TVNZ as fair & balanced as Fox News U-turn

TVNZ winding down English 'propaganda' ad
An ad Labour says is propaganda for the National Government will finish running its course before being replaced with another, TVNZ says.

This U-turn by TVNZ is not a time to gloat, the speed of the hard right blitzkrieg by Daddy State doesn’t give any of us the luxury for that. TVNZ are clearly changing the advertising schedule BECAUSE of the immense pressure put upon them from critics, the last thing on earth TVNZ wants to be perceived as is as ‘fair & balanced’ as Fox News.

Bloggers attacked the outright bias of these promos, Trevor Mallard at Red Alert linked through to our blog and our criticism, and it quickly snowballed from there, so change can be forced upon these buggers, we shouldn’t feel powerless in the face of this Governments outright abuse on democracy.

TVNZ have to ask themselves who will rally to support them as National plan their privatization post 2011. Now either the clowns there WANT to be privatized hence the arse kissing and suck job to the Nats, OR TVNZ think that by sucking up to the Nats they won’t be privatized – both strategies won’t work.

1: The Nats don’t consult with anyone when they privatize (unless it’s with ACT)
2: No one will rush to your support as the public broadcaster when you’ve shown no balls against National and have shown little more than contempt towards public broadcasting.

TVNZ has to have a liberal voice in their current affairs, if nothing else to pretend to look like they are balanced. Much better TVNZ has a Kim Hill to really take it to National Politicians than the pap they roll out at the moment.

The W recession which is about to pop the global economy’s post 2008 crash bubble will see more unemployed, desperate and frightened people sitting at home with little more to do than watch TV. These angry people will want answers and a sharp public broadcaster would move to start talking to that audience. The TV industry is in the perverse situation right now of having more viewers than ever before because people are staying at home watching TV rather than going out 5 nights each week while the advertising revenue collapses. More viewers no advertisers, only the public broadcaster is in a position to survive that situation.

The media fulfill an essential role in our democracy, they hold the powerful to account and as the global economic meltdown tsunami hits our shores the public will want much sharper criticism from their media.

It’s good TVNZ were forced to dump this party political broadcast, but they have much further to go to shake the fair and balanced as Fox News tag.