Undergroundnetwork

Having just finished an internship at the New Zealand Herald, I can safely say I’m working my way into the right career. I enjoyed every minute of the two-week stint, from the despair when the deadline was approaching and the story had stalled (why won’t you pick up the phone/call me back!), to the elation when at the last minute it all fell into place. Maybe that is a feeling that seasoned journalists lose after some time on the job, but that was a real thrill for me. Thankfully the chief reporter gave me heaps to do and I got more published than I expected. The Herald has been running a series on “Unsung heroes”, asking for the public to nominate an exceptional volunteer they know and awarding the winners a cruise. The other intern and I had the privilege to meeting and talking to many of these people and telling their stories. Many of these people are truly inspiring. These are the sorts of people we should admire and aspire to be like, not celebrities or socialites. Not all of us can put in the hours that most of these volunteers do, but we should either give a small amount of time or donate some of the money needed to support their work. I know I am guilty of not always handing over loose change (that I will only spend on beer or burgers) to fundraisers on the street and outside shops, even being somewhat annoyed by having to try avoid them (it depends on my mood, I am usually nice, but sometimes I can be really shitty!). Now I know how important those funds are to these volunteers and their organisations, and the difference their hard work makes to society and those in need. The least we can give such dedicated people is our support.

The next time someone claims that Fox news is a legitimate source of news, refer them to today. Whilst the BBC and CNN went live to the breaking story about the Israeli bulldozer rampage, Fox persisted with a story about cool advertisements during the 1980’s and something about Barack Obama being so right wing that his election could be considered an extension of George Bush’s presidency. Unless of course different countries get different Fox broadcasts, Fox’s credibility and quality have once again been shown to be lacking. Come to think of it, does Fox have news?

Of course the Jeruselum bulldozer rampage was a great tragedy and hopefully the death toll of the incident does not rise any further. At the time of writing three (including driver) are understood to be dead, with dozen injured, seven critically.

However, I did find it disconcerting that both CNN and BBC said the Israeli police are considering the attack to be a an act of “terrorism”. The term is of course so manipulated in its usage rendering it meaningless, but I can only see their decision to use the term as political and irresponcible. Firstly, on what grounds was the attack by definition terrorism? If it is because the perpetrator was an Arab or Palestinian, than this is clearly racist. If the perpetrator was of another race would it be terrorism? Was it the weapon he choose to use? Considering the Israelis devastating use of bulldozers against the Palestinian people, it is hypocritical for the Israelis to deem this attack as terrorism, regardless of the perpetrators actions, which I of course do not condone. Even foreign peace activists have been the victims of the Israeli bulldozer attacks. Was that terrorism? As of yet no one can clearly ascertain as to whether the perpetrators motives were political, or whether he was aligned to particular Palestinian group. Can it really not be ruled out that the attack was non-political (hard to imagine I know and understandably unlikely, yet still plausible)?

To me it appears that the haste in which the Israelis have used this term is politically motivated. As talks resume and cease fires are discussed, diplomacy could be potentially derailed by violence by either side. As it stands, Israeli “security” operations are still taking place in the Gaza strip. It appears each side is eager to resume full on conflict. The will of the civilians are, as always, ignored.

Are you new to Auckland’s social scene? Here’s a quick guide to who’s who on Planet Socialite.

Rachel Glucina will tell you where it’s at in “Spy”, the gossip pullout magazine in the Herald on Sunday. The Herald website describe her on their website as a “gossip queen”, who “reports on the latest parties, fashions and celebrity events around town”. I’ve only flicked through the magazine once, and although I did not expect to, I did not recognise anyone. Who are these people? Are they celebrities? What do they do? Are they just rich? Did they earn that money, or are they just the spoilt brat of an investment banker, or something? Are they even nice people, or just egotistic “socialites”? What is a socialite anyway? Someone who goes out and socialises? I sometimes socialise! You probably socialise! Are we socialites? And if not, why not? And why should we care about those people that are bloody socialites? Because they dress nice? Because they drive nice cars? Because they know people who actually are famous? Please Rachel, why should I care? In fact, why should anyone care? And people actually do care! Why do they care? I must be missing out on something here, such as how wonderful a trivial existence must be.

I’ve rallied against celebrity before, but these people aren’t even real celebrities! They are just friends with celebrities. Can you be a celebrity by association? Who is more pathetic? The person who is celebrity because they once sung a two minute 30 one hit wonder, the person who is celebrity by association, or the person who follows the movements of a meaningless celebrity (or socialite!) they have never even met?

The Herald took a risk adopting a tabloid format for their Herald on Sunday, but has insisted the size will not determine the quality of the paper. As long as Spy is inserted, I beg to differ.

I’m not sure where I heard it, but apparently arsonists are often firemen. I would love to provide some statistics to support this wild claim, but my google search came up short. Who needs facts right? I did find this story from the US’s Staten Island and this American study on “Firefighter Arson”, so I’m not making it up. Apparently 33 firemen were charged with arson in 1993, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission. I think that is only in South Carolina, which makes it all the more surprising. So I imagine these deranged firemen (Reader’s Digest’s most trusted 2008), walking around with cans of gasoline and boxes of matches, lighting bush fires and setting letter boxes alight. 10 minutes later they turn up with the boys in red, on the back of a firetruck, ready to douse out their earlier handiwork.

I don’t know how prevalent the problem is. And I don’t know why these guys do it. Are they bored? Do they not already have enough to do? Aren’t they just making more work for themselves?

Do other professions do a similar thing? What about journalists? What if it is a really slow news day? Should you just run another real estate story as your lead? Should you make a story up? Or, should you do as this Macedonian journalist did, and really make the news? (more…)

In the Western corner, nestled between the Mediterranean and half a dozen hostile neighbours, with a population of over 7 million, now 60 years young, with a nuclear arsenal believed to number 150 warheads, defender of Zionism…. ISRAEL!!!

In the Eastern corner, wedged between terrorist havens of Iraq and Afghanistan, with a population of over 65 million, with controversial nuclear programme claimed peaceful, defender of Theocracy… The Islamic Republic of IRAN!!!

Let’s get ready to RUMBLE!!!

All right, enough hype. Let us be serious for a moment. Iran versus Israel. Both are religious states, both have substantial military capabilities, and both are guilty of crimes against minorities in their population. Yet both are viewed very differently in the eyes of the Western media and politicians. Let us look at both countries, and how the media depicts them. (more…)

War, Propaganda and the Media

How can the media be used to peddle propaganda in a liberal democracy?

The notorious Nazi Party Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, once said, “it is the absolute right of the State to supervise the formation of public opinion” (1948). He also likened the press to a “great keyboard on which the government can play.” Goebbels was a master of manipulation and is largely credited with selling the Nazi cause to the German populace.

In her 2007 book A Russian Diary, Anna Politkovskaya wrote of the overwhelming influence President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin had over all aspects of Russian society, from business, to individual lives, to the media. A journalist writing for the Russian newspaper Novaya gazeta, Politkovskaya described the pro-Putin stance of the media: “As election day approaches, the television news bulletins increasingly resemble heartening dispatches on Putin’s achievements”(2007, p. 67). She recalls occasions of press censorship, threats from political leaders and an occasion where journalists were even detained for filming an anti-Putin demonstration. Those in the media that do not apply self-censorship and question the Kremlin risk losing their jobs. “Where freedom is, there is low pay, irregularly paid. The big time is the mass media that play ball with the Kremlin”(2007 p.154). Politkovskaya made a name for herself as a journalist who would tell the truth no matter what, reporting on the situation in Chechnya and the Caucasus, and the truth behind scandals such as the Dubrovka theatre siege in 2002 and the Beslan school siege in 2005 (2007, p. 44-45). Refusing to be silenced ultimately took her life; Politkovskaya was murdered outside her Moscow apartment in October 2006.

However, in liberal democracies the overt propaganda of the sort Goebbels used to great effect in Germany, or the political pressure placed on journalists like Politkovskaya in Russia would not be possible. But it would naïve to believe democratic governments are unable to use the media to sell their policies to the voting masses. And as we have seen in recent years with the “War on Terror” and the Iraq War, the media can be as complicit as their governments in deceiving the public. (more…)

Garth George’s columns often get me fired up, and not in a good way. To put it simply, almost everything he has to say runs completely contrary to my own view. Often I find myself wondering why the Herald would even print his rants, as I find them either misinformed or needlessly offensive. It seems to me many commentators revel in causing offense, as if to them it is confirmation they are telling the cold hard truth. Garth and I likely sit on the poles of most issues, from religion to politics. If he were to read my blog I assume he may feel similar to the way I feel about his column, although he may note I do try not to cause offense.

So imagine my initial shock when I read a column that I actually agreed with. (more…)

I’ve long thought that in order for democracy to work effectively, it is not enough only to have a free press functioning as a fourth estate “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable”. In order for democracy to not be corrupted by an uninformed majority, the voting public must be educated and aware of the intricate details of the issues at hand. Or else a marauding tyrannical mob will pervert the system into a populist “idol-style” sound bite driven circus devoid of intellectual debate, serious discussion and a detailed analyse of the issues that we face as a nation. Unfortunately, the way I see it, public debate is already hindered by the ignorance of many and the misinformation that plagues the opinions of even the most well-meaning people. Of course this sounds arrogant, and I may even be guilty of holding my own misconceptions about things, but I still maintain that it is vital for politics not to be clouded by misinformation. The question that remains is, whose duty is it to ensure that the public is correctly informed? (more…)

If you stay on a Marae you may realise a few things. Firstly, there are some traditional Maori values Pakeha could do well to adopt, such as hospitality, respect, appreciation and a sense of community. In our individualistic society such values have been long forgotten. Secondly, our media does an adequate job depicting Maori as lazy, violent and corrupt, which is unfair and cruel. Finally you should marvel at the tikanga, the art and traditional waiata, which are worth all efforts to preserve, as promised in article two of the Treaty of Waitangi. To the red necks and racists who turn there nose up at any reference to the treaty and stereotype Maori, I can only pity your ignorance. (more…)

Statistics are great! If you’ve got an opinion, how better than to back up your point of view with some supportive numbers. Statistics give you credibility. I often use some numbers to back up one of my many online rants on this here blog you are reading. It often goes like, “here’s what I think and here’s the numbers that prove my point. Now you cannot disagree with me. I win and you lose! Back to the drawing board, you …(add insult here.)

However, sometimes statistics can be less than conclusive. And sometimes both sides of an argument can claim a stat supports either side’s point. This is what happened when the Christian lobby group Family First commissioned a survey into Sue Bradford’s repealing of section 59 of the Crimes Act (or what is lazily, but more simply, referred to as the “Anti-Smacking” Law) (more…)