Digging and researching takes time and effort.
The delivery of news oblique stroke information is now instantaneous.
No sooner had the Banks/Dotcom story hit the headlines than Newstalk ZB decided to interview a bewildered blogger called Whaleoil.
Without a fact to fan his considerable self with Mr Whaleoil explained to ZB listeners that New Zealand First had been a beneficiary of the giant German.
The ZB people did not bother to check with Dotcom or New Zealand First.
After all why spoil a good story with the facts?
Let me give you another case.
A mischievous blogger known as Kiwiblog made up a story the Thursday before the election that New Zealand First was an incorporated society and that Winston Peters was an illegal candidate.
That story running as it did immediately before the Election Day is a corrupt practice under our election law.
By sheer coincidence, this blogger is the paid pollster of the National Party.
The foreign owned newspaper Dominion Post felt compelled to also publish this garbage and the story appeared to be taking off until some spoilsport presented the true facts.
That story could have been the difference between eight and nine MPs for New Zealand First.
With one more we could have stopped the sale of state assets - and the National Party knew it.
My point is that media outlets – whether radio, newspapers, television or the Internet - are full of opinions masquerading as facts.
~ Winston Peters Leader of New Zealand First
I couldn't agree more. The media thrive on speculation and their livelihoods actually depend on it these days... The sad truth of the matter is that the bigger the scandal they can manufacture the bigger the revenue they gather. It's as simple as that.
The real problem is New Zealand hasn't got any kind of watchdog with half enough powers to make any kind of difference. Even when there are blatant untruths published, there is no proper process of oversight and therefore no accountability.
In this way propaganda is largely governing the narrative. It's not about factual reporting anymore; it's about dressing bullshit up to masquerade around as reporting, and spinning the wheels of misinformation to a largely deluded, disenfranchised and disinterested public.
