Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Colin Peacock talks to Bryan Crump about RNZ's big music shake-up. Also - the media memorialising Mike Moore, an ODT reporter's sudden departure - and the Super Bowl and Scientology.
In the biggest overhaul of its music services in years, RNZ is planning to gut its classical music station RNZ Concert and replace it on FM radio with music for a younger audience as part of a new multimedia music brand.
Colin talked today to RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson and music content director Willy Macalister to explain the move. The full interview is here:
Media mourn Mike Moore - and 'Kevin'
Red faces at TVNZ’s website One News Now last weekend over this after the news broke on Saturday:
Oops. Photo: screenshot
TVNZ's gaffe apart, there was some compelling stuff in the media about his life and times.
It was great that RNZ’s Ninth Floor series had captured Mike Mooore in his own words three years ago for us all to watch and listen to again.
. Photo: RNZ / Vimeo
On Morning Report, Guyon Espiner picked out one particular part in which Mike Moore bitterly recalled losing the Labour leadership:
‘‘In the end, it is the silence of your friends that you remember, not the misdeeds of those that dislike you,’’ a clearly-still-bitter Mike Moore said.
Many commentators dwelled on his political demise as Labour leader and his short stint as a ‘nightwatchman’ PM. Newshub at 6 also picked out the same quote and so did Stuff poltiical editor Luke Malpas.
But former Labour president Mike Williams told Newstalk ZB about Mike Moore “went to bed thinking about New Zealand and woke up thinking about New Zealand.”
The Ninth Floor was most fascinating when Mike Moore talked not about who-did-what-to-whom back in the day, but about New Zealand life back then - and today.
Among journalists sharing memories of Mike Moore on social media was John Campbell who remembering an epic generously-shared meal many years ago:
...when he finished his meal, he ordered the same again. And ate it!
— John Campbell (@JohnJCampbell) February 1, 2020
It was awe-inspiring.
Throughout both meals (!) he explained Parliament to me, drawing diagrams on table napkins. Generously describing colleagues on both sides of the House.
He was flying, animated by...
Others in the punditeratti post their own accounts of huge feeds with politicians at Wellington’s late-night restaurant The Green Parrot in reply.
It reminded me of Jane Clifton’s book Political Animals in which she recalled Press Gallery journoa being extensively wined and dined in the fanciest Wellington restaurants and often getting a ride home in a crown car as well.
This was a time when New Zealand society and economy were being pulled apart in a big way and many families were affected. (As Guyon Espiner discussed with Mike Moore in the Ninth floor).
Everyone knows politicians and journalists eat and drink together and share ideas, tips and experiences off the record, but is it harder to speak truth to power with your mouth full and a politicians picking up the tab - and giving you a ride home?
ODT reporter quits, alleges editorial gutlessness
Photo: PHOTO / RNZ Mediawatch
Late on Friday, one of the ODT’s leading journalists Chris Morris wrote an email to all staff at the paper’s publishers Allied Press in which he declared he was quitting over a story about a local high school which the paper has apparently pulled.
I’ve seen the email which says the paper lacked courage.
“I feel the need to stand up for some basic journalistic principles,” he said in a later tweet.
The paper’s bosses say they can’t comment on this as its a dispute with an employee.
Worrying stuff.
In 2019 Morris' series " Marked by the Cross", which he researched and wrote for the paper's investigative unit ODT Insight, led to paedophile priest Fr Magnus Murray being defrocked by the Vatican.
Back in 2016 he was instrumental in creating the paper’s in depth features section ‘Insight’ - with the support of current editor Barry Stewart.
Chris Morris is working out his notice and moving to a new job for the Dunedin City Council.
It won't make as many headlines as the Tremain affair, but something’s gone badly wrong there.
Brexit - over bar the shouting
When Brexit finally came to pass at noon our time last Saturday, it was an anti-climax considering almost four years of rancour and chaos preceded it - all played out in the media
The pro-Brexit UK press failed in a campaign to get Big Ben to ‘bong’ on the stroke of midnight, but there were some muted street celebrations.
At one of them BBC World happened upon two women who said this:
I could actually weep. This woman has been so lied to and misinformed that she thinks we are "getting our courts back from Germany." pic.twitter.com/6boNuClkPX
— Otto English (@Otto_English) February 1, 2020
That mention of a pretty obscure part of EU business - the European Court of Human Rights - shows me how much the tabloid narrative has cut through over the years. It’s only tabloid papers that have frequently highlighted the theoretical powers of the court over UK cases over the years.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson is busily bypassing the media post-Brexit.
Boris Johnson refused to allow media outlets to film or photograph a Downing Street statement he planned to mark Brexit at midnight. Instead his media people filmed it themselves. .
This gave media a dilemma. The statement was newsworthy but The BBC and commercial rival ITN declined to air any video of the handout.
Sky News and other organizations ran short clips. News agencies including Reuters and AFP also decided against using the footage.
AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton said “an essential role of a free press in a democracy is to have access to and question public officials and hold them to account.”
“Government handout video and photos, by their very nature, restrict the access of independent news organisations,” she said.
Johnson’s Tories put the video out online themselves.
Meanwhile political journalists staged a walkout after Downing Street attempted to brief a select group of journalists this afternoon and excluded others. They’re trying to create an “inner lobby”
The Trump playbook is catching on . . .
The Super Bowl, the sparky and Scientology
I thought only a handful of people would be interested in the Super Bowl but it was the #1 trending topic on Twitter in the morning. (Mike Moore was number two).
By the afternoon, all top five hashtags were Superbowl-related. (including #Shakira, #49ers, #HalftimeShow and #Andy Reid (who?).
The halftime show feat. JLo and Shakira featured three times on TVNZ1 news at 6pm on Monday - and again in Seven Sharp just after.
Incidentally, while much of the focus was on the Shakira / JLo, it was actually the first time two team owned by women had contested the final
Super Bowl to feature women owners on each side for first time https://t.co/vQlEffumMn pic.twitter.com/t9vDccPSNw
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 1, 2020
At the top of the @MediawatchNZ twitter feed was a promoted tweet which appeared to be offering live streaming coverage courtesy of . . . the Church of Scientology.
"WE'RE LIVE w/#SuperBowl Sunday's Scientology Network DIRECTV Feed + Chat!
http://bit.ly/ScientologyTV0202 WATCH here, or WATCH & CHAT w/us via the Periscope icon, or lean back and watch
For purposes of research I clicked through - only to discover Scientology TV online running a loop of its advertising created for the Superbowl.
Brands like Budweiser, Pringles and Pepsi pay US$5m+ for 30 sec ad spots. Even President Trump’s re-election campaign ran an ad touting its success in criminal justice reform.
“One legitimate surprise was a full-length ad from a cruel and vindictive death cult ( and then also there was one for Scientology)," said Esquire/com’s Dave Holmes said in his satirical Superbowl TV review:
However he shouldn't have been surprised. Apparently its the sixth year running Scientology has run ads during Superbowl urging "curious minds" to give the faith a go.
