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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Media as corporate prostitution


Gordon Campbell proves once again why he is one of the best commentators in NZ, a recent column by him gives an eye opening reality check of mainstream news media…

Gordon Campbell asks whether TVNZ and TV3 should be tutoring the spin merchants
Should shepherds be in the business of selling the secrets of how they guard their flocks? I know, that’s an awkward and not particularly accurate analogy - but it was the one that came to mind when considering a two day conference called MediaBiz-09 due to be held at the Sky City Convention Centre in mid February. Here’s how the ads go :

“The nightly news - a friend or a foe to your organisation? At Media Biz 09 a stunning line-up of professionals will share the secrets of getting your message across positively, in all forms of the media. Media Biz 09 brings you Mark Sainsbury, Mike McRoberts, Kevin Milne, Fran O’Sullivan and the country’s top consumer affairs media law and communications experts.

…if the news media are giving coporates the opportunity (at over $2000 per person for the conference) to show them how to manipulate the willing news media into twisting negative stories about those corporates into positive stories, why should the rest of us trust anything those bastions of media tell us? Shouldn’t we be deeply concerned that the mainstream media are actively touting for influence in the news?

6 Comments:

At 29/1/09 3:40 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

the panel on the elim deaths is quite chilling, a korero by the principal on 'how we managed the crisis successfully'

 
At 29/1/09 9:25 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You got it Bomber. You-hit-it-on-the-head. The name that really surprises me there is Kevin Milne. I thought he'd risen above this sort of nonsense. Sainsbury's a clown, Mike McR just does what he's told ..but Kevin Milne, hmmm.

 
At 29/1/09 9:38 pm, Blogger Steve Withers said...

I can't remember the last time I watched NZ TV news with the sound on. Oh yes! I remember! It was the day Obama took his train ride from NYC to Washington and the newsreader on TVNZ infomed us all that it was to comemmorate Abraham Lincoln's trip along the same route "in 1776" (which was 33 years before Lincoln was born, never mind President).

I turned it off.

 
At 30/1/09 8:26 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is this any different to Paul Holmes giving Don Brash media coaching?

Or Brian Edwards giving Helen Clark media coaching?

Lets face it: individuals working for the media in NZ are as big a whore as anyone else for a few quick bucks.

 
At 30/1/09 8:34 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Doesn't surprise me at all... bunch of money grabbers the lot of them... just surprised the two PHonies weren't there ( paul henry & paul holmes) with their mitts out for more dosh.

Our "media" serves us appallingly here in NZ.
I now get my news off the net and don't even bother watching the infotainment they call the news here.
Even john campbell, who started off well, has degenerated , so much so that when we hear his "hi de hi" welcome at the start of his program we all dive for the remote and change to "the crowd goes wild"

If these 'news'men for hire would spend as much time RESEARCHING as they do promoting themselves we might get some information off our news.

 
At 30/1/09 10:56 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wish Noelle McCarthy would do a workshop on how to speak in cod Irish.

 

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