Is it just me or is the NZ on Air funded Polky sleaze doco as journalistically awful as David Farrier’s Mr Organ, TVNZs FkBoy Island and middle class drama Fire and Fury?
The sleazy manner in which NZ on Air went after Polky has already seen the only real journalist walk away from the project which should have put up some type of red flag…
A journalist who secured an exclusive TV interview with retired Remuera eye doctor and former murder accused Philip Polkinghorne says he asked that his name not be included in the credits of a new documentary, after he was told he was no longer required on the project.
And the journalist has revealed more details about Polkinghorne agreeing to appear on camera initially before pulling out of any further interviews.
The producers of the new part-taxpayer-funded TV documentary Polk: The Trial of Philip Polkinghorne – a three-part TV3 documentary focusing on Polkinghorne and the death of his wife Pauline Hanna at their Remuera home in April 2021 – have rejected assertions from Polkinghorne that it is “tabloid clickbait”.
Polkinghorne, who appears in a rare interview, has hit out at the makers, claiming he had been deceived into agreeing to appear. The journalist and the producers have rejected this.
Polkinghorne has released a series of WhatsApp messages that the journalist sent him before and after an interview – they offer a sympathetic line to his predicament.
“While I was charged and awaiting trial, I was approached by a journalist by the name of Chris Cooke and an investigator, Julia Hartley Moore,” Polkinghorne said in a statement, provided to the NZ Herald by his lawyer Ron Mansfield, KC.
“They told me what I wanted and needed to hear at that time – understanding and assistance to prove my innocence.
“They said they would be able to help, and without any advice, I trusted them both and what they said to me.
“While many are seeking to promote themselves off the back of my and Pauline’s misery, you will immediately see their obvious deceit of me and now the New Zealand public. They will claim anything if they think there is a story and self-promotion in it.”
Polkinghorne said no one watching the documentary, which started screening on Three on Sunday, “will view a balanced or fair portrayal of events”.
“It is just, as some have already recognised, tabloid clickbait.”
…Polky, Polky, Polky – why would you trust journalists you don’t know?
Were you coming down off the pipe Polky?
Meth is a hell of drug.
It’s reminiscent of Rachel Glucina pretending to help the waitress in the pony Tail pulling escapade.
NZ on Air needs to explain why journalists quit the project…
In his own statement on Monday, Cooke, a former TVNZ Sunday producer who is now freelancing, gave details of how he came to be employed as a contractor by Hartley Moore in 2022.
“I was employed by Ms Moore – her company Blonde Ambition Films Ltd – to approach Mr Polkinghorne for an interview for a documentary that would be broadcast after the case was over.
“I approached Philip Polkinghorne and explained this to him, and he consented. There was nothing deceitful about my approach to him.”
He said Polkinghorne had “wanted to tell his story” and the interview was filmed over two days at his house in October 2022.
“In December 2022, he said he wanted to pause any further involvement in the documentary until the trial was over.
“This was after he had seen through police discovery that they had been in contact with Julia Hartley Moore as part of their investigation seeking information about Pauline Hanna contacting a private investigator.”
The documentary features a segment in which Hartley Moore says she believes an anonymous woman who called her for help as a private investigator was Pauline Hanna.
Polkinghorne has said there is no proof that the caller is his wife.
Cooke said he had related to Polkinghorne in a WhatsApp message how he understood Hartley Moore’s contact with police came about.
Cooke said Hartley Moore soon afterwards engaged Mark McNeill from Razor Films to work on the production and he was informed that he was “no longer required and would not be employed in the ongoing making of the documentary”.
Cooke understood McNeill had made the call that he was no longer needed. He was not given a reason.
“I informed Philip Polkinghorne of this. Julia Hartley Moore said Mark McNeill would be in touch with Mr Polkinghorne to seek to continue the filming with him.
“I have had nothing to do with the ongoing production and final editorial content of their documentary. Given this, I asked that I not be named in the credits. I had no idea it was about to be broadcast until I saw a promo for it appear.
“I’ve worked for three decades in television current affairs and have a very good reputation regarding how I deal with people. I have never had a complaint lodged against me with the BSA.”
…NZ on Air needs to explain why taxpayer money was spent on a sleaze hit job of a person who lets remember was found innocent of the crime he was charged for.
It’s not the first misstep of taxpayer funded content.
David Farrier’s Mr Organ, was a weird $750 000 taxpayer funded revenge fantasy against a bloke David hated.
TVNZs FkBoy Island was just gross.
And and the middle class drama Fire and Fury detailed how a couple of wealthy privileged white women felt shocked that NZers didn’t worship them as journalists.
Once upon a time NZ on Air stood for journalistic standards, now it stands for sleazy standards that undermine Fourth Estate Journalism.
Very, very ugly.
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Martyn – Why are taxpayers paying for this…?
He was found ‘not guilty’ as opposed to found ‘innocent’.
While I also find hatchet-job journalism to be distasteful to say the least, old Polky has got off pretty easy in the courts and in the doco all things considered.
The fact that he was stupid/arrogant enough to agree to an interview while under investigation beggars belief… It’s worth remembering exactly just who was the vulnerable person in this whole sorry story.
So no I don’t think NZ on Air are the truly grubby ones here…
Trial by media has become entrenched, with plenty of fingers to point. Let’s just keep some perspective with regard to journalistic standards. There are plenty more egregious failures of journalistic standards that are worth picking before you defend a meth head.
why the heck is govt money involved in any of this? set up a social framework to provide public services and build public infrastructure. That’s it. So much time and effort wasted on superficial bullshit. Defense, Justice, Health, Education, Welfare, Infrastructure. fuck business fuck the arts fuck winners and fuck losers. just the basics – done well, for all.
Ugly and unbelievable, I watched the first episode, which I thought was actually a one off I have no idea why there could be another episode. Hartley-Moore likes to be in the spotlight, and frankly it was about trying to convict Polkinghorne by showing this shit.
And then we have seven days which has I think the shortest season it has ever had and it is so marvelous, this is where the money should be spent.
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