the blog and turfs and the brandywine bankrompers

I was seriously considering throwing in this blogging thing earlier today - as an experiment, it's essentially failed (if you take aside its initial incarnation as a diversion while at work and the brief flurry while I was at school).

That was until I read an old compadre of mine this afternoon that incensed me for no apparent reason. It's an innocuous entry that makes a small contribution to the ongoing battle between Lew and Chris Trotter over the future of the country's political left.

Yet it was this simple statement that got my goat (my emphasis added):

Lew at Kiwipolitico has the kind of post up at the moment that reminds me why mainstream media is such an unsatisfying read/consume when it comes to political commentary.

There's a common refrain in the blogosphere that the mainstream media has failed, yet I remain unconvinced - yes it has its short-comings, but it can't be everything to everyone.

And that seems to be the over-riding concern for a number of my friends - it doesn't coin things in a paradigm that they've bought into.

For every lament as to why our top political commentators aren't delving into the growing divisions of the Labour Party movement, we get insightful pieces from the likes of Colin James, Pattrick Smellie (I'm contractually obligated for this one), and Fran O'Sullivan as to how political language is being re-written, why Don Brash is a naive idealogue rather than the spawn of Satan, and what the government is doing wrong in addressing youth wages.

They are doing what they do, and the majority of them do it very well, even if it doesn't touch on a number of keystone issues that the blogosphere wants to enter the main lexicon.

To be honest, the internal politicking of the wider left-wing movement in New Zealand isn't actually that important when it doesn't have any power, or prospect of taking power in the next five years (just saying).

What I'd be much more keen on seeing would be the internal divisions of the labour movement, which will have a lot of power in the coming years.

So I guess this is really just a gripe, and I've fallen into that trap that so many bloggers (and New Zealanders) do of identifying a problem without providing an answer. So let's pull a Kevin Smith a la Zack and Miri and tack something into the credits: ummmm, bloggers can do thier ultra-specialised commentary that will be taken with a vat of salt and MSM columnists (why am I even getting worked up over columnists - excepting Garth George, Michael Laws, Jim Hopkins, Richard Long, etc etc etc) can stick to their turf of churning something out in 40 minutes as deadline looms.....

Oy vey...

PB.

Indeed there will be time to wonder, 'Do I dare? and, 'Do I dare?'

Sheesh - it's amazing what a good day can do to your attitude.

I'd been toying with the idea of making this a kinda thing that I dip back into when I have something eloquent to say for a while - six odd months to be precise. Unfortunately, it's rather embarrassing when you realise you don't actually have anything to add...

So, in a fit of rage yesterday, I considered turning this into the life and times of a baby reporter.

Am I still a baby? Unsure....

I've been doing this gig for six or so months full-time, which in the scheme of things could make me a veteran to some, but considering the old hacks I hang around with, I'm definitely a baby.

Anyhooo, that's not really what I wanted to say.

Oh yeah, hi, sorry it's been a while, if I could find the xkcd cartoon where it has the panel with the guy who blogs every six months to apologise for not blogging more often, I'd link to it, but I can't, so sorry on that front.

So what did I have to say today?

Just something I found curious about the Herald and Stuff in picking up me currency story and tyring to lose the crux of the story in the head they used.

Stuff did it a couple of days ago when they picked up a PA story on the appointment of David Mayhew as the new financial adviser commissioner.

Which poses the question as to why they don't add or edit the wire stories when they don't say what the web editor wants....

Sure they'll get the hits they want, but somehow that naive idealist in me just sees the reader getting swindled. And journalism ain't about.... is it....

PB.

Oh, as an aside, it was nice to see me currency piece forced PA to pick up on my theme - I'm not particularly one for the free market, but it is refreshing to see how competition can tangibly improve quality...

Once more into the breach, dear friends.

Well the Mercury Energy thing continued to be a blight on New Zealand today, and the media got in with their chops ready for the licking.

Sean Plunket on Morning Report gave his usual attack dog approach, questing for the answers to yet another blunder from the system. All hail the little man. Admittedly, he did seem somewhat pleased that the PM was laying the blame on the middleman. No-one likes contractors at the best of times really. What you should do: trust the little guy.

Meanwhile, Michael Laws over on RadioLive's morning talkback spiel decided it was merely one of those things that happens. Awfully sad, but let's get over it and move on. While I have to admit I do agree with him to an extent, I was worried by the overwhelming support his listeners gave the energy company. Whatever happened to trusting the little guy first, especially when power companies are involved. And the Government to boot. Whoops, I forgot that it was a Samoan family. Tolerant New Zealand doesn't particularly like Islanders, unless they're playing rugby or league for whatever team we support (I may be overstating the level of racism in this country a lot, but there is a definite stream of xenophobia around). Who to blame: the little guy.

Hewitt Humphrey and Sarah Bristow on Radio New Zealand's Midday Report took the State broadcaster's usual approach that things are not so hunky-dory for the big guy, and the lil' guy's takin' them to court to get some payback. While Radio NZ strives for that airy goal of objective reporting, they always fail to reach it. (I suppose that's why I like them so much. Always good to follow the Beeb's left-leaning ways.) What's the little guy to do: sue.

Aside from that, talkback tended to veer away from the Muliaga family today. (Not that I'm complaining.) And the blogs don't have too much to say either. Everyone's just waiting waiting waiting for more info. How sedate. What's the infoweb going to do: wait.

(I am ignoring the huge photos the daily metropolitans are running of the Muliaga family in their time of need, while, of course, giving nothing but the facts. Go figure.)

Fear and Loathing in Aotearoa

Kia ora,

What a day for the New Zealand media. It all revolved around the death of a woman by the name of Folole Muliaga. International headlines the local newsos tell us. To be quite honest, while I initially felt outrage at the cruelty of a State-owned corporation causing the death of one of the constituents, I can't help but feel it's merely indicative of society, and will probably be put down as "one of those things". Sigh. Reminds me an awful lot of Cave Creek.



Anyway, I didn't actually manage to get too much done today. Bit of a backlog at work, but we'll where we get. The venerable Paul Holmes on NewstalkZB took the tack that it was a horrible tragedy, and really wasn't acceptable, especially in light of the fact that this is a publicly owned company. Awful awful awful.

His Christchurch counterpart John Dunne didn't really want a bar of any PC sympathetic approach. No-one was likely to be criminally liable, and New Zealanders just aren't like that are they. We're a caring nation, particularly for our under-privileged. (Note to anyone who doesn't know much about New Zealand: We're not.)

Still on NewstalkZB, and into the morning talkback show with one of the less liberal people in the land (read neo-Conservative) Leighton Smith, and we found that Leighton does have a heart after all. He couldn't believe that a poor Samoan family whose english was probably barely passable at best could really concoct a lie that would put the fault solely in the hands of Mercury Energy. And, against his usual form, he actually hinted that all the blame lay with the power co. This was definitely a turn-up for the books. A lovable Leighton? It feels like lying in bed with your favourite handgun.

Ali Jones and Justin de Fresne (the rural talkback areas of Christchurch and Wellington respectively) didn't really want to give an opinion either way. There were just too many unknown quantites. Too many things that we, I you, and they just couldn't wrap their heads around. And, of course, they want to wait until they know which side to lambast when the cards are laid bare. Probably tomorrow. (A bit much NewstalkZB for me today.)

Andrew Patterson on RadioLive's Newshour took things a little differently. Unlike the rest of the broadcast media, they went to the Opposition for comment, and while Mr. Patterson was hoping to get Leader of the National Party John Key to come out with some kind of statement either for or against either party, he failed to get the old bully-boy conservative stance he was hoping for. I have to admit I was a little unhappy as well. I would have like to hear Mr. Key complain about State-Owned Enterprises giving in to the small guy, but I'm just letting my limp liberal self rant egotistically, so I shall proceed.

I didn't get on to too much else on the Muliaga case. RadioLive's news team continued to report that Mrs. Muliaga's oxygen was effectively a life-support system, and that cutting its power was certain death. That's the line the international media took as well. You almost get the feeling that they trump these things up a little to try and sell papers. Especially when they have more facts at their fingertips than I/we.



All I can say is what a shame. Sad times all round, and, while we may want someone to take the fall, it probably ain't gonna happen. I see another week-long feeding frenzy coming on...