26 Sep 2018

Mediawatch Midweek: 26 September 2018

From Mediawatch, 11:00 pm on 26 September 2018

Mediawatch Midweek is a weekly catch-up between Mediawatch and Lately's Karyn Hay. This week: 1080 blow-back, avocado aggro taken seriously  - and not; "Harry Potter's lonely uncle" on the future of journalism; testing the local comedy waters  - and the mean mums' return.

Extreme slogans chalked outsidethe entrance to Parliament during a recent against the use of 1080.

Extreme slogans chalked outsidethe entrance to Parliament during a recent against the use of 1080. Photo: screenshot / reddit

1080 blow-back

Last weekend the main story in Mediawatch was a look at media coverage of the campaign waged by opponents of the pesticide 10-80 - and how it is used in New Zealand.  

Most experts insist 1080 pesticide is by far the best and safest option to save native species and that science backs them up. How can the media report responsibly on opponents’ noisy protests, social media growth and increasingly alarming threats?

Earlier this year, activists began bombarding news media streams of news events with campaigns slogans. The Spinoff's Haydon Donnell found the comments had their roots in a single Facebook page which now has more than 60,000 followers.

I was worried Mediawatch would be bombarded with hostile emails and complaints - possibly even threats.

But pleasingly the feedback was reasonable and restrained:  

RNZ's Facebook post of our story attracted 55 mostly reasonable comments (though some could have been moderated out).

And I found this on Reddit the same day - from someone asking for info:

I am an ex-pat planning to return to our beautiful country in the near future, and I’ve been seeing some alarming stuff regarding the 1080 drops occurring in NZ.

I would like to know where I can access information regarding this that isn’t coated in bias from either side.

I am not a hippie or a hunter, I’m just a Kiwi who hopes to enjoy a life close to country when I return and things like water quality, access to seafood and the ability to live a self-sustainable lifestyle are things I value about NZ. So unbiased comprehensive information is what I am after, any links or suggestions appreciated.

There ware lots of responses to this pointing the inquirer to reliable information - no ranting. So not all internet forums descend into spittle-flecked aggro and lunacy. Good news!

Veteran editor's book raises questions - literally:

"Harry Potter's lonely uncle"  - former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger on BBC's 'HardTalk' show this week.

"Harry Potter's lonely uncle" - former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger on BBC's 'HardTalk' show this week. Photo: screenshot

On the BBC's long-running interview show Hard Talk this week the guest was the former editor of the UK paper The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger: a man who describes himself as looking like "Harry Potter's lonely uncle."

 

he's been described by others as: "the guy has the scalp of the News of the World hanging in his office" because his paper broke the phone-hacking scandal.

 

When the HardTalk show was brand new back in 1997, I was a junior producer on it when Rusbridger first appeared in the show. He had just begun as editor and run a scoop that got UK cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken sent to jail for perjury after his libel case against the paper collapsed.

 

Rusbridger told me over tea and a biscuit he thought he had ruined the paper and his own career but it turned out to be a major triumph for him.

 

This week on HardTalk he was talking about his new book Breaking News.

 

"This book of 442 pages contains 554 question marks. Many questions are about whether newspapers or even the craft of journalism can survive in the digital age."

 

"His story has, in his own words, no ending, happy or otherwise," says the review in New Statesman.

 

Bummer.


Avocado aggro

Robin Hanvey walks past the 2-metre high electrified fence that runs along State Highway 29.

Robin Hanvey walks past the 2-metre high electrified fence that runs along State Highway 29. Photo: RNZ/Susan Strongman

Good multimedia reporting from RNZ's Susan Strongman for RNZ's new In Depth website section - and on Checkpoint: The sad story of the scourge of theft from their orchards because of the price spike in avocados.
 

Susan met a retired couple who they painstakingly built an orchard in the valley of the Wairoa River, in the foothills of the Kaimai Ranges - but are now being routinely robbed and even beaten up.

 

"Avocado growers are sleeping in their orchards, patrolling the streets at night and using CCTV to protect their 'green gold' from organised crime groups and a fruit blackmarket."

 

I stumbled across Hutt Valley comedian James Nokise made a joke of NZ avocado crime on The Bugle - a very funny podcast founded by John Oliver and UK comedian Andy Zaltzman last week.

Host Andy Zaltzman and comedian Tiff Stevenson  - recorded live at Leicester Square Theatre - thought it was pretty funny and showed that nothing that happens in New Zealand matters at all and we're "all just having a bit of fun". 

 

Funny? Not funny? Judge for yourself . . .

Dropping the pilots

'Sidelines' - one of this week's local comedy pilots on Three.

'Sidelines' - one of this week's local comedy pilots on Three. Photo: screenshot

TV comedy in NZ gets a rough ride. Local series are panned before they can find their feet; the spectre of Melody Rules from the early 90's still looms large.

 

So it's a good call by Three to run five new pilot comedy episodes over four nights since last Sunday  at 8:30 pm.
with a view to giving the best / most popular ones a series.

 

Votes are cast via social media, with the hashtag #ComedyPilotWeek.

 

One is about a failed journalist with an All Black for a brother - Golden Boy.

 

In Sidelines, Cohen Holloway stars as the objectionable competitive coach of an under 12 soccer team.

 

I can exclusively reveal Cohen used to lose the plot for real from time to time on the pitch in Wellington mens Div 5 and 6 fixtures. For some years he was the confrontational goalie of my own team.

 

He was also in the pilot of Mangere Vice on tonight at 8:30.   

 

Photo: supplied

 

Another pilot episode is 'Mean Mums' (last Sunday night, 8:30PM). 

 

Jess’ only son starts school, and with school comes a world of know-it-all, judgmental, passive-aggressive women.

Reminds me of our podcast heroes from our first Mediawatch Midweek: 2 Judgy Mums

 

This week the foul-mouthed Melbourne mums are in the medical centre with sick kids - trying to work out what you can get away with that kids won't remember.

 

Don't try this at home . . .