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Blogger Bomber banned from RNZ for criticism of Key

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Blogger banned from RNZ for criticism of Key

3News NZ

Martyn 'bomber' Bradbury's criticism of Prime Minister John Key has earned him a ban from RNZ

Martyn 'bomber' Bradbury's criticism of Prime Minister John Key has earned him a ban from RNZ

By James Murray

Left-wing blogger Martyn “Bomber” Bradbury has been banned from Radio New Zealand, after criticising John Key on the show The Panel.

Bomber made comments on the show regarding the throat slitting incident in Parliament last week and John Key’s hosting of an hour long Prime Minister’s Show on RadioLIVE.

He is now saying RNZ banned him for defaming the Prime Minister, tweeting:

"RNZ now claim they banned me because I defamed the PM that wasn't mentioned in their call to me, they r making this up as they go along now."

The ban was revealed on Radio New Zealand’s Mediawatch programme yesterday and confirmed by Bomber in a blog posted today.


Bomber said he though Radio New Zealand were joking when he initially heard about the ban.

“I was wrong, this was no joke. I was told I would be banned, I asked if that was for life and was left with the impression that a Labour-Green Government would be in power before i was ever let back on the station,” he wrote today.

This afternoon Radio New Zealand said Bomber had not been banned for life or from other shows on the station.

He also published a transcript of what he said on the show:

What does a $43 million loan to MediaWorks buy you on RadioLIVE - apparently an hour of John Key avoiding answering any questions on politics. Why pay MediaWorks $43 million for that, when John Key can appear on Close Up and not answer questions for free. Whanau, I have been critical over our mainstream media's none ending love affair with Key, it's our first cult of no personality, but Radio Live takes fair and balanced to a whole new level of Fox News crazy.

Radio Live didn't offer any other political leader an hour of free talkback and went on to claim that allowing the Prime Minister to host an hour of radio minus any hard questions at all about his policy isn't political. Which is kinda like arguing that allowing George W Bush to write editorials in the New York Times about his favorite cake recipe during the invasion of Iraq isn't 'political'.

Radio Live say it's because of electoral law that John Key couldn't answer questions on politics. Really? Put Key in there for an hour with an interviewer and ask him questions, that would have side stepped those issues, but to give him an hour where he gets to hide behind a 'no politics' zone on the very day our credit was downgraded is simply disgraceful!

This is NZ, not Cuba, the Dear Leader doesn't get to drone on on about his personal crap 50 days out from an election. Rather than answer questions about the country going to hell in a hand basket, John Key talked about his cat and his views on Coronation Street moving timeslots.

No wonder the sleepy hobbits love Key so much, with media as uncritical as Radio Live, I'm surprised Key isn't registering 80% support.

And John Key's attempt yesterday to blame the Labour Party for a mans attempted self harm in Parliament is a new low, even for Parliament.

Yelling, "It's your fault, it's your fault" while making a throat slashing gesture at Phil Goff (as a man with mental health issues dangled from Parliaments balcony) is the sort of ravings one expects from a meth addict on a bender, not the political leader of a country.Topping this nonsense off is Key's excuse that he was actually talking about Labour's criticism of his over spending on the Diplomatic Protection service?

What could justify making a throat slashing gesture at Phil Goff for an event that had all the implications of an attempted suicide if the guy had actually fallen?

What a lovely little piece of work our Prime Minister is when he is caught off guard.

According to Radio New Zealand Bomber was banned for an “an unacceptable breach of Radio New Zealand’s editorial policies”.

He disputes this in his blog saying:

“I don't think anything I raised there as part of my opinion piece broke any editorial rules.

“The people currently flooding RNZ with complaints about my banning also don't think I broke any editorial rules when lined up against the right wing pundits who pronounce their Gospel as accepted faith.”

Labour movement blog The Standard has also weighed into the debate.

“The media was up in arms this week about Lockwood Smith’s over reaction to The Herald’s breach of rules in Parliament.  I wonder if there will be a similar hue and cry when a Leftie is banned for criticising the PM,” wrote contributor Anthony Robins.

A spokesperson for Radio New Zealand released this statement to 3 News this afternoon.

“Mr Bradbury’s invitation to take part in The Panel discussion segment was withdrawn because his personal comments about the Prime Minister were deemed to be in breach of Radio New Zealand’s editorial requirements for fairness and balance.One of his comments was regarded as being potentially defamatory.

"Mr Bradbury’s comments were inconsistent with information he had provided to programme producers before going on air.

"Mr Bradbury later apologised to the programme’s executive producer.It was made clear to him that while his invitation to appear as an occasional guest on The Panel was being withdrawn, it was not a ‘lifelong ban’ and it did not apply to other Radio New Zealand programmes."

3 News

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Comments

7/11/2011 11:29:03 p.m.

Tony wrote:

Well done RNZ! imho it was not so much what he said but how he said it! I have often disagreed with the opinions on the show (which are quite liberal) but the "cut and thrust" has always been with respect. Not so in is case. Mr. Bradbury's rant just went on and on (probably rehearsed) sounding like a protestor shouting through a megaphone.

18/10/2011 9:44:55 p.m.

Andrew Hart wrote:

Bomber Bradbury is a very lively guest that always entertains. Doesn't National Radio need more youth content ?
I just love this :
"No wonder the sleepy hobbits love Key so much, with media as uncritical as Radio Live, I'm surprised Key isn't registering 80% support.
Key is allowed to tell lies about Standard and Poors credit rateing downgrade and the public doesn't care !!
I suppose National Radio will get it's funding cut again now.



14/10/2011 1:09:55 p.m.

MP wrote:

Leaving aside issues of balance and fairness, I'm delighted he has been 'fired'. I'm happy to listen to, and seriously consider, constructive opinions, expressed well, even if in complete contradiction to my views and beliefs. What I shrink from is a loud mouthed lout, with ill considered arguments, badly expressed. And, by the way, you leftists crying about balance, what was the last time you heard a genuine ACT support on Mora's programme.

13/10/2011 1:59:47 p.m.

Conrad wrote:

John can't even defend himself from one justified lefty extremist, so he just leaps at the opportunity to sue him? New Zealand is in GREAT hands!

12/10/2011 8:41:57 a.m.

andrew wrote:

I listen to the panel debates every day,and the banning of Martin Bradbury is in my opinion completely justified .He must have been on a very short leash as in the previous 5 appearances on the panel all he can rant about is John Key.
Perhaps he thinks he is helping the left with his rants,sadly no,John Key will win the next election by a country mile,Gough will then have to resign leaving the left in dissaray for another 3 years ,poor old bomber

11/10/2011 9:50:13 a.m.

The_Watcher wrote:

There wouldn't have been the same issue had the person being attacked been Goff and bomber didn't say anything that wasn't true. RNZ bosses are pro-right, this was merely proof.

10/10/2011 11:28:13 p.m.

richarquis wrote:

@ Repeat: "The Media, including TV, is getting like the Labour party, a gaggle of gays and self serving unionists. Better to be reporting what is happening and let the READER make up their mind as to what is going down instead of the Media trying to influence which way we think. That is Communism in full flight. Grow up Bomber and start to think like a true man." Firstly, what in god’s name do you think gay people have to do with it? Secondly, I think you’ll find unionists serve a collective, not individuals. “Self-serving” is the domain of capitalism, which is just a teensy bit different to communism, you may find. The only thing in full flight here is a great winged dodo that considers itself an argument. You say he should think like a “true man”? What’s that? Someone who hates gays, and believes that a group of people joining together to protect themselves and their rights are Leninists? That’s absurd. If you really believe that people should be free to speak as they choose, report as they choose, and decide as they choose, then why on earth would you completely negate that by opening your argument with terms that attempt to marginalize people based on sexual orientation, or belonging to a network designed to prevent exploitation? Your argument is self-opposing, and in itself, defamatory, based on opinions and misinformed stereotypes, not facts. Well, this reader has made up their own mind, and finds your argument null and void, on the basis that it is contradictory, and built on a house of cards.

10/10/2011 10:54:54 p.m.

Brian van Dam wrote:

A shocking decision by RNZ, and one I hope they back away from. Bradbury's comments were not defamatory in my view, and if RNZ felt they were, they could have asked Bradbury to apologise. RNZ is also inconsistent in claiming they have not banned Bradbury from all shows - are they saying he cannot comment on the Jim Mora Panel for risk of defaming Key, but can comment (and potentially defame Key) on other RNZ shows? Bizarre contradiction. I note National party spin doctor Matthew Hooton was rude and spoke over host and co-guest in last week's RNZ Nine to Noon, but he is not banned (and nor should he be). Please support free speech Radio NZ.

10/10/2011 8:06:36 p.m.

Hamish wrote:

Oh poor babies, he's defaming the mighty leader. John K will crap on NZ and then leave, how long is it going to be before these nat voters see it? Bomber only said what many others did! I thought you nats liked freedom of speech and hated nanny state? Not any more!!

10/10/2011 6:30:06 p.m.

Ed wrote:

Its hard to see where the comments from Bradbury were any different in substance from the attacks from Hooten. The question of government support for Mediaworks was raised in Jim Mora's programme again today. This is political censorship.