly…so what is their excuse for attacking Israel?
As for your ‘any fair examination of the evidence’ line is false – They, some Arab nations, have been at war with Israel since 1948…despite various Peace accords being signed…
The world is now upside down. The role of mainstream media today is to uphold the interests of the powerful and misinform the powerless. This is the same role our politicians play. The world is upside down. Will we ever learn from this or will we continue to pin our hopes and dreams on this, somehow, magically turning around. We either continue to believe in our media and politicians or we turn our backs on them and start resisting their lies, remembering that if we do continue with the former, then this shyt will eventually find its way to our own backyard!
As I write Israel is under a sustained missile attack from Iran. Full scale war has broken out. This could go nuclear. This could close the Gulf shipping collapsing the Wests economies.
This could all have been avoided if all of those complicit politicians and their journalistic lapdogs worldwide did their job and told the truth. . TVNZ are part of a myriad of irresponsible liars.
The collective west is involved in the M.E and have been before the apartheid state was established. NZ is an european settler colonial society like its 5 eyes partners its interest are imperial & to continue its colonial aspirations indefinitely. The european powers have ruled this planet for ova 400 years and isn’t contemplating on relinquishing its rule ova “strategic assets” one being apartheid Israel. We are merely pawns in a larger geostrategic tussle and our MSM is touted with keeping our populations misinformed.
Free Palestine
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Excellent….Iran has shown it’s hand. USA, and the west and Saudi have been itching for an excuse to flatten Tehran…thank you Israel.
People in Beirut and Tehran were celebrating Nasrallah’s death.
Syria too.
TVNZ and RNZ need to be shut down. Nothing more than propaganda organs for the State.
ZB don’t forget they push shit that not correct be consistent Xen your bias is evident
Is ZB funded by the state?
In April 2024, the BSA upheld a complaint regarding the Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby programme on 19 June 2023, in which host Kate Hawkesby made comments about Māori and Pacific patients being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity. The BSA found the programme breached the standards of accuracy, and discrimination and denigration, and ordered Newstalk ZB to issue a on-air statement and to pay $1,500 in costs.
I bet they get some govt funding otherwise they wouldn’t be fined by the BSA?
So you think that only government funded broadcasters are subject to the BSA. Let me help you out:
https://www.bsa.govt.nz/broadcasters/information-for-broadcasters/overview
I think this is the link you want. https://www.bsa.govt.nz/about-us/who-we-are
Mainly public service background
How dare they present both sides of the story!
The article is about only 1 side of the story being available on our msm. I don’t know what version of the English language you learnt but you have completely missed the point of the article.
TVNZ and RNZ are actually NZ taxpayer-funded propaganda organs of the American deep state and, as the drums of a third world war beat ever louder, rather than being shut down our media institutions need to be put to the same test as that used to railroad journalist and editor Mick Hall, claiming his efforts to put some balance in news agency reports constituted “Russian propaganda.”
Perhaps TDB can offer $1 for each of them. Then their news would read like these columns and comments.
I’m of the opinion that the legacy MSM has lost any credibility. Once lost it won’t return.
As a consequence of my loss of faith in honest truthful reporting I get pretty much all my factual information from independent reporters and commentators on the web. it’s hard work finding out which of these are reliable and scrutiny of their accuracy is constant.
“If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”
100%. Not new though. Been happening for a long time.
The oppressor justifies the punishment meted out to the oppressed.
Britain stole Palestine in 1919.
Jews invades and llegally occupies Palestine in 1948 backed by Britain.
Since 1950 the Jews backed by the USA military brutally crush the Palestinians fight for freedom
Yet the White media praises the evil Jew/Americans and condemn Palestine freedom fighters.
So patently blatantly racial cultural madness achieved through power.
Yet millions of Westerners are totally culture blind to the truth.
Closer to home the British sign Treaty in 1840.
Then in 1865 begin a series of clearances using thousands of British troops.
Britain essentially invades and illegally occupies murdering as they went.
The British describe millions of acres stolen as having been “confiscated” .
Racist crude attempt to justify theft and murder.
For 200 years the British newspapers call the invasion theft and murder as bringing “civilisation”.
Maori who fought back were called “Rebels”
The British erected monuments in towns all over the country glorifying
the invasion theft and murders and victory over the tangata whenua,
Where are the monuments to Maori victims of the British invasion murder and theft?
Britain Spain France invaded ,murdered “confiscated” 75% of planet earth 1445 -1900.
Yet they have yet to be brought to account.
In fact they still describe their wanton destruction and conquest and theft as glorious .
Power allows the Western media to deny the undeniable and to justifiy the unjustifiable .
And the White Westerners are all over the propaganda like hyhena on crack cocaine.
K, you are spot on. Here in Aotearoa we need to address the history of colonisation from the Maori viewpoint. On monuments, at historic site sites, in text books, in the media. Truth may hurt, better to be honest than to let things fester.
Agree +100% our PM and Seymore need a History Lesson.
Koina, you described history very well although you could have included the role of corrupt religion used to justify that theft. They obviously didn’t understand that do not steal applied to them.
You’ve still got AP, who said this “Charismatic & shrewd: A look at longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.”. The guy who said “If they all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide.”
Looks like Israel is preparing to decapitate the Iranian government and military. A pointed appeal to “The Persian people”
“So, you listen to me. Listen to me: Television is not the truth! Television is a God-damned amusement park! Television is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, side-show freaks, lion tamers, and football players. We’re in the boredom-killing business! So if you want the truth, go to God! Go to your gurus! Go to yourselves! Because that’s the only place you’re ever going to find any real truth.”
In 2023 Nasrallah had said gay people, “even if they do it once… are to be killed”
They would have to be clueless to get caught then, that would just be a natural result of the survival of the fittest that all the experts insist explains evolution.
Bonnie – Thank you for strengthening the argument for the State of Israel…the Gay community a legally protected in Israel.
Is Ricky a Kiwi neo-liberal ? If not he’s certainly got the quals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invention_of_Lying
Christopher Luxon.
“You just fake it until you make it. I have spent a whole career doing that” –
Zionist Israel has never wanted peace. Its whole agenda is none of the people, all of the land.
Then they deceive themselves into thinking oh thy hate us cos we jewish. So what can we do but genocide them all”?
How very convenient and 1930s of them.
But hey, that would be anyone of use brought up in that ultra-nationist fanatical cuckoo nest of a borderless entity.
Thing is, no Israeli or Palestinian needs to die for peace. The Israelis just have to abandon zionism, admit their colonial identity, ask for forgiveness. Then decolonise (which means reconcile with the reality of the people you built your foreign entity on top of. Not “go home”.)
But no. There is no need for the zionists to choose peace because genocide serves their purpose and as much as they bleat, their constant lies and patronage let them do it. Even cancelling out the many millions of real jews who oppose it. Thanks to the support of the genocidal colonial states who cooked up this tragic monster of a colonial state in the first place.
So sure, Palestinians wish for a cataclysm to swallow Israel up because they have tried EVERYTHING else and given the Western bloodlust this seems the only way to get the Zionists to stop.
And as unlikely as that is,
It is STILL more likely than the wish of the Israelis: who are praying for this genocide to finally finish the “evil” of the inconvenient people whose land they are living on. Because you can not bomb and murder and steal your way into making truths out of lies. Even if they drenched the land with every Palestinian soul they would NEVER belong, because as in NZ, you can only ever belong to a land by making peace and accepting the people who were living there.
Zionists are dooming themselves to an eternity of living a lie no one else believes.