All the news that is S**t to print

 

People losing their jobs is not good news.

But the question is: is it news at all?

I am referring to Newshub's imminent demise and TVNZ's staff cuts, which have led to the cancellation of several long-standing programmes. The number of staff cuts makes for grim reading, but does it warrant the amount of coverage it received from the media? Is it new, and is it, to a certain extent, self-inflicted?

In answer to the first question: I would say no. The fact that a major broadcasting operation, Warner Bros. Discovery, is closing its New Zealand news operation is news and probably does warrant heading the television news of its masthead channel and that of its government-owned rival. But doing so night after night with media-savvy presenters and newsreaders fronting impromptu press conferences was audacious, ludicrous, repetitive, and ultimately, I think, ineffectual.

What is not in question is the media’s right to do it. This is media having access to media. So, they used it. Over-used it, in my view. And that is in stark contrast to the meagre and all-too-fleeting coverage of substantial redundancies in other industry sectors.

But they aren’t the media.

I guess it’s a case of if you have it, flaunt it.

The second question is: is it new? No, the demise and the reduction of media have been going on for a long time and are wholly understandable. Economic factors are a big driver, and I can remember a time in America—a time in the 60s when, notwithstanding it produced some of the greatest columnists of all time, 305 daily newspapers closed their doors. And it has continued; since 2005 the U.S. has lost nearly 2900 newspapers, and 45,000 journalists have lost their jobs. Magazine numbers have had a proportional decline.

Whilst there are no exact numbers for newspapers and other media outlets going to the wall in New Zealand, we see anecdotally the same decline happening here.

So, the third and final question, is the decline of the media self-inflicted? In part, yes. Media can point to greater competition, the advent of social media, the cost-of-living crisis, audience and advertising distribution, COVID-19, and a score of other factors. But could not one of the reasons be that people no longer respect or trust the media—particularly the news media?

I look at what is served up to me today, and what I see and hear is concerning. For example, this morning on ZB radio, the three main news items were about the release of reports—obscure reports by obscure groups on obscure issues—hardly worthy of the research, let alone the publication of that research. Check out the TV news tonight; it’ll probably be the same. Put simply, reporters are not reporting other than to parrot the latest press release about reports soon to fade into obscurity.

They are not doing their job—hunting out and reporting on the important issues.

And then we have the failure of the media—particularly television—to demonstrate any objectivity. You may disagree. But do you recall those days of the Podium of Truth? Jessica, then Tova, then Barry? Jessica saw the light and did a Jacinda (runner), Tova went to podcasts, and Barry is still—well—Barry. But they have been replaced by a new breed: Maikie Sherman (TVNZ) and Amelia Wade (Newshub)—strident, full of self-importance and, given their reporting, totally bereft of credibility.

The perceived Maorification of the media may also played a part in declining ratings for the news.

And then there is the quality of presentation and reportage of the news. We have, for the most part, young, inexperienced news reporters who want to be the next Woodward or Bernstein. They haven’t the training for it, and more importantly, they don’t have the editorial oversight that maintains the standards—grammar, spelling, consistency--and even the objectivity of quality reporting.

There are exceptions. I think Newshub has some good people in there and in my view generally do a better job than TVNZ.

But increasingly, I am turned off and turning off the news—all news.

The old saying, I think from the New York Times, “All the News That’s Fit to Print,” is no longer fit for purpose.

Loose lollies and other proclivities

 

With the passage of time and a diminishing libido an old man like me loses his passion for the proclivities of youth such as horny women, masturbation, and Richard Laymon books.

Instead, one seeks other interests for an increasingly chaotic and ill-disciplined mind that is constantly conscious and concerned about the signs of early dementia and Parkinson’s.

In my case, those new-found interests include Charles Dickens's books, Mississippi's music, and shops.

Of course, the first two need no explanation—at my age and with my ailments, Bleak House becomes a light read, and The Blues befits my state of mind. But shops?

I have developed a fascination with fascinating shops.

They can be fascinating for any number of reasons, but the most prevalent are what they stock, the eccentricity of the owner, or both.

An excellent example of the latter is a small liquor store on the main street of Katikati in the Bay of Plenty. It’s called Finer Wines but stocks far more than just wines. That’s why it is so fascinating: almost every inch of available floor space is stacked shoulder-high with cases of liquor—wine, beer, and spirits. There is so much of it that walking two abreast between the stacks is impossible. Nor is there room to pass someone if they are already in the narrow corridors between the stacks—you must wait for them to vacate the area.

I have seen nothing like it before.

But what makes Finer Wines even more remarkable is the owner. He will tell you, as he told me, that the reason he has so much stock is that he has just taken delivery of new stock and hasn’t had time to put it away. That is not true. I know for a fact (because I was told) that his shop has always been like that and has been so since its opening.

 Even more remarkable, and alone worth a visit, is that this man seems to know where to immediately find any bottle in the shop even, in my case and my request, the most obscure of whiskies. He will also tell you something about every bottle you may be interested in, give tasting notes, and make recommendations.

Finer Wines in Katikati is well worth a personal visit, but there is also a website if you can’t make it.

The other store of interest to me is closer to my home in the Bay of Islands. It is the general store in the small rural town of Okaihau. It is owned by a friend of mine, and next to the district’s best butcher, which is why I first visited it.

The general store lives up to its name by being just that—it stocks just about everything, from fresh produce to toys. There are clothing, books, paintings, and garden tools. But most fascinating of all is that the store is a throwback to an earlier era—and deliberately so. There are loose lollies of the long-forgotten but fondly remembered (when seen) kind, such as large spearmints, milk bottles, smokies, and humbugs. There are toys I remember playing with as a toddler but haven’t come across for decades, and there is a woman behind the counter who looks and acts like Ronnie Barker’s Arkwright from Open All Hours. My wife and I spent almost an hour in this shop the other day and I am sure we didn’t see all this wonderous shop has to offer.

Settlers Way Country Store—make a visit or shop online at https://www.settlersway.co.nz/.

So, deprived of, or perhaps more accurately, dispensed with the proclivities of youth mentioned above, I am quite happy to settle for the small things in life, such as these shops.

They are my happy place.

 

The Long Walk Back

 

Someone, it may have been Will Rogers, once said of California that it was as if the United States had tilted, and all the country’s nuts slid into the Golden State.

I felt that way when I watched Parliament this week. It was as if the floor of the House had tilted, and all the nutters were deposited in its northeast corner.

They are all there—The Greens and Te Pati Māori—all Tā Moko and broad-brim hats, nestled in their little enclave, clinging smugly and righteously together.

Occasionally, one of them will venture out in a quixotic endeavour to harry the hoards. However, as Julie Anne Genter found this week, the long walk back can be costly and humiliating.

Of course, Genter’s embarrassment is just the latest among the greenery. There is also the bullying allegation against Genter, the shoplifting of Ghahraman, the exploitation allegations surrounding Darleen Tana and that ridiculous attempt by the Greens to oust their leader, James Shaw, last year—too white, too old, too male, too sensible.

Too bad he’s gone.

Add to that list of tribulations their behaviour of a couple of weeks ago when they turned up in the House en-mass wearing Shemagh Tacticals Desert Scarfs, presumably in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Not a good look on you, James, but you were at least saved, by conveniently being overseas, of the disgrace of looking like a dickhead.

Then, on Tuesday of this week, all the women of the Green Party turned up in matching green frocks and ill-fitting frocks, too. They looked like a contingent from Gloriavale. What was that all about?

Te Pati Māori say some outrageous things and they love to provoke. But co-leader Rawiri Waititi usually does it with quiet humour and good grace, and the party usually sticks to its core values.

So, what are they doing over there on the road to nowhere in the northeast corner?

If I had a message for Waititi, it would be to get out of there before it is too late. Allow your magnificent Tā Moko to shine, brother. Nothing good ever comes from playing with the nuts.

And my message to the Green Party is simple: If you want to save the planet, you have to first get on it.