A story of two tapes
November 5th, 2008 at 8:15 am by David FarrarLet me tell people of the story of two tapes. We’ll call it Tape A and Tape B.
- Tape A was secretly taped in a cocktail party, while Tape B was openly taped on a television political programme.
- The questioner in Tape A was an enemy of the political party’s function he was at, who lied and misrepresented himself, while the questioner in Tape B was a professional journalist.
- Tape A has had the questions and possibly some of the answers edited out so context is impossible to define, while Tape B shows the full exchange with no editing.
- Tape A was recorded around four months ago while Tape B was recorded a week or so ago.
- Tape A has comments about US Presidential Candidate Barack Obama while Tape B has comments about US Presidential Candidate John McCain
- Tape A has very very mild criticism of Obama being “I am a bit worried about this whole Obama and Europe thing just because there is a limited effectiveness in being moralistic about international relations” while Tape B mocks John McCain for his disability due to torture as a prisoner of war – “But Jim can put his hands up over his head and claim victory, McCain can’t do that”
- Tape A quotes Bill English, the Deputy Leader of National while Tape B quotes the Deputy Leader of the Progressives, the Government’s coalition partner.
I consider it incredible that Tape A is deemed so newsworthy that TV3 runs it as their lead item – even before the Melbourne Cup, while Tape B continues to be ignored.
One could argue over relative worth as to which is more newsworthy in terms of prominence – but to have one as the lead item, and totally ignore the other is an editorial decision that baffles me.
November 5th, 2008 at 8:21 am
TV3 is disadvantaging the National Party by targeting a manufactured tape as being of prime newsworthy importance.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:22 am
If you’re still watching TV, you deserve it that they do this to you.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Labour’s so tired now their dirt is tired too but some media are still running with it.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:23 am
What I find ‘incredible’ DPF, is that you find this poor state of media reporting INCREDIBLE!
I mean come on now, it’s not like we live in a democracy anymore…
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:24 am
David
You know you need only to send Tape B to Duncy and he will headline it for you, because even though he and TV3 will feel used, they make no journalistic judgements on such things, but are merely conduits for such information.
PS Anyone wanting to read the real oil on this tape, should check out whaleoil’s column today.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:25 am
It is puzzling – I thought the fourth estate were ethically bound (by their own code of personal professional morals) to take a non partisan stance when reporting the news.
Oh well, perhaps someone is on the shill.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Apart from getting all the self-righteous looney left nutters worked up into a lather about what right wing politicians say at cocktail parties it isn’t all that interesting.
My overall view of this nonsense is here:
Vote:http://lindsayaddie.blogspot.com/2008/11/even-labours-smears-arent-working-now.html
November 5th, 2008 at 8:29 am
DPF,
You should consider sending that video of Robson trash talking McCain to TV3 just to see if they’re fair and balanced and run it on the news tonite.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Someone may want to tell the media who the Progressives are – then maybe they’ll care.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:32 am
expat –
fourth estate – ethics – same sentence? wtf?
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:33 am
If Queen Bee is right
Vote:http://wellingtonhive.blogspot.com/2008/11/we-join-some-dots.html
TV3 may be victims of manipulation by even darker forces than Labour.
Duncan Garner must surely have been able to see through such an obvious and pointless propaganda ploy.
It makes you wonder what else lies behind the decision to air the story.
November 5th, 2008 at 8:33 am
alex Masterley – I know, naive..
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:37 am
What we need is for a small group to stage a mini protest outside TV3
and to tip off TVOne that they have another secret tape (tape B)
TVOne would love to come along and film, TV3 being slated for
Vote:bias and unfair journalism don’t you think?
November 5th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Tape B is from McCarten, a non-entity, so the impact can’t be compared readily with anything.
A comparison might be made, however, with PM Clark’s infamous public criticisms a few years back of President George Bush, and the reaction to them of a powerful US Committee. If you have time, you might be able to remind us all of the facts of that embassassing “diplomatic” moment for NZ.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Labour are finished. They have lost the argument and are now waiting for inevitable defeat on 8 November.
Bring it on.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:51 am
TV3 is now banned in our house. Sorry kids no more Simpsons….
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 8:53 am
“Sorry kids no more Simpsons….”
Monster.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Just look at the latest stuff poll. Most people have labeled it as Lame.
Just wait for the 9th floor to get to work and try to change the result or have stuff made some changes so a distortion can not happen again.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 9:12 am
This is very odd DPF, especially when you consider that Duncan Garner himself said last night regarding the Kees Kieser secretly and deceitfully obtained tape that it is “not 3 News’ job to censor the news.
“If we didn’t report it we would be failing in our duty…all 3 News can do is broadcast the material and be as balanced and as careful about it as possible,” he said.”
Methinks Mr Garner needs to ensure that the balance he refers to is actually happening.
http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2008/11/weasel-words-from-3news.html
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 9:15 am
And then we have tape C, in the US, featuring Obama at a dinner with William Ayres and a Palestinian spokesman.
The LA Times newspaper refuses to release the tape, despite calls from John McCain to do so.
Now what did TV3 say about censoring the news?
Perhaps the LA Times needs to think likewise.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/us/politics/30campaign.html?ref=politics
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I no longer watch any TV3 “news” coverage.
Share that with your advertisers Garner.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 9:44 am
I implore you all to put some pressure on tvnz, tv3, the herald and the dom, to report on the identity of the taper – Kees Keiser.
There is a lot of dirt in that story
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 9:52 am
I hate to inform you, DPF, but the Nats are on a hiding to nothing if they expect that if they are always nice to the media, the media will ultimately see reason and be nice back to them. The Tories in the UK are getting much more reasonably treated since Lord Ashcroft spent a lot of money on teams of high-powered lawyers, pursuing dirty journalists and editors through the courts, getting settlements out of court and gentleman’s agreements with media owners, journalists and editors sacked, and even a corrupt bureaucrat or two jailed.
Until something like this happens here, the media are just going to continue using all their powers to maintain corrupt and ruinous socialist regimes in office. You let it happen to Don Brash, there is no guarantee that it will not happen to every leader you put up until someone with deep enough pockets draws a line in the sand.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 9:54 am
I understand there is another tape to come out featuring JK himself. Hopefully it will be just as much a fizzer as the last one.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 10:26 am
” ….. but to have one as the lead item, and totally ignore the other is an editorial decision that baffles me.”
I don’t know why it baffles you David, its common knowledge now that all the media are on an agenda to undermine our traditional political values that Kiwis have fought wars to preserve.
What baffles me is that ‘Right-minded’ people buy their advertising, buy their papers and watch their biased news. It is my view that the people that are angered by the bias in the media are also the ones that maintain their finacial viability. After all, the sheeple that actually believe the media bullshit probably contribute very little to their incomes.
What a fucked up world!
BTW … I never buy a newspaper, seldom watch the news and never buy from a TV advertisment.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Yes, it’s the proof that contempt for the USA is in Labour’s DNA.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I think we all should be ringing up talk-back stations around the country and expose the identity of this Keizer weasel if the press won’t do it.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 10:44 am
PhilBest – you may have a point…
I hope I’m wrong but really I can’t see why these secret tapers wouldn’t want to continue to carry on undermining National, should they win the election, nor I don’t see why The (Sub) Standard wouldn’t want to continue on either undermining a new National administration. Especially if HC or her favoured left-faction of the Party remain in control post the election, as they seem to believe that these tactics will win out in the end. For Labours sake longer term, I hope the Goff faction takes over but I’m not holding my breath. Unfortunately then for Labour, if the left faction continue with these shennanigans the public may not want to vote them back in in 2011!
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Interesting:
“Duncan Garner of TV3 said on Radio Live that the reaction to his network’s airing of the tape has been a total backlash against Labour for “sneaky politics”.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz-election-2008/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501799&objectid=10541218
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Tabloid gutter news simply to enhance viewership and generate ratings in the prime slot (news) – a strategy purely designed to improve TV3′s advertising revenue.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Look be real people. The reason TV3 ran this is
1) they had an exclusive, and if you have one you run it strongly on a day when there is nothing else to differnetiate your news, especially if it is a local story. That’s why it led.
2) You run it because if you don’t, the Standard or Scoop or some other place with an agenda will, and you have run the others.
But Garner’s commentary on it was a classic case of knowing htey were taking a risk and I thought he was pretty reasonable in casting a lot of doubt on the motives and completeness of what they ran. Unfortunately they should have taken the same approach on the first recordings and so set the tone for further coverage.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Stuff poll at 1405
64% say it is lame
another 20% say it is interesting but does not mean anything
However, once the those miserable people from the standard hijack it overnight, there will be 8 million votes saying that it suggests National are warmongerers.
Vote:November 5th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
http://www.stuff.co.nz/vote08/4751177a28435.html
seems the MSM have SORT OF picked this up
Vote: