Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately.This week Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about two stories pulled by publishers this week, Covid vaccine scepticism confronted on talk radio, how close Stuff came to closing - and a profile of a high-profile prisoner that rubbed some readers up the wrong way.
Absolutely positively spiked
The December 15 2020 DomPost opinion piece stuff has deemed a breach of editorial standards. Photo: PHOTO / RNZ Mediawatch
In mid-December Stuff and the Dominion Post published a piece by by New York-based New Zealand PR professional Brian Sweeney headlined “Absolutely Positively Consequential” online - and "Forget cool, city needs to get consequential" in the paper.
It was all about how Wellington should promote itself - and what its people should be proud of.
“Be Consequential. Absolutely. And Positively,” exhorted Sweeney.
“There is existential gnashing of teeth about Wellington’s direction as a city. The list of issues is well recorded. Most cities in the world are facing infrastructure and economic issues. I’m not qualified to propose engineering or financing solutions, but I have experience in designing the ‘emotional infrastructure’ of countries, cities and companies, in finding their purpose and framing this in compelling language.”
Wellingtonians are more concerned now about bricks and mortar infrastructure, not the emotional one.
It’s a tough read though for citizens concerned about the more pressing problems of the city - bursting pipes, munted buildings, sky high housing costs and so on.
"Wellington’s coffee houses are cool, but the city needs to move to a harder-edged, consequential imperative. Make. Sell. Ship. Steve Jobs said “Real Artists Ship.” The entire city needs to ramp up its productivity and outreach. The philosophy that “the kumara does not speak of its own sweetness” needs to be knocked on its head. Marketing is not cheerleading or junk science. It’s what communicates ideas.”
It was Stuff’s own journalist Tom Hunt this week - using the local government version of the OIA - who discovered Brian Sweeney was paid $12,000 by WellingtonNZ to write the 600-word piece and \talk to invited guests about how to promote Wellington.
On Monday Stuff added this to the Sweeney article:
"Subsequent to publishing this opinion piece, Stuff learned that the author had been paid by WellingtonNZ to write it. Stuff apologises to readers for publishing the article without disclosing this information."
By Tuesday morning it was gone altogether:
Photo: screenshot
Tom Hunt also reported New Zealand economist David Skilling, based in the Netherlands, also presented at the same event at a cost of $12,000. More sessions, from locally-based New Zealanders, are planned.
Freelance journalists are staggered at the sum on offer. The rates for journalism offered by publishers come nowhere near that and haven't increased in about 30 years.
Wellingtonians who paid for it and want to know more about “being consequential” can find it on WellingtonNZ website’s Media Centre which is “designed to provide you with all the information, tools and inspiration you need to tell the Wellington story”.
It’s not the only piece that day Stuff ended up regretting. On Monday Stuff published this headline on its social platform: Body of missing kayaker Koyren Campbell found in Petone
But the story said “Stuff understands the body is not that of Koyren Campbell, a kayaker who went missing on January 17.”
Confusing for readers - and upsetting for the family who held vigil praying for his return the previous weekend.
Alarming vaccination article withdrawn
Photo: screenshot
Last Sunday night nzherald.co.nz briefly published a piece headlined: Covid 19 coronavirus: Mum: What I want to see before my son gets the Covid-19 vaccine. It also appeared on the website of the ODT and The Star, published in Dunedin by Allied Press which shares news stories with the Herald.
The story was all about an accountant in Christchurch “still considering the evidence about the Covid-19 vaccines.”
Lisa Mead has rheumatoid arthritis which makes her vulnerable to all viruses, and wants more information before she would take a Covid vaccine for herself or her son Dakota, the story said.
"I don't feel really confident around taking a vaccine that has had literally less than a year to be developed," she said
The story said doctors in Norway are investigating the deaths of 23 elderly patients who had received the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, CNN reported. They are looking into the possibility that adverse reactions "may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients".
It quoted her as saying: “I don’t know if it is safe for my son.”
The article was removed from the Herald site and app, and the ODT and Star websites by Monday morning - but the story never should have been published in the first place.
Plenty of people interred in / concerned about the safety and quality of Covid vaccines. It’s a legitimate issue for media. Indeed the Herald reported the same day on children needlessly missing out on vaccinations - which may be how Lisa Mead's story came to their attention.
But readers need the context.
The government and Ministry of Health have said clearly no-one will be compelled to have a Covid-19 vaccination so articles like this really matter as they can trigger similar - but possibly unfounded - fears among parents and lead to bad decisions.
Look for the Herald's "Mum's vaccine worries" story now and you'll only find this place holder by cartoonist Emmerson. Photo: screenshot
There was no comment from any expert about vaccine safety and efficacy. No comment from the Ministry of Health about plans to release supporting information during the vaccine roll-out when it happens later this year.
No comment from a doctor warning that her decision to suspend her own medication for her arthritis was unwise / dangerous.
The effect of misinformation / half-understood media reporting was obvious today on talkback after Medsafe approved the Pfizer COVID vaccine:
Afternoon ZB hosts Simon Barnett and Phil Gifford had caller after caller voicing fears the vaccine was 'rushed.' Gifford and Barnett deftly challenged and fact-checked callers who parroted half-understood details from overseas news stories about the vaccine.
Stuff really was on the brink
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
The media story of last year was Stuff’s chief executive - and chief editor - Sinead Boucher - becoming the owner of most of the country’s papers for just $1 last April. She bought it from the owner in Australia - Nine Entertainment - and when she talked to me about that on Mediawatch in December she said before the deal she doubted the Australian owners would back the New Zealand company if the Covid crisis deepened and it needed financial support.
When Stuff’s future was up in the air, the company strongly denied claims the Aussie owner might be close to closing it.
Back then, Herald publisher NZME went to court to try and force Nine Entertainment to negotiate with them - and now that court suppression orders have lapsed, its been revealed Stuff could have closed last year after all.
Under the headline Stuff's secret shutdown deadline revealed, BusinessDesk reported
Nine Entertainment had decided it would close down by May 31 last year, using a “failing firm argument” to convince the Commerce Commission to let it merge with NZME.
If they had followed through, most of our long-standing newspapers and our biggest news website could have closed. And the biggest national network of journalists by miles would have been out of work. Chilling . . .
Labeling Stuff a “failing firm” in what really looked like a sunset industry at the time would scare off most buyers willing to take a risk . . .
Under the headline, They don't give a Stuff about New Zealand former Herald Gavin Ellis says it is “further proof of the fact that foreign ownership of news media is contrary to the public interest.”
Rogue tycoon scoop enrages readers
ICYMI - Exclusive interview: It's penitentiary, my dear Watson. Eric Watson on life in prison #HeraldPremium https://t.co/MPdT7ZlqHp
— NZ Herald Business (@nzheraldbiz) February 1, 2021
Herald investigative reporter Matt Nippert had a fascinating scoop in the Weekend Herald - an exclusive interview with disgraced tycoon Eric Watson, now out of jail in the UK - with a great headline: It's penitentiary, my dear Watson
It’s fascinating and entertaining but some readers on social media reacted really badly to it and criticised Matt and the Herald for publishing it - because he’s promoting a book called From Penthouse to Pentonville (a direct adaptation of another great Weekend Herald headline, according to Matt).
“He's talking now because, he says, he finally has time on his hands. He also sees an opportunity to pre-publicise a book he's preparing on his life and times, and hopes to flip the film or mini-series rights to streaming giants.
"Unashamedly, you're part of the marketing machine my friend," he tells his interviewer.
Watson hints at various anecdotes he may or may not drop into the book, dropping names like Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman - as well as Owen Glenn, whose legal action led to Watson being jailed for four months.
"I don't really care what the story is. I just want to sell books, and get some money out of it."
Possibly Watson will benefit from the exposure - galling for those owed money from his business failures.
But running those quotes in the story provided transparency for the readers - and made it obvious they went into it with eyes open.
Plenty of interviews with newsworthy people - exclusive or otherwise - happen because they’re trying to sell something or elevate either own concerns or reputation.
This did offer a good insight into the mindset of a risk-taking tycoon. He didn’t even consider a prison sentence a possibility - even as he was being sentenced, he says.
Anyone reading this piece who might be inclined to buy or read his proposed memoir will be well aware of his shameless shopping of anecdotes - not a great sign for a truly compelling and candid biography.
