The loser in this story is once again the media.
The beat the story up into a frenzy. The government was trying to punish, or to use a phrase they readily adopted from Tory Whanau, 'punch down' on, the homeless.
But what does nine days of the law in action actually look like? Yesterday morning we had the Assistant Police Commissioner Tusha Penny on Ryan Bridge TODAY.
Guess what?
29 orders were issued. Of them, only four were actually homeless.
That's 13%.
None were 'moved-on' for rough sleeping. Zero for begging. There was no 'punching down'.
To be 'moved on', Police say you have to be behaving badly. Confrontational. Aggressive. Disturbing other people.
Most New Zealanders will see this for what it is: entirely acceptable.
Most kiwis see Police for what they are: mostly reasonable.
And unfortunately, most kiwis see the media for what it is: unreliable at best and biased at worst.
They go big on a story that fits a narrative and 'move on' when proved wrong.
New Zealanders aren't stupid and see right though it.
Ryan Bridge is a New Zealand broadcaster who has worked on many current affairs television and radio shows. He currently hosts Newstalk ZB's Early Edition - where this article was sourced.
2 comments:
Ryan says kiwis see the media as unreliable at best and biased at worst. Ryan works in media.
And virtually zero coverage of the homeless scam by the very same MSM.
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