A political science and communications academic is rejecting claims by Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee that The Press newspaper is the enemy of the recovery.
The minister made the comment on Sunday during an interview about zoning decisions and followed it up by saying he was happy for it to be published in the paper, because a lot of people think the same as he does.
Former head of University of Canterbury's School of Political Science and Communications, Jim Tully, says The Press is acting as a watchdog, which is what is wanted from a local newspaper.
He says he is sure the minister and Christchurch's mayor feel uncomfortable with some of the questions asked of them, but that's what The Press is there for.
