I am angry, bloody angry!!

Scoopit!

When I first read a few blogs this morning I was merely depressed. Then, I went out and purchased the Sunday Star Times and the Herald on Sunday, and became some what despairing. Now I am bloody furious.

Why am I furious.

Well, firstly yet more column inches of newsprint and by my count at least some 15 items between the two papers mention or are devoted to the messy, tawdry Veitch business. Much of this could be dealt with in say two articles per paper. Radio is not much better and much of talkback is consumed with this matter.

There is a valid issue over what his bosses knew and when, but the rest is a media feeding frenzy to feed the slavering public hordes.

Yes it is dreadful, but as yet we do not have all the facts, but Veitch has been tried, executed and his remains burned in the fire of public self righteousness. Nothing is more appalling than the NZ public indulging in an orgy of prurient self congratulation over sticking it to a pathetic little man like Veitch.

I am not supporting Veitch, in fact I have never liked the man and do not watch or listen to him unless there is no option in the context of a programme I am watching/listening to for other reasons. Further, I never, ever watch the moronic Game of Two Halves.

My post is about what this whole affair, from a media perspective, says about New Zealand society

On a factual level, I am surprised that a woman whose back was broken in 4 places supposedly was back at work so quickly and holding down a senior executive position. There is I suggest more factual information to emerge. Incidentally, has anyone else noted that the victim has yet to comment directly, but a constant stream of information from someone who appears to have inside knowledge is being fed to the Fairfax newspapers. Who is doing this? What are they being paid? What do they have to gain?

I would suspect that nearly as much vitriol and comment has spewed forth as did over the Kahui business.

Yet very little has been said in the media as far as I can see about Derek Fox and his apparent involvement in a domestic violence claim. Fox wants to be an MP and arguably within the wider community was/is of more stature than Veitch. The Maori Party are standing by Fox. Where is the public questioning of this? Especially given past comments by various Maori leaders over the wrong that is domestic violence. Where are the TV and Radio commentators claiming they can no longer work with Fox, where are the screeds of newsprint excoriating Fox?

As I said in my rant yesterday there is a double standard at work here.

IS there no questioning of the Maori Party by politicians because they may need their support under MMP? If that is the case, it is a poor recommendation for our political leadership and for MMP? Is it the case that questioning of anyone about Derek Fox would bring forth cries of racism?

Yesterday the NZ Herald ran a front page story on what may be a very major political story, namely the possibility that Winston Peters, leader of NZ first and Minister of Foreign Affairs for New Zealand, may not have been honest in response to questions from the press earlier this year about whether NZ First received money from Owen Glenn.

This is a major story.

If this was another country, one would expect the media to be all over this, with analytical articles on what it means, the contrast between what Peters has said in the past and what now maybe emerging.

What do we get, a couple of brief mentions in the papers, one item on TVNZ News last night and that is about it.

Oh and some in the blogosphere who appear to think there is no issue as it is Peters and not National, or he only spoke in his capacity as leader of NZ First, he did not lie to Parliament. So that’s all right then.

This story has potentially far reaching ramifications, but there is little coverage.

It raises again questions over the honours system, the Electoral Finance Act, Glenn’s desire to be Consul to Monaco amongst other matters.

Further, it calls into question the entire democratic system, when a politician whose party may well hold the balance of power after the next election is not called immediately to account on a matter such as this. Leaving one with the unpleasant feeling that Winston Peters position as a potential ‘kingmaker’ post election is enabling him to dodge the issue. Why are the media so quiet? This matter is of far more import in the scheme of things than Tony Veitch. Their lack of follow up on this is appalling. The lack of comment from Helen Clark is appalling.

Where is the referral of this matter to the Police? Where is the referral of this matter to the Electoral Commission?

The Peters issue strikes to the heart of effective governance. It calls into question all the past statements by Peters on transparency, honesty etc. It raises further questions about Peters treatment of the press. It should cause questions to be raised about his fitness to hold a Ministerial warrant.

The Peters issue emerged on the same day that the Herald ran an article by Fran O’Sullivan on Hager. In this article she made reference to various comments by Don Brash concerning the police investigation into what Brash has always claimed was the theft of emails from his computer. I am not concerned here with the rights and wrongs of what Brash may or may not have done with the Exclusive Brethren, but with the questions he raises over the conduct of the police investigation such as: failure to interview Hager, failure to interview Winston Peters, who publicly claimed to have wads of said emails, excuses such that an APEC meeting meant police resources were stretched.

Where is the media follow-up? Where is the questioning of police to determine if Brash is correct in his assertions? Brash has made in his comments serious allegations. They deserve investigation and resolution.

Yet, Hager can publish a book and articles and to many they immediately assume the status of the Sermon on the Mount or the tablets on which were inscribed the Ten Commandments. They are not to be subject to questioning. Indeed, one is left feeling that, to some, to question Hager’s veracity is akin to apostasy and warrants stoning to death.

This disproportionate focus on Veitch, the ignoring of the Derek Fox issues by so many, the lack of focus on Peters and the slavish adulation by many of Hager is what has left me so angry today. The collective media myopia as to what is important is a disgrace.

I am angry, bloody angry and concerned for the future of this country if a matter such as Veitch can displace issues such as the conduct of the Foreign Minister, and the behaviour of the police into a matter which has political ramifications.

I suppose Veitch is an example of bread and circuses for the masses, while the constitutional framework burns around us.

Not only do these issues raise concerns over media myopia, but concerns about the priorities of many and the focus on the lives of so called ‘celebrities’. Have we dumbed down ourselves? Or have we let politicians and the media dumb us down?

Scoopit!