Thank you, thank you, thank you. I wonder how old this writer is, because the whole piece stinks of the prevailing egregious failings of those who are [wilfully] ignorant of historical context, as Tim points out in his first paragraph. It seems that in all MSM there is an agreement to demonise ACT and NZ First (especiallyWinston Peters) and undermine the coalition at every chance. Facts? Goodness me no, not in this postmodern world. In both TV and written news no chance is lost to use hyperbole and purple prose to describe any coalition "chaos" on the slimmest of pretexts. Long may their revenue continue to sink.
...sitting here with my Press bill, lol...I have to hold my nose to pay it every time...trouble is, ChcH is a big village and I prefer to know its doings, while ignoring all the op-eds by usual suspects...
Much less concerned about the 'hodgepodge' than I am about the free speech fundamentals in this country. The coalition reeks of free speech-ism? Wonderful. About time.
What's truly worrisome about the "elite" or "the left" or whatever label we give people such as this Herald reporter, is that they seem to fundamentally misunderstand the liberal underpinnings of our Western society.
So many attempts are being made to make the disagreements of the new coalition government as MMP bugs, when really they are MMP features. I hope there is heated debate going on, between National / Act / NZ first and I hope it continues. It is through that crucible of fierce critique and debate that better decisions will hopefully come.
At the very least one can make a good argument that the Labour government with it's "great communicator" leader and members of parliament, all being on the same page, produced no better results then more fractious governments of the past. I would go considerably further and state that they gave NZ some of the worst results of any government in New Zealand's modern history.
During covid we observed a lack of debate, almost non-existent political opposition and a media that actively worked to supress debate and critique. The results were disastrous.
One only needs to look at the way debate was supressed around lockdowns. There is a wealth of data, including many hundreds of peer reviewed studies showing they are largely ineffective for respiratory diseases and this data existed when we entered all lockdowns. Yet debate and critique was so strongly supressed in this country that to this day, most New Zealanders have no idea that this data exists and that there might even be a debate to be had.
In German there exists a saying "beware the beginnings". We are in the beginnings of a repressive society where the over riding consideration is not to cause anyone any sort of offense, or "mental harm", where the media (with their communications degrees) hold communication up as some sort of leadership super power, and where any sort of dissenting view is simply given a derisive label and supressed into oblivion.
Baffling in the extreme that the "let them eat cake" media continues to blame it's failing relevance on the gullible lumpen masses rather than taking a good look at their disastrous performance since Trump/Brexit and especially during the dark covid years. These people will still be blaming us for their failures right up until the last copy of the Herald, rolls off the presses.
And very well said too, thanks Tim. My 'daily' editor, the Press, believes in her heart that old legacy subscribers like me are beyond the pale, irredeemable & can be ignored or actively suppressed. She'll print my occasional letters to the editor if bland but she hasn't printed my pointed ones. Mostly I just say 'print or not' but I'll be damned if I don't bother writing at all.
Good for you Hilary. We have to keep pushing in whatever ways we can.
I had similar problems with the Listener. A couple of times they printed data that was actually incorrect (mistakenly I think but it's hard to tell as everyone was so willing to take whatever the "next scary thing about covid" was and run with it).
They just ignored my letters and I had to take it up with the media council, who finally got them to print a correction......but of course no one reads corrections.
They then offered to send me a book as a "thank you". I said they could thank me by printing some more diverse covid opinion.
The arrogance of the elites (experts, media, politicians, billionaires) is what will be their downfall in the end, if history is anything to go by.
Two things stopped my subscription to The Listener.
I expected The Listener to come storming back, critical of the governments covid response after it was forced to stop publishing at the start of covid. It's cancellation due to covid was a ridiculous thing, among many ridiculous things. I thought it would have been their mission to point those things out right? If stupid things like that were happening to The Listener then what stupid things were happening to small businesses owners or impoverished kids in South Auckland? But no.
The other was the treatment of Joanne Black. Her column was my favourite, great sense of humour and moderately right of center. She was critical of many stupid covid things, and she got absolutely slated in the letters sections. I wrote many letters in support of her and they were never published (nor were any other letters of support for her) yet harsh, pseudoscientific "Ardern podium of truth" attacks on her were published frequently. It felt like they were happy to feed the little dissent they had, to the baying wolves of conformity.
I picked up a North and South a few months ago and it wasn't bad. I cancelled my subscription to that because every second issue seemed to be about house prices and "the best schools". Maybe I'll give it a go again.
I feel somehow we need a substack newspaper. You know you could pay 50 bucks a month and get 20 different substacks, perhaps broadly curated in some way? A bunch of good writers, publishing together, might generate more writing revenue for them as well as they would effectively be promoting each other. And if you don't like them all you always have the option of an independent subscription.
If you are paying for them individually it can add up pretty quickly......
I used to read the Listener cover to cover. Now I'm even skipping Michelle H in Politics, who is clearly pining for Ardern, & I flip over Russell Brown too, I've seen his nasty side on X. Sad about Black, yes. Yes to acurated substack, mulling joining the new ZBPlus.
ZB Plus is ok but needs a bit of push notifications. I was asked to write for the Listener as a balance to Michelle H (whose writing for me is disorganised) and Russell whom I know and who would not agree with many of my views. I do not consider myself right or conservative but rather an admirer of John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, John Stuart Mill and with a dash (but not too much) of Ayn Rand. You might enjoy my Listener pieces although 600 words does not allow for much development. It is very “cut to the chase”
Yes, Joanne Black was a pearl. Like you I expected great things when Listener publication resumed with a new editor who promised open and transparent journalism without fear or favour - haha, I was soon disillusioned. None of my letters on covid-related matters were published; all were contrary to the "podium of truth's" propaganda.
I like the idea of a substack "newspaper" but I don't know enough about how substack works to know if it's practicable.
Fair to say I'm teetering, also a long-time subscriber. LONG time. I once wrote, not printed so never bothered again...they repeated the lie about Paul Holmes' 'cheeky darkie' send-up.
I find it strange that there's no attempt to understand the other side's views (eg anything during Covid that veered from the official narrative even slightly) before denouncing it. You'd probably get a better outcome if you attempted that but then again, you'd rapidly find both mis and disinformation has been weaponised as a label to just try and shut people up.
Thanks to all for comments. Much appreciated and the discussion ranges widely. I should disclose that I write a fortnightly column for the Listener. Next weeks issue has a go at wealth tax. That will get a few flutters in the dovecote of sections of that mag's readership.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I wonder how old this writer is, because the whole piece stinks of the prevailing egregious failings of those who are [wilfully] ignorant of historical context, as Tim points out in his first paragraph. It seems that in all MSM there is an agreement to demonise ACT and NZ First (especiallyWinston Peters) and undermine the coalition at every chance. Facts? Goodness me no, not in this postmodern world. In both TV and written news no chance is lost to use hyperbole and purple prose to describe any coalition "chaos" on the slimmest of pretexts. Long may their revenue continue to sink.
...sitting here with my Press bill, lol...I have to hold my nose to pay it every time...trouble is, ChcH is a big village and I prefer to know its doings, while ignoring all the op-eds by usual suspects...
Much less concerned about the 'hodgepodge' than I am about the free speech fundamentals in this country. The coalition reeks of free speech-ism? Wonderful. About time.
Great piece thank you sir.
What's truly worrisome about the "elite" or "the left" or whatever label we give people such as this Herald reporter, is that they seem to fundamentally misunderstand the liberal underpinnings of our Western society.
So many attempts are being made to make the disagreements of the new coalition government as MMP bugs, when really they are MMP features. I hope there is heated debate going on, between National / Act / NZ first and I hope it continues. It is through that crucible of fierce critique and debate that better decisions will hopefully come.
At the very least one can make a good argument that the Labour government with it's "great communicator" leader and members of parliament, all being on the same page, produced no better results then more fractious governments of the past. I would go considerably further and state that they gave NZ some of the worst results of any government in New Zealand's modern history.
During covid we observed a lack of debate, almost non-existent political opposition and a media that actively worked to supress debate and critique. The results were disastrous.
One only needs to look at the way debate was supressed around lockdowns. There is a wealth of data, including many hundreds of peer reviewed studies showing they are largely ineffective for respiratory diseases and this data existed when we entered all lockdowns. Yet debate and critique was so strongly supressed in this country that to this day, most New Zealanders have no idea that this data exists and that there might even be a debate to be had.
In German there exists a saying "beware the beginnings". We are in the beginnings of a repressive society where the over riding consideration is not to cause anyone any sort of offense, or "mental harm", where the media (with their communications degrees) hold communication up as some sort of leadership super power, and where any sort of dissenting view is simply given a derisive label and supressed into oblivion.
Baffling in the extreme that the "let them eat cake" media continues to blame it's failing relevance on the gullible lumpen masses rather than taking a good look at their disastrous performance since Trump/Brexit and especially during the dark covid years. These people will still be blaming us for their failures right up until the last copy of the Herald, rolls off the presses.
Thanks again.
And very well said too, thanks Tim. My 'daily' editor, the Press, believes in her heart that old legacy subscribers like me are beyond the pale, irredeemable & can be ignored or actively suppressed. She'll print my occasional letters to the editor if bland but she hasn't printed my pointed ones. Mostly I just say 'print or not' but I'll be damned if I don't bother writing at all.
Good for you Hilary. We have to keep pushing in whatever ways we can.
I had similar problems with the Listener. A couple of times they printed data that was actually incorrect (mistakenly I think but it's hard to tell as everyone was so willing to take whatever the "next scary thing about covid" was and run with it).
They just ignored my letters and I had to take it up with the media council, who finally got them to print a correction......but of course no one reads corrections.
They then offered to send me a book as a "thank you". I said they could thank me by printing some more diverse covid opinion.
The arrogance of the elites (experts, media, politicians, billionaires) is what will be their downfall in the end, if history is anything to go by.
My worry is how the downfall manifests......
Hear hear -this exactly mirrors my experience. If it weren't for the good coverage of music, arts, entertainment etc I'd cancel my subscription.
Two things stopped my subscription to The Listener.
I expected The Listener to come storming back, critical of the governments covid response after it was forced to stop publishing at the start of covid. It's cancellation due to covid was a ridiculous thing, among many ridiculous things. I thought it would have been their mission to point those things out right? If stupid things like that were happening to The Listener then what stupid things were happening to small businesses owners or impoverished kids in South Auckland? But no.
The other was the treatment of Joanne Black. Her column was my favourite, great sense of humour and moderately right of center. She was critical of many stupid covid things, and she got absolutely slated in the letters sections. I wrote many letters in support of her and they were never published (nor were any other letters of support for her) yet harsh, pseudoscientific "Ardern podium of truth" attacks on her were published frequently. It felt like they were happy to feed the little dissent they had, to the baying wolves of conformity.
I picked up a North and South a few months ago and it wasn't bad. I cancelled my subscription to that because every second issue seemed to be about house prices and "the best schools". Maybe I'll give it a go again.
I feel somehow we need a substack newspaper. You know you could pay 50 bucks a month and get 20 different substacks, perhaps broadly curated in some way? A bunch of good writers, publishing together, might generate more writing revenue for them as well as they would effectively be promoting each other. And if you don't like them all you always have the option of an independent subscription.
If you are paying for them individually it can add up pretty quickly......
I used to read the Listener cover to cover. Now I'm even skipping Michelle H in Politics, who is clearly pining for Ardern, & I flip over Russell Brown too, I've seen his nasty side on X. Sad about Black, yes. Yes to acurated substack, mulling joining the new ZBPlus.
Hilary
ZB Plus is ok but needs a bit of push notifications. I was asked to write for the Listener as a balance to Michelle H (whose writing for me is disorganised) and Russell whom I know and who would not agree with many of my views. I do not consider myself right or conservative but rather an admirer of John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, John Stuart Mill and with a dash (but not too much) of Ayn Rand. You might enjoy my Listener pieces although 600 words does not allow for much development. It is very “cut to the chase”
Yes, Joanne Black was a pearl. Like you I expected great things when Listener publication resumed with a new editor who promised open and transparent journalism without fear or favour - haha, I was soon disillusioned. None of my letters on covid-related matters were published; all were contrary to the "podium of truth's" propaganda.
I like the idea of a substack "newspaper" but I don't know enough about how substack works to know if it's practicable.
Fair to say I'm teetering, also a long-time subscriber. LONG time. I once wrote, not printed so never bothered again...they repeated the lie about Paul Holmes' 'cheeky darkie' send-up.
I find it strange that there's no attempt to understand the other side's views (eg anything during Covid that veered from the official narrative even slightly) before denouncing it. You'd probably get a better outcome if you attempted that but then again, you'd rapidly find both mis and disinformation has been weaponised as a label to just try and shut people up.
Those fond of complaining of 'othering' are pretty keen on it when it suits.
Shared on Fake News and the NZ Herald. https://www.facebook.com/groups/155840075059713
Thanks to all for comments. Much appreciated and the discussion ranges widely. I should disclose that I write a fortnightly column for the Listener. Next weeks issue has a go at wealth tax. That will get a few flutters in the dovecote of sections of that mag's readership.
Yes, noticed David, especially your remark about cultural reports...if you say so, mumble, mutter...winks eye...
Thanks for the Listener tip. We're subscribers, and will read with a little bit more interest.