Opinion by Chris Whitworth
Media and politicians can make strange bedfellows. It’s an uneasy and at times abusive relationship that comes under strain from past hurts and differing needs.
Reporters will forever wish politicians would “just answer the question” and equally, politicians yearn for the day media report the positive and don’t sensationalise the negative – be it focusing on a slip of the tongue or wayward phrase.
The problem is that it’s a vicious cycle: evasive politicians spawn intrusive reporters, and vice versa.
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So when the Prime Minister meets ACT candidate John Banks for a cup of tea, why was there such a media scrum you ask? Because up until then John Key had given media nothing but double-speak about National’s deal with ACT.
In fact, many in the media feel Key and his Cabinet have completely shut up shop ahead of the election, forcing them to jump on what ever scraps they are given.
Radio New Zealand’s head of news Don Rood says Key refused to front for both of their scheduled election debates with Labour leader Phil Goff on Morning Report – despite requesting the interview at the start of the year.
That puts them in a difficult position because of their role as public broadcaster and charter to inform the public and deliver fair and balanced news.
“We’d like to be able to talk to the Prime Minister when there are issues of importance that need to be addressed and issues of importance for the country to the voter,” he says. “Especially in election year it’s important [the public] are as informed as possible.”
Mr Rood says even during the year some National MPs have been “hesitant” to appear on the station and have often pulled out. Labour’s campaign spokesperson Grant Robertson suggests the “cold shoulder” from National is intentional.
A quick look at the RNZ website shows a similar gap in policy information provided by National.
“We asked questions of all parties about what their policies were on significant issues that we think voters should be informed on, and if you have a look at that you will see that National has declined to engage,” says Mr Rood.
The problem could be excused if Radio New Zealand was alone in this, but National’s reluctance to front appears to be industry wide.
TV3’s The Nation issued a press release earlier this month informing viewers that Key refused to appear on the show. It read: “John Key refuses to talk to The Nation so we've gone in search of him … follow[ing] the Key campaign and find[ing] that its endless photo opportunities are carefully planned stage shows”.
And so the list keeps growing.
Key has scarcely appeared on TV3’s Campbell Live or TVNZ’s Close Up – bar the standard leaders’ debates – and refused the New Zealand Herald’s request for a one-on-one between him and Phil Goff. I contacted the press secretary for Steven Joyce - National's election campaign manager - yesterday for explanation but as of yet have not received a reply.
New Zealand’s media landscape is not huge, so once TV3, TV1, Radio New Zealand and the Herald are crossed off – who is left?
Perhaps an unsurprising casualty is comedian Jeremy Elwood and broadcaster Pat Brittenden, with their political podcast ‘The Slightly Correct Political Show’.
The weekly internet-only show takes a satirical look at the election, and aims for a guest politician every week.
At first glance the show seems a modest affair – it’s run and promoted almost entirely through Facebook and has just 254 likes. Despite the small audience though, Elwood’s show has managed to attract many of the election’s key figures: Phil Goff, Don Brash, Winston Peters, Hone Harawira.
“We got the leaders of virtually all of the other parties,” says Elwood.
“The most senior person we could get in National was Simon Bridges…and no disrespect to Simon but he is not exactly one of the major players.”
Elwood admits the show is no Morning Report but after speaking to other media he says a common message is emerging:
“Certainly the feeling that I got was that National were coasting, and in a way felt that by doing media, all they could really do from here is mess things up,” he says. “And there have been a couple of examples of why they were probably absolutely right.”
So who is to blame? Did the media harass Key into a corner until he felt his best defence was just to keep quiet, or is it arrogance from a party who think the election is already won?
I think it’s more sinister.
Key doesn’t respect the media, and wants to have his cake and to eat it too. He wants the media for all his photo-ops and baby-kissing but then stonewalls when asked – repeatedly – for serious debate.
If the polls prove correct and Key does return for a second-term in Government, he would be wise to repair the burnt bridges with New Zealand’s media, because in the words of former US president Bill Clinton:
“Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel.”
Or tapes by the tonne.
3 News