A.E. Thompson: Taxpayer Funded RNZ Serves The Left

RNZ's broadcast with the title 'Officials working overtime to get last 9 kiwis out of Gaza' on Checkpoint on 13/11/2023 included an interview by Susana Lei'ataua of Simon Eccleshall from Doctors Without Borders. That interview was not relevant to the title of the broadcast; why might that be? Ms Lei'ataua gave Mr Eccleshall a free platform to bemoan attacks on hospitals in the Gaza Strip. Fair enough to allow the public to be informed about that. Although no specific blame was leveled it was clear from Mr Eccleshall's narrative that he was referring to Israeli military as responsible for the violence around hospitals and other medical services. That may have been fair enough although it wasn't actually ascertained to be accurate and no question from Ms Lei'ataua arose to clarify this. The Israel-blaming implication was allowed to go unchallenged. Mr Eccleshall made a number of strident, absolutist statements asserting that attacks on hospitals are never acceptable and he referred at one point to the need for investigation of war crimes. 

JC: The Phone Is off the Hook

The good(?) ship Labour is heading for the rocks. There’s a tidal wave approaching and it is expected to hit on October 14. This is currently the big story for journalists and they are painfully aware of it. No matter how much bias they cook up, no matter how many pies or scoops of ice cream they show Chippie consuming, the writing is on the wall. The polls have barely moved. The phone is off the hook for their soon to be dear departed friends in Labour. The thought of defeat is gnawing away at them. They are desperate to dial us up.

JC: The News Media Need to Keep Up

I have news for the news media. They are flogging a dead horse. Their favourite nag, the Labour Party, has broken down. It’ll be lucky to get near the starting gates, never mind start. The hurdle to jump, the election, is a jump too high. All bets are on them losing. As I started to write this, I came across a very good piece on the news media written in a similar vein by the eminent historian and former politician Michael Bassett.