There is no greater irony in the ending of Simon Dallow’s professional life as the lead of the 6pm public broadcaster news role than his final words and how no other media commentator noted them.
Shayne Currie didn’t notice it, neither did RNZ, and I think that is fitting for a nation as dumb as a bag of hammers.
As the Fourth Estate gets continuously muzzled, as social media hate algorithms corrode the institutions of democracy and journalism with misinformation and disinformation while creating a toxic ‘All-Tribe-No-Village’ media landscape, Simon Dallow delivers probably his most telling comments in his entire career journey by uttering, “Good night and good luck.”
Good night and good luck of course was the way the legendary American Broadcaster, Edward R. Murrow, would sign off his bulletin.
Murrow cut his teeth on the madness of McCarthyism and was a crucial Fourth Estate Icon and legend in broadcasting journalism.
That no one here seemed to have recognised the significance of Dallow’s final words manages to sum NZ up perfectly while ignoring the dumpster fire our political media landscape has become with an Alt-Right Billionaire running NZME like his personal blog for culture war talking points as RNZ becomes more like a depoliticised Middle Class Library for wanky being present wellness fan fiction.
Good night and good luck indeed.
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We’re going to need a lot of luck and thanks for thinking of us, Simon.