HoS on Ansell
November 1st, 2012 at 1:00 pm by David FarrarI blogged on Sunday my disapproval of the Herald on Sunday story that included mention of John Ansell’s colourblind state campaign in an article about neonazi attacks.
Jono Milne, the HoS Acting Editor has contacted me and John Ansell and assured both of us that there was no intent to liken John and his Colourblind State campaign to the racist attack on an immigration consultant’s office. Their intent was the opposite – the two separate stories were run together to provide a counterpoint: a racist attack contrasted with a “Colourblind” campaign. But Jonathan accepts that some readers may have interpreted it the opposite way, and so he’s split the story back into its original two parts, at nzherald.co.nz.
I’m pleased to see they have done this.
November 1st, 2012 at 1:07 pm
An all-too-rare example of journalistic integrity.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 1:13 pm
Integrity my fucking gay ass. Ansell is fully deserving of a full page apology along with compensation for the damage to his reputation.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 1:19 pm
Too little too late. No-one will read that distinction now, the news cycle has moved on. What needs to happen next week is for the HOS to publish a prominent retraction and apology, but that won’t happen.
How is it possible for an editor or a sub-editor, to miss the target by so much, if their aim was truly that which Milne alleges? These people have spent decades doing this all day every day and its hard to believe that not once has it ever occurred to them to explore precisely how information in an article is assimilated in the human mind. Them not knowing this is the equivalent to a senior pilot not knowing whether or not when taking off he needs to put the stick forward or pull it back.
Sorry, not buying it and looking forward to a prominent retraction this Sunday.
[DPF: The decision would not have been taken anywhere near editorial level. I've known Jono Milne for a long time, and regard his word as good enough for me]
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Journalistic integrity from the HOS is as plausible as Hugh Hefner promoting chastity.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 1:22 pm
Wow, I’m sure Jimmy Smits is stoked to have his named associated with you
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 1:25 pm
***Jono Milne, the HoS Acting Editor has contacted me and John Ansell and assured both of us that there was no intent to liken John and his Colourblind State campaign to the racist attack on an immigration consultant’s office. Their intent was the opposite – the two separate stories were run together to provide a counterpoint: a racist attack contrasted with a “Colourblind” campaign. But Jonathan accepts that some readers may have interpreted it the opposite way, and so he’s split the story back into its original two parts, at nzherald.co.nz.***
Their intent was the opposite? Riiiiight. In saying that Milne must:
a) be an idiot; or
b) hoping to minimise a potential defamation suit.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 1:27 pm
Thats OK, following current trends, the Heralds editorial integrity will be restored when DPF becomes Editor in six months time
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 1:28 pm
How many rags published the findings of the Savings Working Group?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/4622459/Government-policies-blamed-for-house-prices
or the findings of the Australian Productivity Commission that there was little or no discernable benefit to Australians for immigration (apart from the property sector) it had all been captured by the migrants?
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/immigration/immigration-link-to-economic-growth-yet-to-be-proven-says-productivity-commission/story-fn9hm1gu-1226179973978
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 1:33 pm
So it was just journalistic incompetence then. Yeah, ok.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 1:38 pm
[DPF: The decision would not have been taken anywhere near editorial level. I've known Jono Milne for a long time, and regard his word as good enough for me]
Which really just goes to show how God damn little accountability there is for this trash newspaper. An organisation that doesn’t have top down level management is destined to fail to produce a quality product.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 1:52 pm
hmmokrightitis @ 1.27
Very good!
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 2:04 pm
And of course the original article is no longer intact for anyone to re-read and determine for themselves, now that it has been explained to us how we should have so cleverly understood its intention.
John Ansell also appears to have only linked to the item, but I trust may have a hard copy.
Vote:I would be pleased if he can post that on his site, so we may see for ourselves whether it was totally inept writing or actually just the fucking smear campaign it appeared to be on first reading.
November 1st, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Jimmy Smits 1:13 pm. Don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.
cheers
David Prosser
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 2:58 pm
I think the link was clear and intended, also sustainable because part of the product of John Ansel’s ‘colour blindness’ is that he promotes with myth that Maori were not the first settlers here and therefore shouldn’t have the status afforded them – that’s racist. Promoting the idea of imaginary white ‘beings’ over real existing people is prejudice from which Ansell believes he can promote ‘colour blindness.’ His foundation argument is flawed fantasy, that many took that article as intended to show a similarity between he and the nazis or whatever they were, speaks volumes of how he and his theories are accepted across the board.
Vote:Even with the ducking and diving DPF for example saw the intention of the link and now to say that he accepts Milne didn’t intend that, well whoopee! to that.
November 1st, 2012 at 3:20 pm
Nostalga.
Racist my fat arse. Factually correct. Its you uneducated under employed who can’t be bothered looking at the evidence that create the racism inherent in this country.
hmmokrightitis (898) Says:
November 1st, 2012 at 1:27 pm
Many a tru word is spoken in jest.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 5:16 pm
@ Nostalgia-NZ,
No, it speaks volumes for the despicable smear effort by Linley Bilby who wrote the article. The HoS, is now trying to backtrack without having to pay damages and avoid the Press Council. It was a clear breach of the principle of fairness, accuracy and balance which they are subject to.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 7:11 pm
It’s an equivocal measure Bob R, an attempt at a bob each way but still it could be argued that Hos sought to mitigate the situation. Calling it an oversight seems like a blue to me, a lot of people took the obvious comparison as a similarity rather than an opposite that Hos seem to be claiming now. They should print an apology and pray.
Vote:Overall, the problem remains for Mr Ansell that some in the public wouldn’t disagree with the obvious assertion, and would say there is evidence to prove it such as the claims about a ‘white’ race living in NZ before Maori arrived.
But maybe the general rule of if you ‘print it you own it’ isn’t hammered home to reporters and editors these days.
November 1st, 2012 at 7:58 pm
I don’t see the problem.
Colourblind is a racist attack.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Colourblind is a racist attack.
Precisely how Luc?
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 9:00 pm
It’s quite simple, Reid.
Neocolonialism.
In an age when European colonisers the world over (Israel excepted, of course) have recognised the injustices perpetrated to colonised and indigenous people during centuries of colonialism.
New Zealand was basically the second to last of those projects.
Clourblind aims to reassert that dominance, formalising oppression and dispossession, albeit this time through the ballot box and the tyranny of the majority rather than armed force or other means.
There is a basic truth that most of us don’t realise until it is pointed out.
Humans are rarely racist on an individual (micro) level, but they are insistently racist on the group (macro) level.
One of the outstanding failings of neoliberalism is racism.
While supposedly adhering to a pure free market philosophy, there is generally no free market in the movement of people.
If the migrant customer really was right, there would be no borders.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 9:12 pm
Ansell suing for defamation would have to be predicated on the ludicrous notion that he had a reputation to lose.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 9:23 pm
Ansell self-smears almost every time he opens his mouth.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 9:33 pm
Oh we’ll, now that the iwi are the elite of the country and the colonials and new immigrants their poor servants at least we can take solace that this scam has entrenched the evil capitalism in New Zealand forever because to try to take that away from them would be wacist.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 9:34 pm
I believe Ansell is a goose but there is no getting away from it the article deliberately put him in it to to attempt guilt by association. It was bloody shabby and I hope they have to pay.
Our host may believe the acting editor or what ever but its disingenuous to suggest Ansells was a counterpoint in the article. Its common in all papers now to do what they did example below:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/7895143/Second-Kaitaia-man-faces-child-sex-charges
they mention a recent event and then tie it into an older event, firstly to pad out the article and secondly to try and tenuously draw a link
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 9:36 pm
I see Kevin.
That would be why Maori die earlier, live in the worst houses (except for Dunedin students) and generally inhabit the lowest socioeconomic deciles.
I’ve got it.
Thanks.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 9:41 pm
Well luc apart from self identification meaning that maori are very little worse off in most cases on a percent ethnicity basis, yes you’ve got it.
Having poor Maori is the iwi elitists power and they won’t give them up. There’ll only be token trickle down there.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 9:41 pm
Dead right Luc, it’s their own leaders doing them down. Oh, and political correctness gone mad preventing anyone but the most courageous speaking out lest they be assaulted by the slander machine that is the lamestream media.
Vote:November 1st, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Luc no-one in this country except the far-left have any idea or care, what “neo-colonialism” is.
Ansell is taping into a resonance in the electorate which requires accountability Luc and mm.
By and large NZer’s are fair and generous but most of us really hate it when people try to take unfair advantage of that.
This is where Te Tiriti is at, right now, today. All of us are well aware of the issues which have resulted in the claims.
Equally all of us are aware the claims process has been beset by nepotism and an egregious lack of standards not acceptable in other courts of law. Nowhere else is a tribal elder permitted to rave on about sentimental claptrap which contradicts Crown research, and be listened to. Seriously, that happens all the time in the Tribunal. We’re all sick of it Luc. We’ve had enough.
Some of us are starting to think that the only thing which will satisfy Maori is all of us getting on a plane to Australia. Unfortunately that’s not going to happen Luc because all of us have relatives buried here, all of us have put our blood, sweat and tears into this place, and none of us give a flying fuck whether Maori appreciate that or not, it’s just we’re not going to be thrown out of the country WE have built.
At the same time because we’re kind and decent folk, we don’t begrudge the settlement process continuing toward its logical conclusion, but what Ansell is saying Luc and what there is a resonance for, is that the process is in its twylight years. We – the country – need an end date Luc. As far as the country is concerned, you lefties who wish to give away the whole thing because of YOUR guilt (not ours), are mad. We don’t see the compassion in dwelling endlessly with our Maori brethren on every little outchie they’ve ever suffered and this is because we don’t see a whole hell of a lot of them taking responsibility for their own outcomes. We don’t think Luc that the settlements have been unreasonable or miserly and therefore they should continue and be endlessly reopened until Maori are happy. This is because we believe they will NEVER be happy until they have taken everything WE have built. And that’s simply not just Luc. That’s not a true reflection of what’s happened since 1840.
BTW, I’ve used Maori and “us” in general terms above, I know many don’t believe that, although many do.
Vote:November 2nd, 2012 at 12:56 am
Luc, you’ll have to remind me what other ethnic group in NZ regularly gets billion dollar payouts in the form of “final” settlements.
Which other group gets preferential treatment to our Universities, its own ministry & minister (with substantial funding), its own TV channel funded by everybody, it’s own rugby team…
Don’t play the woe is me card. Kiwis overall accept their fellow Kiwis – but to say they are all second class and deserve pity is taking it too far.
Vote: