Ted Johnston
BSc BA LLB
Co-leader New Conservative.
The news coverage of the Auckland mayoralty in the last 1 or 2 weeks prior to the election, only features the two news media appointed and anointed ‘favourites’. The news media has winnowed down the number to force a 2 horse race, and now different groups of the media push their favourite.
People interviewed on the candidate they will vote for, say how one particular candidate will fix up Auckland and sort out the CCO’s. However in fact the majority of candidates actually share that as their common policy. The misrepresentation by lack of coverage of other candidates’ policies is the main weapon used by the news media to push their favourites.
“Does a tree falling in a forest actually fall if no one hears it? In politics the answer is no”.
“Suppression by news media exclusion is how elections are fixed in Auckland and in NZ. “ says Ted Johnston BSc BA LLB, New Conservative co-leader and Mayoral candidate.
The Mayoralty election has become a handicap race, not decided on competence or policies, but on who the news media believes will win based upon financial backing, advertising spend and political endorsements. That is who they cover, sell and promote.
“Our NZ democratic elections were never meant to be subverted and defeated in this way,” says Ted Johnston.
“I remember when I was young and went to join an athletic club. They put me in a race to test me and made me start 4 metres behind the others. The winner beat me by 3 metres.
That is what is occurring now. “
The news media stated that the current candidates were not of a good standard. They were right about their current two favourites. One candidate is past his use-by date and closing in on his 80s, while the other candidate has no policy substance.
The news media did not give a fair chance to the rest, as there was great talent in the other candidates. The news media did not even research the qualifications, qualities and policies of others such as myself. The news media suppressed and hid them from voters.
It is time for the news media to be fair in its coverage. To allow the election to develop character of its own, and raise interest. Not play the same boring script.
The news media has shown it is incapable of policing itself, following its journalistic ethics and democratic duties. It is time for statutory controls to force fair elections.
It is time for the news media to remember its fundamental role to inform the voters and to let them choose who to vote for, not fix elections by force feeding the voters biased information, so they will merely follow the medias choice.
“It is time for fair elections in New Zealand.”