MEDIAWATCH: Melissa Lee + Thomas Coughlan + Glenn McConnell attacking Willie Jackson’s ‘Trainwreck’ Interview
I don’t know what is sadder, Thomas Coughlan’s hysterical rantings at Willie Jackson or Melissa Lee’s hysterical rantings at Willie Jackson or Glenn McConnell’s hysterical rantings on Willie Jackson.
I thought Willie’s interview was funny, he answered the questions and he explained what the RNZ/TVNZ merger was all about and he was giving Jack a bit of mischievous stick while he was doing it. I also thought Jack was an amazing interviewer and I also thought Grant did a bloody good interview too!
Coughlan, who I had an enormous amount of time for as a journalist on any other day, clearly took offence at Willie’s style and went on a triggered snowflake kamikaze attack on Willie Jackson while smearing him with a despicable character assassination.
Like an anti vaxer fanatic convinced the vaccine has a micro chip in it, Coughlan argues that Willie actually wants to take over RNZ/TVNZ and run it as his own propaganda channel – which is a deplorable insinuation!
Willie Jackson, the youngest meat workers union president in NZ history, has always sided with the workers over the bosses! He has always sided with independent media! He has always sided with the journalists over the managers! He has always sided with free media!
To pretend as Coughlan has that Willie actually intends to make ANZPM his own media instrument which is beholden to him is such a lie and grasping attempt at editorial clickbait it is a stain on Coughlan’s reputation!
Of course NZME is going to attack a new ANZPM and that is all Coughlan is really channeling here, his own companies self interest. It’s right wing corporate media trying to crap on public broadcasting NZME will have to compete against!
This despite Willie starting legislation that will allow mainstream media to get revenue from Facebook and Google!
Melissa Lee who is facing Simon Bridges as the new Chair is doing everything she can to keep shitting on public broadcasting in case Cabinet gives it to Bridges which will rob her of any target so anything she has to say on the merger is politicking…
National’s broadcasting spokesperson Melissa Lee described Jackson’s interview this morning as a “train wreck”.
“The way he talked on Q + A is a clear sign he intends on interfering with the culture, operations and decisions of the new entity while having political influence over it,” Lee said.
This is the same smear Coughlan is trying on. The idea that Willie has structured the merger for him to have direct editorial control over the entire organisation is a dangerous fantasy that Lee and Coughlan are running in their joint effort to discredit Public Broadcasting.
As for Glenn McConnell, (Stuffs more masculine version of Coughlan), he claims Willie can’t explain why a merger is needed.
Let me spell it out for Glenn, Fuck Boy Island!
The response by TVNZ to Fuck Boy Island proves why they must be merged with RNZ!
Their answer has been to edit out one of the contestants who turned out to be an actual Fuck Boy…
Fuckboy Island contestant edited out after suffocation charge revealed
A contestant on controversial reality TV series Fboy Island is being edited out of the show after it was revealed he was charged last year with suffocating a drunk and vulnerable teenager in his home.
…note that their response isn’t, ‘we should never have commissioned a show called Fuck Boy Island because we are the public broadcaster’, oh no, they are still going ahead with Fuck Boy Island, they’ll just edit out the one accused of strangling a drunk woman.
TVNZ are a ratings chasing addict who have utterly shat upon their Public Broadcaster responsibilities here, THIS is why we need a RNZ/TVNZ merger!
The extraordinarily gross Fuck Boy Island commissioned by TVNZ shows why the RNZ/TVNZ merger must happen, because TVNZ thinks Fuck Boy Island is public broadcasting!
RNZ would never have allowed Fuck Boy Island to occur.
Can you imagine Kim Hill judging Fuck Boy Island?
How about Ethical Slut Island?
This isn’t Public Broadcasting that uplifts or builds the people or audiences involved, it demeans. I’m no prude, if a private company wanted Fuck Boy Island, knock yourself out, go for it, but on the Public Broadcaster?
We saw on the lawns of Parliament what confused and frightened citizens led by Social media disinformation hate algorithms can cause, we need a powerful Public Broadcasting asset to combat that madness or our Democracy will be lost.
We need this public broadcasting merger and Fuck Boy Island proves why.
Framing Willie as a power mad Māori who is trying to take over RNZ/TVNZ and control it editorially while Fuck Boy Island is out there is ugly media politics.
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Even Jacinda agreed the interview had Willie saying some wrong thinks which she repremined for .I bet he will be moved on as will Mahuta at the next shuffle which will upset the Maori. She should get ride of Kelvin but that would be a step to far
I doubt there was any reprimand. They own her!
Look at TVNZ. It is wall to wall reality TV and wall to wall ads. Unacceptable. The case for the merger is right there
I see this piece from you Martyn has brought every bigot out to play in the comments section.
Funny how NZ politics always descends to bash the Māori.
It’s bloody depressing.
Ignatius for my part any faults of Willie is for what he says and the facts are he brings the race arguement into the equation. For to long he has said outrageous statements then hide behind his Maori personna to avoid any criticism.
I don’t own a TV, yet as far as I’m aware there are NO public access TV stations in NZ?
In parts of America I’ve been lead to believe you can just book a slot on public access TV and BOOM, you’re on television!
My point is; television access in NZ is both cost prohibitive and guarded by government gatekeepers.
If the government is willing to shovel $350+ million to merge the entrenched (and declining) RNZ with TVNZ, surely the public should have the ability to compete? Why shouldn’t The Working Group also be streamed live on a public access TV station?
The reality is television in NZ doesn’t allow for free speech, therefore it is a substandard medium for news and current affairs. As the government is funding this new entity, yet denies the citizenry access to a public access TV station.. there is NO credibility to be had.
If the public don’t have access to speak on medium (TV in this case), there obviously cannot be free speech on that medium.
Do I have a point, or am I missing something?
Yes lets stream the Working Group on the Tele. Absolutely terrific as is your blog site Martyn
Willie is actually a free speech maverick, by introducing “useless Maori” into the political lexicon in this time of microaggression outrage, he managed to impress the supremacists while also undermining anti hate speech darling Jacinda Ardern, outraging human rights pearl clutcher Paul Hunt, confusing race relations commissar Meng Foon and caricaturing the indigenous community, all in one fell swoop. Slay my queen.