A misleading front page
March 7th, 2010 at 11:50 am by David FarrarThe front page of the Herald on Sunday proclaimed that the partner of Michael Laws had moved out after Police were called to his place in an incident classified as domestic attendance.
Only when you turned to the inner pages, and read the full story do you get the all rather important detail:
The partner of controversial Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws has moved out after he called police to their home.
I suspect 95% of people who read the front page headline about the Police being called and her moving out, would have assumed she called the Police and that Laws had behaved in some sort of threatening way.
Such a misconception could have been easily solved by making it clear on the front page that Laws called the Police. I wonder if it was a deliberate decision not to do so.
Tags: Herald on Sunday, Michael Laws
March 7th, 2010 at 11:55 am
I’m not surprised and wondered how the advocates of sterilization are coping with their own families and I guess nothing is further from the reality. We know Mr. Garret was reprimanded on his behaviour against his colleagues, but it’s only a matter of time before Mr. Law turns up.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
That’s not the only thing that was misleading. What we don’t learn till the third paragraph is that the police were called to the home in mid-January. The lead sentence, which is what you see on the front page of the online edition, makes it sound as if his partner moved out as a direct result of the call to the police. In fact the article tells us nothing more than that one event happened some indeterminate period of time after the other. The article attempts to imply a direct causal link between the two, but in reality this is speculation and should be framed as such.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Standard practice for newspapers. It would be noteworthy if a headline gave an accurate synopsis of the story.
The link is tenuous but I can now mention my favourite Sun headline (when Elton John and David Whatshisname had their civil ceremony): “Elton Takes David Up The Aisle”.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Well they got a bite out of Tassman. Well done for passing under the Herald’s I.Q. limbo bar there, Tass.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
What I find really difficult to understand is why some fuckwit of a cop is even commenting to the media about it especially in these times of name supression popularity.
“He last night refused to explain why, but the city’s police area commander Inspector Duncan McLeod said it was classified as a “domestic attendance” and the matter is not before the courts.
McLeod said the police officer attending would have carried out an arrest if he had witnessed any law being broken.
“The initial call came from Mr Laws himself. We have attended at the address on several occasions but not always on matters of this nature.
“There’s been a number of other things have have gone on over the years in the time I have been here but I won’t be going into details of those ones.
“I have spoken to the officer and he has categorically informed me that no violence occurred in front of him.”
Is everyone who sounds Scottish (McLeod/Reynolds) stupid?
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Laws and Brookhammer – I see a viper in the death grip of a boa constrictor.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
“Elton Takes David Up The Aisle” .. fantastic.
Vote:I am also stunned that this was released to the papers .. who actually decided it was front page stuff?
March 7th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Is “aisle” now the accepted way to spell “arse”. God how educational standards are slipping.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
‘I wonder if it was a deliberate decision not to do so.’
Really?
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Of course it was deliberate lie.
Vote:what else do you expect of the media?
they are as trustworthy as our MP’s and Ministers!
March 7th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Mr and Mrs Laws were probably just squabbling over who had used up all the eye-liner…
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
…or the steroid cream.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
I thought she had left him.
He called her a woman of no looks on national air ways and not long after that they had split.
Knowing how he talks, I simply assumed he had called the police. I never read the article.
He’s provacative and ignors feelings. Impossible to live with.
He probably stirred her up in the first place.
THe police thing was a cowardly strategy to kep her away.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Or it could be two people who once loved each other and who have had serious stress in their lives with their kid’s health have had their relationship finally crack. It happens.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Whew, thanks Brian sanity finally prevails.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Were they fighting over the use of the eyeliner?
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
yes Brian and Lofty .. not the 1st, not the last
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
What the hell is this even doing in a newspaper?! “Police called, nothing happens”.
Even though Laws has shamelessly exploited his family for publicity in the past, that doesn’t excuse the media using what must obviously be a painful experience to sell more newspapers.
There’s plenty to despise about what Laws says and does in his public life; what happens within his family is no business of ours.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
“Oh leave him alone! Stop hounding him!” I can hear Alison Mau shouting……NOT.
TV1 and The Herald suck balls big time and should be ashamed of their double standards and their unchecked unprofessional approach.
As I have said many times, mainstream journalism in New Zealand should be more responsible and objective.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
So Law’s called the fuzz in but nothing was going on.
Vote:Quite the drama queen isn’t he.
I wonder if she’ll write a book any time soon.
March 7th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Police called to mayor Michael Laws’ home.
The Herald might have a problem, a court case comming?
http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/statement-leonie-brookhammer/5/40876
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
I think Whaleoil might have had it first (‘cos I know how much people around the blogs like to say who had it first!):
Vote:http://whaleoil.gotcha.co.nz/2010/03/07/why-cant-the-herald-on-sunday-tell-the-truth/
March 7th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
I thought the front page was that ad’ about McDonalds and Weight Watchers.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Once again, more crap “journalism” (what a misnomer) from a supposedly major national newspaper.
Buy tomorrow’s edition for the latest in this contrived saga, where accuracy takes a back seat to the importance of selling more newspapers.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Doesn’t anyone want to know why Laws called the police??
And as for this not being news, what planet are you people (Rex included) on? Laws has plenty to say about the affairs of others, its about time his dysfunctional family life was bought into the spotlight.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
FWIW:
Some 30 or so years ago. I was OIC at a railway station where a teenager got run over and killed through his own stupidity (and in front of his mates). Inevitably the media became involved (in this specific instance TV), and I learnt the truth of the statement that ‘The press/media contaminates everything they become involved in’, as distortion and inaccuracy replaced truth and facts.
Nothing has changed – the media’s ‘maw’ is still open, it still consumes truth and regurgitates lies, they’re just more distorted and larger than before. Obviously supporters of the Hitlerite doctrine of ‘If you are going to tell a lie tell a big one’ also teach ‘Media’ and ‘Reporting’ at Polytechnics and Universities.
Sic transit gloria ‘Truth’ perhaps? George Orwell was oh so very accurate.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
YesWeDid asks:
I’m on the planet that has higher standards of ethics and morality than Michael Laws (remembering he has three children who are in the middle of all this). But feel free to join him in the trough.
Vote:March 7th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
YesWeDid – maybe you ought to read Leonie Brookhammer’s statement linked to by Doug above before opening your mouth , and you would realise that all that’s happening is she is moving her kids to a safer location after anonymous cowards have been making physical attacks on the house, and continually spreading malicious stories to discredit him. So all you do by claiming he has a “dysfunctional family” is prove her point about anonymous cowards.
Vote:March 8th, 2010 at 5:41 am
So the 2008 pol400 was a figment of the imagination.
Vote:March 8th, 2010 at 7:17 am
So why are you idiots still reading papers – not to mention you who PAY for them!
Vote:March 8th, 2010 at 9:29 am
“What happens within his family is no business of ours.”
Normally, that would be true and I wouldn’t have commented on this.
But when a man goes on live radio and makes derogatory or unfeeling comments about his own wife, the public has been given license to comment.
Because of that public comment, I now feel Laws truly is exploiting his family for some reason.
Vote:March 8th, 2010 at 9:30 am
Disgusting actions by the media. Taking a beat up to another level.
Vote: