(letter to the editor of the Daily Telegraph NZ)

Dear Sir,

There has been much said in recent days about the state of reporting by MSM in this country. They are of course not alone in their obfuscation, when it comes to the Covid-19 narrative in particular. Many are of the opinion Governments and other parties are in collusion on this matter, the language being the same the world over as numerous examples show. There are clear and definite lines of communication and persuasion, which emanate from the same source. This is no longer up for debate.

While our television, radio and press, via traditional means or on-line, attempt to bring us the news they believe matters, and some of it does, there has been for some time an apparent deliberate stance, to shape the narrative in keeping with government lines. This is most noticeable with one in particular, I am of course referring to the Wellington based, Stuff.

Their constant, and there is no other word for it, attack on many New Zealanders is worrying at best. Never in all my years a Kiwi, have I witnessed such ill will aimed at a section of New Zealand society, if indeed the people from all walks of life who make up Voices for Freedom could be deemed a section.

It is the purpose of reporters to do just that. It is not their bailiwick to cast aspersion, to taunt, or present a false account to their readers. Their continual myopic assault on good people whose aim is to build strong and co-operative neighbourhoods, to offer support for those in need, and bring fairness to the forefront, can only be measured in terms of abuse, not only of journalistic credential, but of the people they go after. It is reminiscent of all dictatorships who wish to browbeat citizens into submission. That it should come from an independent commercial enterprise is disturbing in the extreme, the reason can only be due to direction by another party.

Stuff is a law unto themselves, naturally driven by money, some of which the Government pays. That they bow to Jacinda Ardern, gives them free reign in all they do, and permission to go after whoever they judge abnormal when measured against their own morality; a morality clearly wanting. In adopting this posture they are denying valuable and important information to their audience, knowledge that could save lives, indeed enhance its quality. The irony being they ask for financial support for their ongoing deceit, the unwitting reader who pays effectively placing a noose around their own neck. But such is the mind of the media psychopath when all is said and done.

So, Anna, Nadine, Paula, Michelle and Keith Lynch to name a few, you have the responsibility to do your job properly, to report on what is actually true, not what the Prime Minister and others tell you is true. It is time for you able people to remove the scales from your eyes, to see the world as it is, and to bury the hatchet of judgement. You need to understand the world has moved on, masks, mandates and lockdowns no longer the issue it was.

You can start by asking the Government why it persists in maintaining a climate of fear, when Corona virus is just that, from which the majority recover as they do the common cold. The mRNA vaccine is the problem, not the virus. This is now common knowledge.

For my part, peaceful living is the better way but others are not so forgiving, the guillotine option having appeal. Many now regard you as a joke; others as evil, still others angry at your style of journalism and so-called reporting. If push ever did come to shove, the people rise up and violence ensues, much of the blood will be laid at your door.

It is time now for some common sense, and an appeal to all in the responsible position of informing the public on matters, which affect our daily lives. It is down to you to restore the balance now lacking, to be as good as you know you are; to report the truth, to listen to others, to give them a chance to tell you what they think and why, and to be open to good evidence, backed by reliable science when it comes to personal health choices.

In closing I will leave you this question to consider. How is it, that leading infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists, in their tens of thousands, have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of prevailing Covid-19 policies, and have signed a declaration to that effect can be wrong, when a $1 media company, at the arse end of the world, can be right in all it says and does on Covid-19 and all it entails?

It’s time to play nice…

James
Waikanae

See also this comment by Karl du Fresne on his blog “And they wonder why media credibility has nosedived”