Here’s a classic case of how media can attract you with a patently misleading headline.
From the New Zealand Herald website, posted at 4.21 pm on June 11:
Former commissioners defend Labour police candidate Rakesh Naidoo’s integrity, question political motives and fear for ‘damaged’ police reputation
Underneath the headline was a photo of the Police Commissioner Richard Chambers.
So the story is about former Police Commissioners defending Rakesh Naidoo’s integrity and questioning the political motives of those criticising the reality he didn’t tell his boss till way too late in the selection process, right?
Wrong.
Here’s the opening line of the story:
Two former Race Relations Commissioners are throwing their support behind police Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo, who is at the centre of a political feud after his selection as a Labour Party candidate.
Race Relations Commissioners?
There’s a couple of things wrong with the framing of the story. Until the list announcement, nobody ever questioned Naidoo’s integrity in his work as a Police Superintendent dealing with iwi and ethnic communities, a role in which he would have been in contact with Race Relations Commissioners.
Secondly, the two former Race Relations Commissioners (RRCs) quoted were and are never going to say anything in favour of a National Party political attack on a Labour list candidate.
Gregory Fortuin, a South African was Honorary Consul for his homeland in the late 1990s after emigrating here. He was appointed RRC in April of 2001. He resigned under questionable circumstances eighteen months later after it was found he was trying to mediate between various factions of the left wing Alliance Party - at the time in coalition with the then Labour led government. What’s worse Fortuin thought he could do that political work without compromising his role as a government commissioner!
Let’s just say he’s an affirmed leftie.
The man who succeeded him was Joris de Bres who came to the role after previously spending 16 years at the Public Service Association including seven years as head of industrial relations.
In other words, an avowed unionist and supporter of the Labour Party.
There is no issue with Fortuin and de Bres holding their political views. They are now private citizens and can think whichever they want to. But by only quoting their views the story is hopelessly unbalanced.
Would it not have been fair for some former Police Commissioners to be asked for their views as well? Mike Bush perhaps, or Peter Marshall - both of whom were appointed to their roles after Fortuin and de Bres were appointed to theirs.
Perhaps your correspondent’s severe misgivings about the New Zealand Herald headline and unbalanced story telling were noted by others and subsequently, the site’s editors. The story was posted at 4.21 as the lead story on the homepage. An hour later it was off the page completely and only able to be found on the site through a search.
The Naidoo story has been a genuine political controversy since the Labour list was announced earlier in the week. Naidoo’s reluctance to advise his Commissioner until just a few days before the announcement is quite extraordinary.
Years ago, two previous holders of high profile public roles, Don Brash and Tim Groser, announced they would be National Party candidates while in their jobs as, respectively, Reserve Bank Governor and Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation. At the time they were both castigated by Labour for their change of career direction.
As Liam Hehir has reported, the Trade Minister at the time Jim Sutton talked of “a sense of betrayal” by Groser in 2005 and asked for his resignation as ambassador.
Helen Clark called Brash a “loser” and “right on the border of ethics” in 2002 when he left the Reserve Bank to become a politican.
A quarter of a century on, Clark is rewriting history. This was her on X two days ago.
Both Don & Tim held senior public sector positions at the time; Don was Reserve Bank Governor & Tim was senior at MFAT. There was confidence by the Govt of the day in their professionalism. Neither faced the kind of attack that this senior police officer now faces.
Really Helen?
As the old saying goes nobody does hypocrisy like the Labour Party.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack where this article was sourced.
Wrong.
Here’s the opening line of the story:
Two former Race Relations Commissioners are throwing their support behind police Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo, who is at the centre of a political feud after his selection as a Labour Party candidate.
Race Relations Commissioners?
There’s a couple of things wrong with the framing of the story. Until the list announcement, nobody ever questioned Naidoo’s integrity in his work as a Police Superintendent dealing with iwi and ethnic communities, a role in which he would have been in contact with Race Relations Commissioners.
Secondly, the two former Race Relations Commissioners (RRCs) quoted were and are never going to say anything in favour of a National Party political attack on a Labour list candidate.
Gregory Fortuin, a South African was Honorary Consul for his homeland in the late 1990s after emigrating here. He was appointed RRC in April of 2001. He resigned under questionable circumstances eighteen months later after it was found he was trying to mediate between various factions of the left wing Alliance Party - at the time in coalition with the then Labour led government. What’s worse Fortuin thought he could do that political work without compromising his role as a government commissioner!
Let’s just say he’s an affirmed leftie.
The man who succeeded him was Joris de Bres who came to the role after previously spending 16 years at the Public Service Association including seven years as head of industrial relations.
In other words, an avowed unionist and supporter of the Labour Party.
There is no issue with Fortuin and de Bres holding their political views. They are now private citizens and can think whichever they want to. But by only quoting their views the story is hopelessly unbalanced.
Would it not have been fair for some former Police Commissioners to be asked for their views as well? Mike Bush perhaps, or Peter Marshall - both of whom were appointed to their roles after Fortuin and de Bres were appointed to theirs.
Perhaps your correspondent’s severe misgivings about the New Zealand Herald headline and unbalanced story telling were noted by others and subsequently, the site’s editors. The story was posted at 4.21 as the lead story on the homepage. An hour later it was off the page completely and only able to be found on the site through a search.
The Naidoo story has been a genuine political controversy since the Labour list was announced earlier in the week. Naidoo’s reluctance to advise his Commissioner until just a few days before the announcement is quite extraordinary.
Years ago, two previous holders of high profile public roles, Don Brash and Tim Groser, announced they would be National Party candidates while in their jobs as, respectively, Reserve Bank Governor and Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation. At the time they were both castigated by Labour for their change of career direction.
As Liam Hehir has reported, the Trade Minister at the time Jim Sutton talked of “a sense of betrayal” by Groser in 2005 and asked for his resignation as ambassador.
Helen Clark called Brash a “loser” and “right on the border of ethics” in 2002 when he left the Reserve Bank to become a politican.
A quarter of a century on, Clark is rewriting history. This was her on X two days ago.
Both Don & Tim held senior public sector positions at the time; Don was Reserve Bank Governor & Tim was senior at MFAT. There was confidence by the Govt of the day in their professionalism. Neither faced the kind of attack that this senior police officer now faces.
Really Helen?
As the old saying goes nobody does hypocrisy like the Labour Party.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack where this article was sourced.
1 comment:
Yet another reason to be shot of the Human Rights Commission?
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