The Posie Parker debate was bad enough. We have big stuff going on right now that deserves a great deal more attention.
But it’s a human trait to become preoccupied with high drama so we had the high-drama scrap about Posie and who ended up making a bigger dick of themselves.
But we weren't satisfied with that. We then decided to make a celebrity of the offender, the juice thrower.
Stuff, as in the website, did a profile on them. They also seemed to go to the trouble of a photo shoot.
They sought her out, they interviewed her and they asked her for her thoughts.
She played up to it all as so many of those sorts of people do. And by "those sorts of people", before you reach for your Twitter account to cancel me, I mean the attention seeker.
The sort of halfwit that hasn’t got the intelligence to make a sensible point, but the sort of person who resorts to a form of violence to get their message across.
In my world, there isn't a lot of difference between a physical punch or some soup or sauce. Yes, one hurts more than the other but the intent is the same.
The only attention this person should have got is from the Police - and thank the good Lord that arrived yesterday and a court date is set - although I do note the bravado as espoused by the attention seeker has long since vanished and been replaced with a plea of fear as she scarpers from the country.
But as regards the media stepping in with the spotlight - why?
Are we honestly that devoid of anything to talk about, that anything will do and attention seeking thuggery is now headline worthy?
I'm sad to report this radio station unfortunately fell for it. We interviewed her and that was a mistake.
These things are often argued in newsrooms. The argument is that everyone deserves a say and you can get them on so you can have a scrap with them.
I've never subscribed to it. It's too cheap and too easy and, as I say, more often than not it plays right into the attention seeker's modus operandi.
In discourse, whether civil or not, groups like the media have an increasingly important role to play and that role does not involve a platform for literally anyone.
I am a big believer in free speech - but not free speech for the sake of it and not for incitement or idiocy.
The aim is to uplift the quality, not drag it through the mud.
Money, time and energy went into giving the person attention and they revelled in it, as they so often do.
A lot of people showed their true colours this past week. Next to no one covered themselves in any sort of glory.
And those in the media who thought it made sense make that list.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings.
They sought her out, they interviewed her and they asked her for her thoughts.
She played up to it all as so many of those sorts of people do. And by "those sorts of people", before you reach for your Twitter account to cancel me, I mean the attention seeker.
The sort of halfwit that hasn’t got the intelligence to make a sensible point, but the sort of person who resorts to a form of violence to get their message across.
In my world, there isn't a lot of difference between a physical punch or some soup or sauce. Yes, one hurts more than the other but the intent is the same.
The only attention this person should have got is from the Police - and thank the good Lord that arrived yesterday and a court date is set - although I do note the bravado as espoused by the attention seeker has long since vanished and been replaced with a plea of fear as she scarpers from the country.
But as regards the media stepping in with the spotlight - why?
Are we honestly that devoid of anything to talk about, that anything will do and attention seeking thuggery is now headline worthy?
I'm sad to report this radio station unfortunately fell for it. We interviewed her and that was a mistake.
These things are often argued in newsrooms. The argument is that everyone deserves a say and you can get them on so you can have a scrap with them.
I've never subscribed to it. It's too cheap and too easy and, as I say, more often than not it plays right into the attention seeker's modus operandi.
In discourse, whether civil or not, groups like the media have an increasingly important role to play and that role does not involve a platform for literally anyone.
I am a big believer in free speech - but not free speech for the sake of it and not for incitement or idiocy.
The aim is to uplift the quality, not drag it through the mud.
Money, time and energy went into giving the person attention and they revelled in it, as they so often do.
A lot of people showed their true colours this past week. Next to no one covered themselves in any sort of glory.
And those in the media who thought it made sense make that list.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings.
8 comments:
Fair enough I think to interview a soup thrower but challenges and hard questions could have been included, and balance could be sought by interviewing someone who had been on the receiving end of assault with a substance, and someone else whose right to speak was quashed by violent thugs.
And we were made to look like idiots on the world stage. Mainstream media in usa, uk and aust were all reporting on ths and saying '"what on earth is happening in nz? We thought it was a western democracy" This is an utter tragedy for what was once a great wee country.
About the only outfit who troubled to establish and present what KJK actually stood for. And about the only one to report rationally on the outcome was The Platform.
Why? Because it is a nice distraction from what is really happening to NZ.
The good thing is there is a warrant out for her arrest so if she/he comes back what was that noise? Oh yes the slamming of the cell door!
Mike, I think all these episodes just erodes the public’s confidence in Govt. Having Green and Labour MPs at this shameful event and nothing being done about it just highlights how weak Hipkins is.
They should all be sacked for being unfit to represent the democratic system and defending the right to free speech.
Start making examples of the people causing the bad behaviour.
If you don’t they will keep doing it.
Who remembers the event of just over six years ago when Kim Jong-nam was murdered by two females, one Indonesian, the other Vietnamese? They were set up, they claimed, and had little or no idea of who they were targeting, or the outcome of what they did.
Common sense prevailed eventually, but my point is this: will Eli Rubashkyn:
•who threw tomato juice (or soup) over Posie Parker
•who was accepted into NZ as a refugee from Colombia in 1988
•who has been issued with an arrest warrant for assault
•who has fled the country - so brave of it
claim the same as those two unfortunate Asian women?
SO NewsTalk ZB feel for the "lady soup thrower". No the only Radio Station "to get in on the attack Posie Parker Act" - we had a National Radio Group (The Breeze) who had a News Reporter "telling us in 2/3 morning News Reports about the evils of Ms Parker" and that was before she had arrived in NZ.
There is "a post", the contributor alludes to International Media "having a public 'pile on' about the stupidity of NZ, over what happened on the 25th March - both Tucker Carlson/ Fox News USA & Julia Hartley-Brewer / a UK Radio & TV Talkback Host - both interviewed Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull over the "incident in Auckland" - can not get a more powerful Duo than that.
I wait to see Dave Rubin (a very influential Media Host, on YouTube), comment, BUT he is currently in Washington DC(The Swamp, his words) "talking to those in Congress and the Senate, who will talk Politics" with him.
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