Anyway, last night I inadvertently wandered into the lounge and saw the pink-haired lady telling everyone at home what the Covid rules were and how important it was that we ALL follow them. There was nothing new in what she was telling us. In fact, it’s the same warnings that we get ad nauseum from the media news channels every evening in lockdown.
That got me thinking. Why give Siouxsie Wiles her own personal slot on the 6 o’clock news when Wendy or Simon could just as easily have told us the same thing? I was about to give the 43” a piece of my mind when I got a very hard stare from the sofa. So, I decided to retire to the cupboard under the stairs and take out my frustration on the computer.
Just recently, the story broke of Siouxsie being photographed in Level 4 :-
- meeting her “friend” on an Auckland beach, which is about 5km away from where she lives, so not her local area
- wearing no face masks
- sitting in close proximity
- then one of them going swimming
Now, Ms Wiles is an approved government "expert" and New Zealander of the Year to boot so surely she should be setting the rest of us a sterling example of how to behave. Such an obvious case of double standards would normally see our media in a mad rush to indulge in headline celebrity shaming.
Bearing in mind her recent transgressions and, some might say, her blatant hypocrisy, would she be the first choice as poster girl for the Covid campaign? Well, TVNZ certainly thinks so.
It so happens that last night TVNZ also ran a story about Judith Collins and Shane Reti being filmed buying ice cream in a shop, without wearing face masks, in a Level 2 area. As high ranking MPs they should have known better, when every member of the public can shoot a video of you and post it to social media in seconds. However, unlike the more glaringly pink example of lockdown rule-breaking, the media were very keen on this story and made Collins squirm for a suitable explanation.
A couple of weeks back, Judith had publicly criticised Siouxsie and called her out over her beach antics but the MSM was noticeably unsupportive and instead picked on a particular phrase she used to deflect attention away from the real issue. It does seem a massive coincidence that on the same night the Collins story is aired, Siouxsie does her piece to camera, just after, reminding us of the rules. This appears to be a classic case of “in your face, girlfriend!”
If we were in any doubt that our MSM was leaning heavily to the Left and running stories which supported the government and their “independent experts” then last night’s TVNZ bulletin puts those doubts to rest. This is unconcealed partisan news coverage. No, sorry...it’s not news at all. It’s a flagrant “up yours” by the country’s leading TV station to the main opposition party and a depressing illustration of how low journalistic standards have dropped on our flagship news programme. Their main role now is to act as cheerleader to the government and use every opportunity to denigrate their opponents.
Siouxsie clearly has friends in very high places - not just the media - who are happy to ignore her own rule breaking, restore her public image and then use her as a willing stick to poke her most prominent political critic in the eye.
Needless to say, I’ll be in time out for quite a while trying to come up with something positive and uplifting after this!
Derek Mackie is a geologist with a keen interest in current affairs.
10 comments:
Worry not, we will all be fined heavily soon as the price of non-compliance is set to go up in November to coincide with the Nov 21 Groundswell protest......
There are many of us hiding under the stairs.
The media is incredibly biased!
What has happened to real journalism!. But of course it all comes back to money!
Back in the old days … that would have been called bribes! Who pays the most…gets the most attention but sadly it didn’t used to be unfairly slamming anyone with opposing ideas or ideals.
Any media organisation that is given no attention by the populace must surely fade away or need to adapt. We have seen this with newspapers and various unsuccessful tv channels. This is my strategy anyway. I haven't watched any New Zealand tv for around two years. I sympathize with you Derek. Anybody with any intelligence has given up on our childish media years ago. What on earth must overseas visitors think of our dumbed down presentation? Luckily I have persuaded the other half to also follow this strategy. We now watch Sky News Australia which is far more professional and seems pretty balanced with their reporting. We also can keep up with world news. If only more people would also stop viewing our mediocre tv the local talking heads and " experts" would end up talking to themselves.
The ruling class rules are for 'Thee and not for me'.
Hypocrisy is rife amongst the ruling class around the western "democracies" and as we minors are serfs in their Marxist world we are supposed to suck it up and shut up!
I have the same reaction as you to TV One.
TV One is now quite simply the paid Pravda propaganda wing of the Comrade Ardern administration.
Any bad news or photos of Judith Collins are always displayed. But only smiley, sweet, kind faces of JA and her team.
You nailed it Derek. Absolutely 100%! What you have written is what I, and I am sure, many others were thinking. Well done. You are a great writer.
I too "usually try my best to miss the TVNZ One News bulletin because it invariably annoys the hell out of me and I start arguing with the TV." That usually sets my wife off too, and she starts arguing with the TV, and then blames me for turning the tellie on! When we see that scarlet haired lady we both groan and search for the remote. I have just had an idea...I am going to suggest ,my wife dye her hair like that Siouxsie lady! (Or is it Susanna? Who cares.)
The example you have quoted is probably the most egregious case of total double standards by the main stream (Pravda) media :-
a/ S Wiles caught on video breaking many of the lockdown rules that she is a public proponent of.
b/ No mention of this gross breach on media that I could see. I caught up with almost by chance on BFD.
c/ When forced to answer questions, both Comrade Ardern and Bloomfield basically lied/denied that anything untoward had happened.
d/ Judith Collins correctly called Wiles out as a hypocrite.
e/ Then the MSM storm starts - attacking Collins !! She, suddenly, is the perpetrator. This is all over the news now. S Wiles steps in to label Collins comments as "disinformation".
I was really annoyed by that TVNZ report which also included an interview with Ben Thomas who said that Collins is finished. TVNZ have run attack Collins stories over the last few days.
A blogger called the Redbaiter wrote a blog yesterday saying that Newshub ran a story attacking the Andrew Bolt/Muriel Newman interview. The MSM therefore being used by the Government to attack citizens who criticise the Government. These are weird times.
What the heck is up with Ben Thomas? He used to talk sense. Does he do consulting work for the government now? Is that how former sensible people are turned into advocates for the Labour agenda?
Thank You all NZCPR writers and commentators. What a relief to find a group which provides so much emotional support! My main feeling is amazement at the endurance of Judith Collins. Might the present government, and MSM, be deep down frightened of her ability? She has many the vital attributes needed for a leader! Experience, intelligence, work ethic, and ( sometimes unfortunately) a wicked sense of humour. Thank goodness she avoids the MSM too!!
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