OPINION
In brief
- Defaming Julian Batchelor is an unlawful attempt to undermine his message, which he has the right to discuss.
- The Centrist wants to reduce the many obstacles in NZ to making informed decisions when voting.
- The Centrist is supporting Julian’s defamation suit and will support others.
- You can help by just signing up to our free newsletter.
Why have we chosen to support Julian Batchelor’s defamation suit?
Julian Batchelor of Stop Co-Governance says things you may not agree with. The right of others to say lawful things you don’t agree with is the cornerstone of free speech. Defaming that person interferes with their rights and we think New Zealand is the worse for it. In our view, Batchelor has a very arguable case that he has been defamed by TVNZ and Sanjana Hattotuwa of the Disinformation Project.
They’ve called Batchelor horrible things. Hattotuwa said Batchelor “incites hate” and “instigates harm offline”. Also,” This is racist rhetoric.”
We don’t think those things are true. Instead, we think responding to the mission of co-governance, which is the attempt to reduce the democratic rights of most in New Zealand, is a fundamental issue worthy of discussion. Attacking Batchelor is the proverbial shooting of the messenger so that their message doesn’t get through or is discredited.
We think the media should both discuss Batchelor’s message and also allow opponents to use their lawful free speech to counter his argument. We see a distinct absence of that, on many contentious issues, in the New Zealand mainstream media. Co-governance is just one example.
It seems like the MSM media feels they know best for the New Zealand citizens. We have a much less paternal filter. To us, their approach puts way too much power in their hands, including the very large incentive for the government to keep them happy. It also perpetuates and is maybe at least part of the reason for New Zealand’s reputation of having an uninformed electorate.
The Centrist was founded, in part, to fight for freedom
We are in this game to not only disseminate the news and views you need to hear to stay informed but also to back people like Julian.
The fight against a Government and media (often one and the same in New Zealand) that unlawfully limits freedom is part of our mission.
We’re emulating organisations that exist in many countries, like the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom in Canada or the American Civil Liberties Union in the USA.
The events of recent years, including the heightened emphasis by the NZ government on “comms”, make this effort very timely.
A media covering all sides is the best way to keep the Government responsive to the people.