“The truth is, the public has become very tired of the lies and propaganda fed to us by the media. It isn’t just anti-vaxxers, as they keep trying to tell us, it is people from all walks of life, vaccinated or not, who disagree with what is going on in this country and want it to change.

“But for some reason, the media thinks it can just take the government’s money, feed the public government propaganda and everyone will just accept it like good little sheep.

“Well, as we have seen recently, they won’t. —article on the BFD

by Geoffrey Churchman

Although I normally don’t watch TV One News (as former Dominion Post editor Karl du Fresne would say, there are limits to how much suffering I can endure), I went to the TVNZ On Demand webpage to see what they had to say about yesterday’s anti-Jacinda government protest in Wellington.

And they lived up to expectations.

The lead-in by Wendy Petrie: “New research shows people stuck at home are being bombarded with misinformation that is becoming increasingly violent and racist. Here’s political editor Jessica Mutch Mckay.” Yep, good ole sensationalism, but what evidence does Jessica (who is apparently married to one of Dear Leader’s body-guards) present to back that up?

“3,000 marching through the capital. Led by bikers down Lambton Quay. Their message echoing around parliament, too. There were anti-vaxers, people against mandates for vaccines, those who oppose lockdowns, the media and even Trump flags.”

Cut to short soundbites by demonstrators. Then cut to a shot of Jessica wearing a spidery-web/leopard themed mask(!). “The mood here is electric, you can feel their anger and frustration as they try and communicate their message to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister heard them from her office.” Sound bite from Dear Leader contemptuous of the protestors, and a very brief one from Judith Collins, saying that in the time she’s been in Parliament she’s never seen anything like the security arrangements [yesterday].

So far OK. But here comes the propaganda:

“Jacinda Ardern says she’s seen increased anger aimed at her online. Research out today shows that misinformation about covid-19 is becoming more violent, extreme mysogenistic and racist.”

We next get to see the ‘researcher’, someone named Kate Hannah, who says: “anti-Maori racism, Islamophobia and we’re also seeing white supremacist imagery being used in its entirety. We’re seeing indications that the government or state [is] similar to the Nazi regime, to Apartheid, to a Stalinist or Communist regime.”

Hold on, there isn’t anything about covid in that, in fact is this Kate Hannah even talking about it? Rather that is a list of complaints about how Saint Jacinda is being portrayed from a member of the Jacinda faithful. Does throwing those two sentences together even make sense? How does either woman explain the fact that a very high number of the protesters around the country are Maori?

Well Jessica tries, and comes up with this: “That was evident today with words like Apartheid and Nazi symbols.” Cut to two Jewish women who side with Jacinda and say the comparison is abhorrent. Jessica continues: “Experts say there is evidence that extreme groups are tapping into causes like the Maori rights movement.” Cut to a Tina Ngata who is a virulent Maori Party activist totally at odds with Maori like Carlene Louise and Billy Te Kahika who make abundantly clear their belief and desire in love, peace, unity and equal rights for all, as do their many followers. Where is the evidence for this alleged infiltration of tangata whenua groups, Jessica? You sound like Patrick Gower of TV3, with the difference being that unlike him, you don’t even try to find anything concrete in support of your and Ms Ngata’s claim.

Then we get a talking head of a Jacinda supporter who describes the protesters as “pricks.” Jessica signs off by adding: “this small group making a loud noise here at Parliament.” Well, even you admit there were 3,000 attendees and other estimates are more like 5,000 — a small group? Hmm.

The huge problem is all this is typical of TV One and TV3 a.k.a. Newshub, as well as Radio NZ, Stuff and NZME, so it’s no wonder people who disagree with the Jacinda government get pissed off. I and many others I know — some in the independent media — do too. We simply get tired of being preached to by those with an obvious political agenda and use their government subsidized primetime news to do it.