The Day in Review Sept 12

- Again, the case of the adolescent fingered as a murderer on the social networking web-site Bebo led our broadcaters' news bulletins. This aside, everything was fairly higgledy-piggledy.
- The on-going scalp of Damien O'Connor blighted our screens, with Hannah Hodson putting on her best impression of a hard-hitting political journlist on One. Our man Duncan over on 3 was bemused that the Minister was refusing to answer any questions at his tourism conference in Auckland. Gee.
- New regulation for finance companies managed to get an airing on Prime with Dr. Cullen dictating to the reoprters that things were going to get better. Not so our beloved big two, who thought the ongoing sagas of Osama and the McCanns was a good example of hard-hitting international news that would inform AND entertain the average viewer, who doesn't want to know about... y'know, financial stuff, like what a secured debenture is when a finance company's offering 11%. It's secured. It's gotta be safe.
- 3 trumped One with its piece on the police and St. John's Ambluance under fire for failing to send out a chopper to pick up a hunter out of Wellington last night quick enough. The chap died, and despite the Westpc Lifeflight Trust pilot Dave Greenberg telling us it would have been a difficult lift, 40 minutes was too long and questions are being asked.
- Rugby got a good beating in the opening segments. The best of which was 3's coverage of its successful temporary injunction against Sky broadcasting any RWC coverage. I have never heard a more contented cat that got its milk.
- One aired another sycophantic piece on Peter Jackson, who saved a chapel owned by the Sisters of Mercy. Nice to see our Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast use it for all it's worth in the lead-up to her election campaign. It's a shame Rexy didn't finish all of his projects; then she wouldn't have to serve another term.
- The Wireless gave good coverage to the nurses' pay-rise with the DHBs. Still underpaid and overworked. Poor wee things.
- Close Up devoted its first segment to a South African woman who was jilted by her husband, had lost residency, and failed to get a visa. Thanks to Close Up's involvement (late in the piece after the Taranaki Daily News had been an advocate for her for some time), Immigration relented and she was allowed to stay. Sainsbury followed that up with a nice little piece with Roger Moses, the venerable headmaster of Wellington College, and Steve Tew of the NZRU on the dwindling numbers playing rugby. Campbell on the other hand, did the hard yards, investigating the rise of Melanotan 2, the cure-all jab to give you a tan, suppress your appetite, and increase your libido, all in one. Nice one John.
- No insipid moment tonight (they're all above). The feel-good story of the evening was the Nobel Peace Prize Nomination for the Spirit of Adventure Trust. I never set foot on the boat, but I know a lot of people who have.
Good night.