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Saturday, May 17, 2014

Karl du Fresne: This could get interesting


It seems people around Parliament are asking questions about former TVNZ political editor Linda Clark’s supposed conflict of interest in appearing on TV3’s The Nation as a political commentator while also (reportedly) giving media training to Labour leader David Cunliffe. 

 I welcome this, but only if it widens into a broader inquiry into the murky ethics of political journalists, interviewers and commentators selling their services to politicians on the side.


 I fail to see why Clark should be singled out for scrutiny. 

 If what I hear is correct, quite a few high-profile media figures have nice little undisclosed earners providing advice to politicians. In fact it’s an odd quirk of New Zealand politics that many of the commentators provided with media platforms for their supposedly objective views are hopelessly compromised. 

 If it’s fair to unmask Clark for grazing on both sides of the fence, then let’s complete the job by exposing all the others who are on the take. This could get very interesting.

Karl du Fresne blogs at karldufresne.blogspot.co.nz

2 comments:

Mike Butler said...

Amen

paul scott said...

It is good that Clark mentors the confused over confident egoist pretender. This way he can lead his party to the biggest defeat of the century. I mean can you believe the luck; Matt McCarten and Linda Clark,and TV3 as well.
Clark also acted for Shane Taurima.
So much good news. No wonder the PM Key looks so ebullient in Parliament.