Media finally revisit Moment of Truth and then ignores what was revealed – everything wrong with NZ media in one story
After this blog challenged the mainstream media to reflect upon the Moment of Truth, blog writer at the Amerikan lite entertainment alter that is the blue green Spin Blog does just that, and in one fucking article manages to highlight all that is wrong in NZ Political reporting right now.
Here’s what I wrote…
So are we as a country going to wake up to this threat to our democracy? Or will we allow the CIA to re-write our history for us?
To answer that, I reflect upon the 2014 Moment of Truth and what it actually revealed.
I remember one thing most vividly from that night. The naked hatred in the barking face of former Metro Editor Simon Wilson and TV3 news reporter Patrick Gower as they screamed hysterically at Glenn Greenwald and Kim Dotcom because he had decided not to show his evidence that Key knew about Kim before Key had said he did (he’s going to present that in Court).
The mainstream media decried the event as a damp squib and wrote the entire thing off as an over hyped promise that didn’t deliver.
That’s when I realised what the Moment of Truth had actually revealed.
The Moment of Truth had Assange, Greenwald and Edward Snowden prove without a shadow of a doubt that John Key had lied through his teeth about mass surveillance. It showed the NSA and CIA have staff here, it showed they planned to spike the sea cable and steal data directly from that feed and it showed that our GCSB went and met with the NSA to assure them the law Key had just pushed through allowed for mass surveillance despite Key telling the NZ public that it didn’t.
But what did NZ focus on? Kim not proving Key knew he existed before he claimed to have known.
…so what does Toby Manhire and the blue green Spin Blog do? Does Toby investigate whether or not the GCSB went and met with the NSA to tell them Key’s mass surveillance laws allowed the NSA to spy on us? Does Toby find out if the NSA and GCSB intended to hack our internet sea cable? Does Toby find out if the NSA or CIA are operating out of the GCSB here in NZ?
No. He doesn’t look at any of the things that Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden and Julian Assange actually revealed, he focuses on Laila’s ‘feels’.
It’s just extraordinary in what it actually reveals about the puddle depth that is investigative and critical media in this country.
It reads like a Women’s Day exclusive after a couple of Gin and Tonics, it totally ignores what was revealed at the Moment of Truth and the role the mainstream media itself played in refusing to acknowledge what was revealed.
This is fucking journalism?
With a Wellington level of self importance, Toby clearly seems to think that he’s beyond people like Greenwald, Snowden and Assange and his supposed insightfulness into Laila’s feelings is what investigative exclusives are all about.
The Spin Blog is Women’s Weekly for millennials, what a terrible swing and a miss to re-examine an important moment of NZ history that still hasn’t been given the consideration it warranted.
I wrote:
What was revealed was something of the nature of the anti-intellectual average Kiwi, who rather than look at the bigger picture presented, managed to find a tiny corner they could disagree with.
You can lead a New Zealander to slaughter, but you can’t make them think.
…this soggy piece by Manhire proves just how empty our corporate media really are.
there is a Frank Zappa meme on FB, “Modern Americans behave as if intelligence were some sort of hideous deformity”
while it is wise to be cautious about co-opting Zappa on anything, that quote would certainly apply to NZ at the moment
the more important story is not totally sunk yet though, Key did not scarper “to spend more time with the missus” for nothing
Exactly Martyn – the truths about so much are just never really focused on by the lame stream media we have here in NZ. The bought up and controlled media spewing propaganda and mind controlling BS and fluff. And the unintelligent masses believe the dribble as truth.
The ” Moment of Truth ” was an amazing event with some powerful and ethical folks that know far more than most and were willing to spend time helping us focus on some home truths. Glenn Greenwald is world renowned and respected and we just did not realize what a powerful and intelligent event that was.
The fact that Jonky Donky was so threatened by Glenn and the whole event just shows how close to the truth they were. I feel that we should show the recording of that event to the public again and continue to expose just how the media here has and still does manipulate the truths coming out.
well I was “blown away” aka impressed, on that night with the video feed and the prominent people KDC and his team organised to appear, the technical side alone was an achievement
the advance publicity was the events downfall in retrospect, it gave the Mana haters a good long lead time
Maybe it all just got too complicated for the msm? Which is a tragedy, we need strong investigative journalism more than ever in this era of “alternative facts” and fake-news.
Waatea is putting out some pretty poor articles as well. Mind you I’m not very objective when it comes to Winston because he’s an act party bag man
Hahahaha !
Bang on ! … I read that article in the NZ Herald ,… kept waiting for the real McCoy to emerge – instead all we got was diversionary slop… no offense to Laila – wonderful politician .
THIS :
” so what does Toby Manhire and the blue green Spin Blog do? Does Toby investigate whether or not the GCSB went and met with the NSA to tell them Key’s mass surveillance laws allowed the NSA to spy on us? Does Toby find out if the NSA and GCSB intended to hack our internet sea cable? Does Toby find out if the NSA or CIA are operating out of the GCSB here in NZ? ”
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Toby Manhire … the wannabe NZ Herald comedic ‘ wit ‘ who pulls back when the going gets rough and it looks like he might incur the wrath of those who he considers his ‘ superiors’…
Such a shame… there goes another one who I enjoyed with their dry , laconic wit … still ,.. gutlessness is gutlessness and the time isn’t right to tolerate craven cowards anymore in this day and age…
Give it a break , Manhire ,… and if you cant handle getting slapped over the wrist – go start up your own independent news outlet and live by the uncertainty of contractual work – just like so many of the rest of us have to in a precarious manner from week to week ….
And while your at it… welcome to the debasing process of your former neo liberal masters if you do…