This is a very sooty pot calling s slightly dusty kettle black.
Politicians usually rank at or near the bottom of trust surveys and one reason for that is the way they are treated in and by the media.
Too many journalists, and the media outlets they work for, go for gotcha moments, stories which show politicians in a bad light and breathless criticism rather than reasoned analysis.
Too often they do it in a way that lacks balance, background and respect.
Last year in the vacuum caused by prolonged coalition negotiations, the media gave us lots of their reckons based on speculation.
They kept on about the time negotiations were taking and bemoaned the lack of anything to report.
They could have used the time when there was little if anything to report about the negotiations to do long-form interviews of the new MPs, about whom few of us would have known anything.
Local media did the obligatory interviews of MPs in their area but such work seems to be below the notice of the press gallery, unless they stir up a controversy.
They comment on diversity – or lack of it – but rarely, if ever, cover the skills and experience MPs bring to the job.
They’ll crawl through social media looking for long ago transgressions of the media’s standards, but rarely if ever highlight anything positive, or inspirational.
The media has a very important role in holding the powerful to account. They should not, as too many did with Jacinda Ardern and still do for Chloe Swarbrick, be unquestioning and act as it they are part of an MP’s public relations team.
And they should be fair, balanced and as ready to show the good as they are to highlight the bad.
Perhaps then, the public would have a less jaundiced view of politicians and it might be less difficult to recruit good people to stand for parliament and councils.
If you are interested in learning about the new MPs, where they’ve come from, what motivates them and what they want to achieve as MPs, tune into the Taxpayer’s Union Taxpayer Talk, where you can listen to MPs in Depth.
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
Too often they do it in a way that lacks balance, background and respect.
Last year in the vacuum caused by prolonged coalition negotiations, the media gave us lots of their reckons based on speculation.
They kept on about the time negotiations were taking and bemoaned the lack of anything to report.
They could have used the time when there was little if anything to report about the negotiations to do long-form interviews of the new MPs, about whom few of us would have known anything.
Local media did the obligatory interviews of MPs in their area but such work seems to be below the notice of the press gallery, unless they stir up a controversy.
They comment on diversity – or lack of it – but rarely, if ever, cover the skills and experience MPs bring to the job.
They’ll crawl through social media looking for long ago transgressions of the media’s standards, but rarely if ever highlight anything positive, or inspirational.
The media has a very important role in holding the powerful to account. They should not, as too many did with Jacinda Ardern and still do for Chloe Swarbrick, be unquestioning and act as it they are part of an MP’s public relations team.
And they should be fair, balanced and as ready to show the good as they are to highlight the bad.
Perhaps then, the public would have a less jaundiced view of politicians and it might be less difficult to recruit good people to stand for parliament and councils.
If you are interested in learning about the new MPs, where they’ve come from, what motivates them and what they want to achieve as MPs, tune into the Taxpayer’s Union Taxpayer Talk, where you can listen to MPs in Depth.
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
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