Wednesday 21 August 2013

Censorship in the corporate media

My very first thoughts when I saw RT's article this morning - “how did this one elude me?!”.  Please boycott Fairfax - that means Stuff.


We are now entering the era of the police state and the print media (especially Fairfax) play an important role in manufacturing consent.


Key’s walkout is news in Moscow but not Wellington
PM’s press conference tantie makes Russian Times but not Dom Post, as Fairfax avoid latest poll’s bad news for Nats.



20 August, 2013

John Key’s dramatic exit from a press conference yesterday may have gone viral, but it seems those closest to the action were keeping ominously quiet.


The footage, which was quickly picked up by TVNZ, 3News, and now the Russian Times, went completely unreported by stuff.co.nz and the Dominion Post newspaper. Interesting, since the footage actually shows Fairfax political editor and unofficial National Party spin doctor Tracy Watkins sitting right in front of the Prime Minister, scratching at her pad and pretending not to notice as Key spits the proverbial dummy and makes a hurried exit stage left.

John Key was clearly amped and well prepared for his showdown on Campbell Live last week, shutting down John Cambell’s questions and going on the offensive to defend the GCSB bill.  But yesterday’s footage shows what happens when the increasingly under pressure Prime Minister hasn’t had three days of intensive media training just before a difficult question.

Meanwhile, it seems that Fairfax have also elected not to mention the latest Roy Morgan polls, which show a sudden drop in National’s support as the GCSB bill is debated, and forecasts a change of government.  Having convinced many New Zealanders not to even bother voting in the last general election because polls showed National would romp home, it appears that Fairfax Media would prefer to keep quiet about the latest poll, which shows their team taking a seven point drop and being overtaken by a Labour, Greens coalition.

Interesting that stuff.co.nz couldn’t publish the results fast enough just three weeks ago, when the previous Roy Morgan poll showed their National Party chums on 51 percent support;  ”Labour’s support slumps”, read Stuff’s headline in July.

Now, less than a month later, the news of a dramatic swing to the opposition is greeted by Orwellian tumbleweeds at Fairfax.

Apparently there has been some serious soul searching at Fairfax NZ recently, as the media corporation look to end the exodus of subscribers and restore credibility as a reliable news source.  Blatantly partisan political coverage like this won’t be helping their cause.

To help ramp up the pressure on this unbalanced, anti-democratic news corporation, please join us on Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/fearfacts/ and share with your friends.  Also, please boycott Fairfax publications, cancel your subscriptions and avoid stuff.co.nz.

The people of New Zealand deserve a news media with our interests at heart in these difficult and controversial times, not simply a mouthpiece for an out-of-control rightwing Prime Minister.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZRBv3hD7zA#action=share

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