The muck-rakers’ union is upset that someone had the temerity to do to a couple of shifty journalists that which they do themselves all the time to people whose lives they want to wreck with their “public interest” stories.
The journalists union, E tu is seeking an assurance from New Zealand First on behalf of its journalist members, that it is not involved in tracking journalists as they go about their work.
Reports that coalition member New Zealand First took photographs of Stuff journalist Matt Shand and RNZ journalist Guyon Espiner meeting former New Zealand First president Lester Gray in Tauranga are deeply worrying.
Paul Tolich, E tu Senior National Industrial Officer says the union is not reassured by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters’ initial response that “we took the photographs just to prove that’s the behaviour going on”, nor his subsequent claim that one of the party’s supporters took the photograph.
“Mr Peters and his party might be unhappy with the reporting of the party’s fundraising, but journalism’s role is to hold those in power to account without fear or favour,” says Paul.
Et Tu union
Paul Tolich should stick to rigging Labour selections for the cost of a high-quality coffee machine.
What if the powerful are the journalists themselves? Who holds them to account when they conduct politically motivated hit jobs masquerading as journalism? Who holds them to account when they lie about where they get their stories from? Remember this bullshit from Matt Shand?
Matt Shand broke the biggest political story of the year with explosive revelations about a NZ First slush fund. He talks about the clandestine way in which the documents came into his possession and asks why reporters must go to such lengths to access information which should be publicly available.
The winebox containing NZ First Foundation documents was next to a dumpster filled with used nappies from a nearby daycare. Or, at least it was supposed to be. There were no boxes in sight. No other options. Time to dig through.
For the past six hours “Deep Throat” figures had been sending me directions from random phone numbers to where the documents could be found. The information had already been uncovered, people wanted to talk, but hard evidence – the documentation – was key.
For the past few hours calls had come in from random numbers giving locations with little context. “The Square Hamilton,” the voice would say and hang up. Then call back with another suburb or landmark. After walking around making many people suspicious of a creeper another call arrives. “The shop on (redacted) street. Another call. Another suburb. “Dumpster. Closed lid. Go now”. Having never spoken to these people before it was all on good faith.
Stuff
Utter horseshit. We know Matt Shand was meeting with his so-called “deep throat”, Lester Gray. We have photos of it. So all the alleged subterfuge is as whiffy as the alleged nappies in his story.
What does the muck-rakers’ union have to say about falsifying reporting? To get all outraged because someone stuck a camera in a journalist’s face is rather sanctimonious when they do it all the time to people.
NZ First supporters in Tauranga would’ve been on the lookout for proof of those two reporters meeting Lester Gray. They got lucky. Anyone would’ve done the same if under attack. But wait, the outrage gets even more sanctimonious because the media have sought comment from the biggest fence of stolen documents in New Zealand, Nicky Hager.
Journalist Nicky Hager, who wrote the book Dirty Politics about Whale Oil in 2014, said Peters should know better as he had been a target of such blogs himself.
“It seems a really bad idea for NZ First to use an attack blog involving Cameron Slater as the way that they try to communicate through the media,” Hager told Stuff.
“They should know better because they have been the target of the same people many times in unscrupulous ways.”
Stuff
I’m outraged that they’ve accused Cameron Slater of publishing the photos, when it was my article. I’ve got hurty feelings now.
It is a bit rich for a person who deals with illegal hackers, breaches peoples privacy and seeks to intervene in elections to sanctimoniously and rather piously declare other media organisations unscrupulous. Pot, Kettle, Black Mr Hagar.
The sanctimony on display from journalists really serves to highlight what a bunch of thin-skinned onanists they all are.
Comparing this situation to where countries that genuinely suppress journalists do it by dismembering them in foreign embassies, poisoning them with radioactive materials, shooting them, cutting their throats or disappearing them in gulags…right, yeah this is just like that. Some journalists got a taste of their own medicine and they didn’t like it. Tough titmouse.
Tau Henare gets it:
The journalists talk about speaking truth to power, but when someone holds their feet to the fire they really don’t like it. The hypocrisy and sanctimony from them is rank.
What these numpties are most upset about is that they were so indiscreet meeting with their source that they got busted. Instead of crying a river of tears about it, they need to pull on their big boy’s undies and get on with their lives. In Matt Shand’s case, they really are big boy’s undies. Guyon Espiner still no doubt puts a pair of socks down the front of his Y-fronts as he poses while he recites bad poetry to multiple ladies.
They are embarrassed because they’ve been caught dealing with a sneaky thief. The stories are rubbish too because the radio station has been at pains to state in their articles that there is no suggestion that either the donors or Winston Peters have done anything wrong. If that is the case then why write the stories, unless they are acting with an ulterior motive and with malice. If that is the case then any defamation action against Guyon Espiner and Radio New Zealand is likely to go badly for them. Now that would be something to get upset about instead of crying like a baby over a few photos.
Corporal Jones was dead right when he said they don’t like it up ’em.
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