MEDIAWATCH: alt-Right Canadian culture war billionaire Jim Grenon busted on defamation costs
Billionaire Jim Grenon must pay costs to TVNZ after funding ‘wholly unsuccessful defamation case’
Billionaire Jim Grenon has been ordered to pay costs to TVNZ after he was revealed as funding a “wholly unsuccessful” defamation case against the state broadcaster on behalf of Julian Batchelor.
“Mr Grenon may not have been a party in name, but it is clear from the evidence his shadow loomed large over the proceedings,” Judge David Clark said in his costs decision released on Friday.
Grenon, who is also the largest shareholder of media company NZME, was revealed as a funder of Batchelor’s defamation case in December last year when Judge David Clark ordered him to say who was covering his legal fees when questioned by lawyers.
NZ Stuff
The weirdest bit about all of this was that Grenon seemed to believe he could get away with funding a culture war motivated defamation case, hide his involvement in it and then trying to weasel out of a deal he made with the wretched Julian Batchelor.
The balls on this guy!
TDB has been highly critical of alt-Right Canadian Billionaire Jim Grenon’s role in setting up alt-Right hate Blog The Centrist, his role in supporting legal actions by far right race baiter Julian Batchelor and anti-vax grifter Chantelle Baker plus his problematic ownership of NZME.
We have argued that Grenon is a true believer in alt-Right conspiracy theories and that his alt-Right Hate Blog, The Centrist, has created an important lynchpin in right wing media disinformation and misinformation by harvesting Right Wing Hate Troll comments to disseminate to The Platform, Reality Check Radio and ZB.
The Centrist played a crucial role in the character assassination of Green MP Benjamin Doyle and their anti-Trans, anti-Māori, anti-Treaty and anti-vaccine content is as ugly as a 4 Chan incel dating site.
So, we told you alt-Right Billionaire Canadian Jim Grenon was an extremist and here’s the jaw dropping proof…
‘Strongly held personal values’: Why billionaire Jim Grenon supported defamation case
Billionaire Jim Grenon has “strongly held personal values concerning democracy and freedom of expression” and that is why he says he became involved in funding a “wholly unsuccessful” defamation case against TVNZ on behalf of Julian Batchelor.
Grenon, who is also the largest shareholder of media company NZME, was revealed as a funder of Batchelor’s defamation case in December last year when Judge David Clark ordered him to say who was covering his legal fees when questioned by lawyers.
Grenon also said he was the sole shareholder of The Centrist. However, according to the Companies Register Tameem Barakat is the sole shareholder and director with Grenon ceasing those positions in mid 2023.
Stuff
…so much to unpack.
It’s interesting he claims to still control the alt-Right Hate Blog, The Centrist, because when challenged on his extremism as he was buying NZME, he claimed that he was no longer part of The Centrist when it was being used to highlight his extremism.
“I believe that public discourse is damaged when a large platform labels or characterises others negatively, particularly in ways that are untrue, with the purpose or effect of silencing or discrediting them. In my view, it is important that those subjected to such characterisations have access to the courts to seek vindication if they want to exercise their rights.”
Grenon said he believed the expression of “honestly held views, including views that are controversial or unpopular, is fundamental to an open and free democratic society”.
The character assassination of political rivals, the smearing of the other and playing to the prejudice of others is a weak defence for free speech.
He is promoting bigotry, not debate.
Grenon isn’t involved with NZME for commercial reasons, he wants ownership for editorial and culture war reasons.
Allowing him to own one of the largest media platforms in NZ is a direct threat to NZ democracy.
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Two creeps both foreigners fuck off you swines and takes your bullshit back to where you came from.