The ease with which John Key and the GCSB are able to manipulate the fawning mainstream media is honestly an art form.
Take this ridiculous ‘Jihadi Brides’ crap – does anyone know where this all came from? It came up during the Intelligence Committee review, the GCSB was being questioned over the role they played in spying for Tim Groser’s WTO job, the GCSB said they couldn’t discuss that because it was an ‘operational’ matter but then jumped onto a tangent of young NZ women going to Syria. It was Key himself as Chair of the Committee who used the term ‘Jihadi Brides’ and all of a sudden, instead of asking questions about why the bloody hell the GCSB was spying to get Tim Groser the WTO job, all the media are talking about is ‘Jihadi Brides’.
The ‘Jihadi Brides’ story is just to keep the media distracted from demanding some answers about why our spying apparatus was breaking the law to try and get Tim bloody Groser a job. Who did the GCSB spy on to get Groser the job? Who authorised that? What happened to the information they obtained? Were our trading partners involved? Were other 5 Eyes nations used? Is this what the GCSB is supposed to be doing? None of those questions are now being asked because of ‘Jihadi Brides’.
This fifth JMAD New Zealand Media Ownership Report observes that New Zealand media companies are owned by a small number of private funds and investment banks. In the case of MediaWorks, financial ownership has intensified its profit imperatives, and led to the demolition of its news and currents affairs programmes. In this context, it is encouraging that independent news organisations such as the National Business Review (NBR), BusinessDesk and Scoop, have continued to operate in the market.
In 2015, New Zealand media companies were implementing ‘digital first’ strategies, and integrating newsrooms across the print and online platforms. Unfortunately, this didn’t put ‘journalists first’, and newsroom layoffs continued.
The revenue structures of media companies continued to encounter difficulties, and new forms of partnership and collaboration emerged. For example, Fairfax partnered with Sky TV, The Huffington Post and The New York Times; and APN with News Corp and The Washington Post in content delivery. Additionally, NZME, TVNZ, MediaWorks and Fairfax joined forces in advertising against companies such as Facebook and Google.
In 2015, Rupert Murdoch returned to the New Zealand media market by acquiring a 15 per cent stake in APN, publisher of The New Zealand Herald. In contrast, mining billionaire Gina Rinehart sold all of her Fairfax shares. Consequently, the investment bank Morgan Stanley became the company’s largest shareholder.
Yet again MediaWorks became owned by one financial institution. In 2013 it went into receivership under its private equity owner Ironbridge Capital. In 2015, American hedge fund Oaktree Capital emerged as the biggest MediaWorks owner.
Key events concerning New Zealand media ownership
Billionaire Gina Rinehart exits Fairfax Media
Rupert Murdoch becomes the second largest owner in APN
MediaWorks ownership controlled by Oaktree Capital
Scoop crowdfunds to become a not-for-profit outlet
For those wondering why our quality of journalism has declined ,and why current affairs television has disappeared amidst a deluge of `reality` shows, tabloid pap and advertising, help is on its way. As co-director of a research centre entitled Journalism, Media and Democracy (JMAD) I announce the publication of our 2015 New Zealand Media Ownership report.
Since 2011 these reports have been compiled by Merja Myllylahti a former London financial journalist who knows her way around company reports and corporate doublespeak. Five years ago there were four major players in the New Zealand media market; APN News and Media (now NZME), Fairfax media ,Mediaworks and Sky. These four companies, all overseas owned predominated. There was a near duopoly in print and radio, a monopoly in pay television and only three significant competitors in free-to –air television, including the state owned channels.
From 2012 to 2014 listed and unlisted financial operators (banks,hedge funds,private equity companies) acquired media holdings as a lucrative short term source of revenue. Thus the transnational media corporates that had colonised the New Zealand mediascape were themselves colonised by financial institutions .
Our two previous reports outlined this process in the cases of Mediaworks, Fairfax and Sky Television. At the same time there was a growing convergence between New Zealand mass media and the communications sector generally. Spark, along with on-line video subscription services started to compete head-to-head with traditional broadcasters.
The consequences of these developments are clearly evident in this years media ownership report. As hedge fund Oaktree Capital assumed control of Mediaworks tabloid shows and reality formats extinguished current affairs journalism. Traditional media moguls have not disappeared, in 2015 Rupert Murdoch became the second largest owner of NZME.
Across print and broadcasting newsrooms journalists were laid off,those remaining were expected to perform multiple tasks quickly ie take pictures, shoot videos,sub-edit and produce stories all on precarious incomes.
This year`s report also reveals an increasingly competitive broadcasting market as Coliseum Sports Media challenges Sky television and as Netflix and Yahoo join the video streaming market alongside Lightbox ,Neon and Quickflix. There is some good news to report; Scoop remains with us as a non-profit trust owned on-line newspaper and progressive parts of the blogosphere continue to challenge the slants of mainstream media.
In the latter context take a look at our 2015 report here on the Daily Blog, share it among friends and file it next to all previous reports (freely available on-line). None of this information will be published in the mainstream media
Oh come on! Key is lying about not sending more troops…
John Key: NZ ‘not likely’ to do more in fight against Isis Prime Minister John Key says he does not know if the United States will be disappointed that New Zealand will not do more to contribute to the fight against Isis (Islamic State), despite the country’s formal request.
“I think some people would say yes and some people would say no,” he told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning.
…do NZers have the memory of goldfish? Remember when Key was asked BEFORE the election if we would send troops to reinvade Iraq and he said we wouldn’t, then right after the election off to war we go.
Key will tell NZers whatever they want to hear while privately agreeing with the US that we will do whatever they want. This is the true price of the 5 Eyes Club, unending war.
NZers really are very easy to manipulate. Here is proof positive that the government now has mass surveillance capabilities yet it’s all dressed up as some sort of glorified ant-malware programme…
GCSB ‘Cortex’ system aimed at ISPs The “Cortex” system Prime Minister John Key made public to counter claims of mass surveillance of New Zealanders is now being aimed at the internet service providers handling the emails and online data of everyday Kiwis.
…let’s remind ourselves what the Guardian had to say from the ‘Moment of Truth’…
Snowden has appeared via live stream at Moment of Truth, an Internet party event at Auckland Town Hall intended to publicise the Speargun revelations. Snowden told the audience that the NSA’s reach extended even to Auckland, where he claimed the agency operated a spy facility.
Now we have Cyber security credentials scheme proposed for SMEs. all this new ‘cyber tick’ will tell you is that any and all information stored with that company is immediately available not only to the NZ intelligence community but also handed over directly to the NSA.
The deep state just can’t believe their luck with the way Key can con NZers into accepting mass surveillance powers. It is a sad indictment of us as a people that the very freedoms and rights of the individual that we have spilled blood for in foreign wars can be handed over with such ease.
Shhhh sleepy hobbits, dream about the All Blacks and untaxed property gains.
There are few parties in Parliament more chalk and cheese than New Zealand First and the Maori Party.
One’s a group of unitary nationalists who’ve provided some of the most trenchant opposition to a hell(a)-bent neoliberal government in recent times, and put “one law for all” into our political lexicon. The other, an ethnically-constituted government lapdog who can be described as “nationalists” only in terms of their steadfast if not slavering support for the Government which is their meal-ticket. We refuse to campaign in the Maori Seats … they’re only able to poll above the margin of error when running in same.
We castigate and criticize Budget after Budget which delivers little for the great majority of New Zealanders – and assets and asset sales revenue to the fiscally and politically privileged few.
The Maori Party, by contrast, takes great pride in getting up and supporting the Government and its economic measures every year when they’re presented for a vote.
And yet there are some similarities, too.
To their credit, the Maori Party joined with New Zealand First and others in opposing the #TPPA. They also voted for Fletcher Tabuteau’s excellent Fighting Foreign Corporate Control bill in order to help us to try and protect New Zealand from the pernicious implementation of Investor-State Dispute Settlements designed to undermine our nation’s economic sovereignty.
And perhaps somewhat surprisingly, given this Government’s woeful stance on child poverty throughout most of its history, the Maori Party also agrees with New Zealand First about the pressing need for free healthcare for under-13s.
Ordinarily, this would be cause for celebration. The more parties we have advocating for the same positive change, the better … right?
This is thoroughly out of order – and not just because Flavell appears to have been attempting to claim that finding common cause with other parties in pursuit of a demonstrably positive end is something to be “shamed” over.
Here are the facts:
New Zealand First spent a good chunk of the mid-1990s campaigning for free healthcare for under-13s. To be fair, we were never *quite* able to implement it. In 1996, when we entered into that abominable and apology-worthy relationship with National, we attempted to – but were only able to negotiate them to rolling out free healthcare for under-6s. Which is, at least, almost half-way.
So it’s a bit rich for Flavell to turn up in 2015 and try to claim exclusive credit for the policy … still, much less, to state another Party who first put it firmly on the political agenda almost a decade before the Maori Party was founded ought to feel “shame” for such advocacy.
Clearly, that remark by Flavell is a statement of general Maori Party policy – namely, that they’re so incredibly desperate for something to point to as evidence to justify their sorry existence … that they’re quite prepared to lie outrageously about another Party in order to make political ends rhetorically meet, and ensure those “bits of credit” “come their way”.
Parliament should be above this sort of shysterous and inaccurate political point-scoring. We’re all there for – at least nominally – the same reason: making peoples’ lives better. There’s no “shame” in that.
But where there *is* “shame”, is in having so little to show from seven long years supporting a corrupt and iniquitous Government that you have to try to shout down and rhetorically de-legitimate the contributions of others in order to try and grasp some sorry shred of relevance for yourselves.
In his speech – by his tone, tenor and mannerisms – Flavell revealed himself to be a frightened, desperate man.
He knows that his party’s time is ending.
It’s a pity he can’t take a leaf out of that other political footnote of a minnow David Seymour’s book and embrace (political) death with dignity.
Xero boss withdraws advertising from Whaleoil Rodney Hide has confirmed he was probably behind a series of Whaleoil posts attacking Xero that led Rod Drury to suspend advertising on the controversial blog.
In response to the latest in a series of Whaleoil posts critical of Xero, Drury said had cut advertising spending on the site over what he claimed was a campaign being steered by Hide.
“I’ve been a long time reader of Whaleoil and we even used to advertise here as we like to support the sunlight of good challenging discussions. (I turned that off yesterday after your misguided Hide campaign and it now appears to be open season on us.)”
Calls to both Slater were not immediately returned.
Whaleoil, run by Cameron Slater, was at the centre of last years’ Dirty Politics scandal triggered by Nicky Hager’s book of the same name.
Mostly sourced on hacked correspondence, Dirty Politics revealed close links between Slater and senior figures in government.
Further material to emerge from the scandal appeared to show Slater was regularly paid to attack the rivals of his clients in blogposts.
…hold on – what? Let’s go back to what the boss of Xero had to say there…
“I’ve been a long time reader of Whaleoil and we even used to advertise here as we like to support the sunlight of good challenging discussions. (I turned that off yesterday after your misguided Hide campaign and it now appears to be open season on us.)”
Riiiiiiiiight.
So when Cameron is attacking Muslims with the sort of zeal an orange nazi like Donald Trump does, that’s not a good enough reason to dump advertising on whaleoil?
So when Cameron was attempting to suggest that Tania Billingsley willingly made herself bait so she could scream rape culture, that wasn’t a good enough reason to dump advertising on whaleoil?
So when Cameron said that the 16 year old King’s College who drank himself to death was “a toffee-nosed school boy, a dead thief and a liar who couldn’t handle his piss, I always said King’s boys were poofs.”, that wasn’t a good enough reason to dump advertising on whaleoil?
Etc etc etc.
It was only the right thing to cancel the advertising deal when Slater turned and started attacking Xero – that’s when Xero decided to end the advertising? What a spineless and weak decision is that?
Look – you want to get in the shit and pus and roll around with Cameron Slater – at least own that shit and pus, don’t decide to leave pretending you don’t smell because he’s gone feral.
Xero’s high ground was to not advertise at all – they missed that opportunity and climbing out now just reminds everyone they were there in the first place.
Consider that for a moment – despite all the deeply divisive crap this Government have managed to do, despite the appalling abuse of political power, the failed ideological experiments, the economy set for their rich mates – despite all that – they are polling higher now than they were on election day. Yes we can claim the polls are rigged, yes we can argue about methodology, but the cold simple fact is that out there amongst the masses, they love John Key as much as a shark loves blood.
Perhaps the ease with which NZers are manipulated is the blame of a vacant and subservient mainstream media or perhaps the property speculating middle class are prepared to tolerate anything for untaxed capital gains, but today there are 4 classic examples of issues that NZers should be deeply concerned about but aren’t…
1: New data out next week will show this is the increase in Child Poverty…
…15% in 1984, 29% now. Once upon a time 305 000 kids in poverty would have horrified egalitarian NZ – 30 years of neoliberalism and we blame the parents for not being able to feed kids from the pittance they are paid in welfare.
2: America asks us to enter their new war, and instead of outrage, we get conned by ‘Jihadi Brides’ into believing we need to keep bombing for peace. The idea of a US warship visiting NZ would have us on the streets, now NZers turn up for selfies.
3: Key tells the world to stop subsidising fossil fuels while doing it himself. Climate change threatens the very model that neoliberalism survives on and Key who did all he could to kill off 100% Pure to avoid being seen as the greenwash hypocrites we are is doing nothing.
The country’s ranking has fallen from 35th to a lowly 42nd out of 58 this year – just five places ahead of China.
While New Zealand scored better for renewable energy, it ranked in the bottom five for climate change policy.
The ranking list was released at the Paris climate change conference.
It measures factors such as emissions levels per capita, deployment of renewable energy, and the energy intensity of the economy.
4: and while we are in denial about all the issues facing NZ – inequality soars...
The elite and high-income earners of New Zealand have increased their wealth by almost $200 billion while debt among the poorest has climbed to $7b, a new study of inequality says.
Since the 1980s, inequality has drawn closer to levels seen in more unequal countries such as the United States.
Researchers Max Rashbrooke, Geoff Rashbrooke and Wilma Molano set out to update the the data used to inform the picture of wealth here, burrowing into official statistics.
30 years of neoliberalism has robbed us of the political awareness to understand what is occurring around us. The vacant aspiration of success that National sell has become an immovable cultural force in NZ and a mainstream media that simply regurgitates the myths means we can’t progress.
It will only be when the property bubble pops that all our baby boomer and middle class friends who think they are millionaires will suddenly remember Key rules for the 1% – not them.
The higher National’s poll ratings go up – the longer the lines outside City Mission & food banks grow – what have we become?
Look at the Herald or Stuff website. Isn’t it incredible how terrible the new generation of clickbait infotainment journalists have denigrated and degraded the news in a mere year?
Look at the mainstream media – the same right wing commentators saying the same right wing things.
Look at the political current affairs in NZ – panelists who have no idea and less insight.
Look at Seven Sharp and Story – how truly awful are these current affairs show that provide nothing but junk?
From Paul Henry to Mike Hosking – the depth of dialogue has never been so shallow.
Now some could argue that a glorified press release aggregate site like Scoop is the future, others might suggest the twitter bubble is the new arena and a few could declare tired old blogs which have been around for almost a decade is the new frontier.
TDB disagrees.
We here at the Daily Blog have been working on new ideas to generate a new kind of current affairs with voices and opinion shapers mainstream producers won’t allow on. To debate the ideas and news of the day in a new way that reaches out to the audiences that a progressive Government needs to reach if they have any hope of beating National in 2017.
There needs to be an alternative to the awful ‘Story’ and ‘Seven Sharp’.
2016 is the year to try that.
We can either blame the media or we can be the media. If the Fourth Estate won’t live up to their obligations to democracy, the 5th estate will.
The Basement Theatre Christmas show is back and this year it answers a question we didn’t know we wanted the answer to- what if God decided it was time for the apocalypse but due to a bureaucratic requirement, had to send a representative thus bringing about Jesus Christ II?
The answer is presented to us by a core cast of four and a revolving cast of celebrity Jesus Christ IIs who have no idea what’s going on. On the night I went Madeline Sami was Jesus (yes, of course Jesus can be a woman) and she was brilliant. The core cast is Gareth Williams, Hayley Sproull, Julian Wilson and Victoria Abbott all of whom are equally excellent.
The rotating cast of JCs includes: Antonia Prebble, Kimberley Crossman, Michael Hurst, Rose Matafeo, Madeleine Sami, Amanda Billing, Rhys Mathewson, Jamie Bowen, Kura Forrester, Olivia Tennet, Bryony Skillington, Nic Sampson, Guy Montgomery, Hamish Parkinson, Chris Parker, Joel Tobeck, and Jaquie Brown. So really, whichever night you go, it’s going to be great.
Oliver Driver, who directed last year’s JC Superstar is back at the helm. This time though, along with the rock musical numbers, there is a lot more piss-taking and improvisation. Which is exactly what that show needed in my opinion. The show was full of laugh out loud moments and even a spot of audience interaction.
There are moments of lag (which you’d expect when 1/5 of the cast members don’t know what they’re doing) but because of that, the 2 ½ hour show could probably have had 30 minutes trimmed off. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed myself the whole way through.
Definitely recommended for a bit of (not too serious or traditional) Christmas fun.
I’m happy-as-larry to have Judith Collins back as a Minister in this scandal-prone government.
I don’t know what possessed our esteemed Dear Leader to re-appoint her. One of them obviously has something on the other. But truth tell – I don’t much care.
She is the gift that keeps giving and I’m waiting how long before the next pratfall, scandal, mis-use of ministerial power, and links to right-wing loony bloggers, hits our headlines. The woman just can’t help herself. Her bloated attitude of entitlement/power over-rides any modicum of common sense she might possess.
I’m betting the entire Press Gallery will be keeping a close eye on her. As will be every opposition politician, political scientist, blogger, pundit, etc.
Scrutiny of her activities will be unlike anything ever experienced by past or contemporary members of parliament. Media will be falling over themselves to be the first ‘break’ news of her next cluster-f**k.
Worse still, Collins’ next stuff-up will damage not just her career, as well as undermine Key’s perceived reputation for sound decision-making (for reinstating her) – but also the National Party’s future ability to govern, with “the Crusher” as a potential Leader-in-waiting. New Zealanders are not ready for a third-rate, self-absorbed “Kiwi Donald Trump” – one prone to “errors of judgement” on a seemingly regular basis.
After blowing $12million in bribes to a Saudi businessman who was told by Key that NZ would lift its ban on live sheep exports, NZ is now going to blow another $2.5million to build him an abattoir?
Govt to build Saudi businessman abattoir The government is about to spend more than $2.5 million of taxpayers’ money building an abattoir for a disaffected Saudi businessman.
The kit-set abattoir is part of the Government’s $12m attempt to appease him.
It has already given the influential businessman, Hamood Al-Ali Al-Khalaf, $4m and has flown 900 pregnant sheep to his farm – nearly all the lambs subsequently died.
Mr Al-Khalaf has opposed New Zealand getting a free trade deal in the region.
The Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce said $2.6m will now be spent building Mr Al-Khalaf an abattoir.
The abattoir will be gifted to the Saudi government then installed on the businessman’s farm in the Saudi desert, which the Government said doubles as a New Zealand agri-hub.
Saudi Arabia of course is deeply involved in funding ISIS and have one of the worst human rights records in the world.
Saudi Arabia’s laughably prestigious University of Qassim played host to one of the biggest women’s rights conferences in the Arab world in 2012. Ironically, the institution managed to hold the event without the advice or attendance of a single woman.
Themed around the topic of “Women in Society” the conference, originally intended to be held annually at the University, is supposed to set a benchmark for tolerance and progress in the region. Delegates and speakers from more than fifteen countries showed up.
As is to be expected from Saudi Arabia, a country with a twisted interpretation of Sharia Law, zero women attended the event. At least not in the same building as the men. Perhaps more hypocritically a woman is yet to lecture to men at a University of Qassim summit.
Saudi Arabia is still ranked 127th out of 136 countries for gender parity.
…Saudi Arabia treat our sheep with more rights than they treat women. Trying to bribe a Saudi Businessman National lied to in the hope to gain free trade deal is beneath contempt.
