31

Cheap and Tawdry

by Whaleoil on January 9, 2012

The mainstream news channels, print and television seem to be having a competition as to who can be more crass and show more dead bodies over the holiday period.

The NZ Herald has been running a daily body-fest almost gleefully reporting every death or serious injury in a bid to fill their website with dead bodies.

But the worst example I have seen so far is the effort by TVNZ to catch a hearse on camera. Regan at Throng thinks so too:

Sarah Batley’s live cross on One News tonight was utterly disgraceful and disrespectful to the 11 people who died tragically yesterday in the hot air balloon crash in Carterton, their families and their friends.

Desperately hoping to be live while a hearse drives past with bodies of the victims is incredibly distasteful, offensive and unnecessary.

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  • Agent BallSack

    I had noticed that about the Herald too, every second story is an accident report, I thought maybe it was some ‘Take care of yourself’ series. As for One News their coverage was appalling and showed no respect for the families of the deceased, initial shots hinted at bodies laying in a semi circle around the basket to the point od hiring a helicopter to get the ‘best’ shots. 
    Much respect to the photographer who handed over his footage and deleted his memory card.

  • Sars

    I agree totally…I thank goodness for that photographer who caught the incident but has since only turned his photos over the police and deleted the originals. I wonder how much the media were offering him for them? Ghouls

  • Dr Wang

    TVNZ’s policy of hiring bimbos produces exactly this sort of crap.

    When the “pretty but stupid” newsreaders can’t even read an autocue and get it right, it undermines (for the viewers) any confidence that the message is accurate – what use is that if the broadcaster can’t be believed?

    One of their airhead newsreaders recently pronounced “epitome” as “epi-toam” – do they not even require NCEA level 1 as a qualification?

    • Anonymous

      “One of their airhead newsreaders recently pronounced “epitome” as “epi-toam”

      Seriously? That’s hilarious! When was it? I want to hunt down that clip.

      On reporters… well… I suspect you just need a communications degree to call yourself a reporter. Gleeing over getting a shot of a hearse is the sort of thing they should boast about privately to each other. The viewer does not want to see that and I think these reporters are out of touch with that.

      • Dr Wang

        toby toby – it was in a sentence talking about how Jeanette Fitzsimons had been the epitome of the Green ethos (so it was possibly a background story talking about the Green’s current leadership – probably around election time last year from memory).

    • Sarah

      no I seriously think they get a ‘diploma’ from a media school that know one has heard of.   Or it could be the rupert murdoch school of  journo learning.   Some of these so called reporters look like rejects from micheal  jackson’s  ”Thriller’ video.  I cringe when they appear like gouls hunched over clutching their hands….oh it’s too much!

      • Sarah

        oops ‘know’ should be no and I’m not even a journalist lol

  • ConwayCaptain

    The standard of news reporting is worse than Abysmal.  We have the Euro crisis and damn all insightful commentary, Iran is sabre rattling damn all comment, China is about to have problems owing to lack of growth and the one child family rule.

    To be a TV reporter one must be Blonde, Good looking and have a guching way of speaking and not have to do any investigation, thos are the Bimbettes (female)

    To be a male reporter, well dressed and not bad looking and very little between the ears. Those are the Bimbos (male)

    Think what a good investigative reporter could have done with the Rena.  Dont we have any budding Pat Booths.

    • Gazzaw

      Correct as usual Captain. What makes me cringe every night is the prospect of Barbara Dreaver appearing with her dreadful Pacific reports. Ill informed biassed garbage & no wonder Bainimarama has banned her from Fiji’s fair shores.

      Unless you can watch an international cocktail of news channels on Sky then you are stuffed for decent TV news coverage here. A pity that Sky does not carry Al Jazeera though.

    • SerSydney

      Don’t forget all the hand waving and the thrusting at the camera of so called important reports

  • Paul Rain

    Cheap, tawdry- and lazy. If this had happened in Aus, Today Tonight would have bought a hearse to drive it past if need be.

  • Elaycee

    Not sure why there is any surprise that Tee Vee One resorted to crass coverage – its simply par for the course.  Between TV1 and TV3, it seems to be a ‘competition’ to deliver the worst in ‘journalism’ on a nightly basis. I cannot think of one reputable reporter / journalist between them. 

    And as for the Herald… I cancelled my subscription some time back. Indeed, I wouldn’t want my fish and chips wrapped in it – its merely a hack rag full of biased left wing, panty waist page after page.  

  • Anonymous

    The MSM are just a bunch of goulish pricks and the reporting of the Carterton ballon tragedy is all the evidence you need. Why can’t they just leave the parties involved alone to get on with their job and let the grieving grieve?

  • ConwayCaptain

    I get the NZH for the local content but am thinking of cancelling and reading on line.

    I read the UK Daily Telegraph, Independent and Guardian/Observer every day along with the Sydney Morning Herald.

    I listen to the Natioanl programme for news and views.  TV1,2 and 3 are SHIT.  EWe would be better off having the BBC news for an hr and a 30 min local area news then we could get rid of the Bimbos, Bimbettes.  The Bimbettes make money as well with their gushing articles in the women’s mags.

  • GPT

    Outstanding post that is bang on.  Too many media disaster boners from the Chch eq needing to be stroked.

  • Anonymous

    Why do you bother with the local rubbish? Aljazera is not bad if only for the reasons that the US administration doesn’t like it. Missing Stratos TV, very sorry to see them go. Get a free view receiver and tune into the other optus satellite about 20 or 30 channels, some of them are in English my favorites are Russia today and press TV. At times they do spout there own version of propaganda, but no where even close to the rubbish that is on the US news networks, you wonder at times if they are reporting on the same story, if they report on it at all e.g. occupy wall street was ignored for months, what’s really happening in the World financial markets is being ignored or sidelined, economic crimes against everyone and any criticism is considered un American . The real sadness/crime is that the average American citizen has absolutely no idea what is happening around the world. International news in New Zealand is just regurgitated rubbish from the American TV networks. Hard to even justify it as News at all. Land of the free NOT.

    • bristol

      Seems like your real gripe is that NZ Television is not anti-American enough.

      • MrV

        Hardly.

      • Mr_Blobby

        The answer is No.
        Check out MrV’s you tube clip. The problem is any criticism is seen as anti American and unpatriotic. The reality is that the media in America is firmly under the control of the Government and not asking any real questions, The White house press corps would be a good example when was the last time any of them upset the President.
        The result is that Team America and Team EU are fucking up to the point that they might well be completely Fucked. The rest of the world is waiting and watching to see if they can Unfuck themselves. All the while the American Public is blissfully unaware until it is to late and that things are not what they should be. Did any of them wonder how the last financial crises just appeared overnight?

  • Davidw99

    Concur about the lack of intellect among the field reporters.  Another one (again blonde I think) described the Rena as haveing her hull “shredded” last night.  Unbelievable

  • Steve and Monique.

    I have first hand experience re the gutter journalism that is our local rag. Having worked there for many years, I recall editorial staff phoning my line and then coming in to our dept trying to accost another staff member after I told them to piss off and ambulance chase elsewhere, wanting us to release to them, the names of people who had died in an accident. The death notices had come to us from other family members but we would not run them until the deaths had been verified by funeral directors and only when the main notice had run. To the journalists it was just a story, to the families, it’s lifelong heartache. Then there was the victim of ahousefire, who the police wouldn’t name until identification had been carried out, but the rag stated they had got a hold of a habitat file and released the name that was printed on it as a “possible” victim. Still don’t know if that was the correct name, but not really the point. Police do things this way for a reason including respect for the families  and undermining them for a story is just tasteless. Perhaps if the screws were tightened on these arses, it might help. You think they would have learnt after Lady Di but sadly not, just gotten worse. I shudder to see the next cover page of that glossy toilet paper known as Woman’s Day!

    • Gazzaw

      News of the World saga says it all about the current standards of journalism. There aren’t any.

      • Beans

        Rather NOTW than the Iranian and Russian Occutwat loving crap Mr_Blobby’s a fan of.

      • Anonymous

        Yes I am a fan of the Keiser Report on RT. Especially when I hear something interesting there, 3 weeks before Wall Street reacts to it. Not to mention the many instances of Fraud and criminal activity that would be suppressed everywhere else.

  • Anonymous

    I haven’t watched any TV news at home for many years.
    While I was visiting my mum in Napier over Christmas, I saw TV One news for a few nights, and I don’t think I’ve been missing much.

  • Pauleastbay

       And what is it with speaking with the the victims neighbours… was X a good bugger?,  na he was a wanker,…… well I suppose that might happen but its never gonna, its just filler that crap, not news,not journalisim.

    the story was. 11 people have died in a tragic accident, we will have more details after the inquest has been completed when  we will be able to supply you with the facts, our condolences to the families.

    • Gazzaw

      You’ve really lost the plot Paul. What we really want to see is the hearses followed by the family’s cars and what we really want to hear is the speculation about how long identification is going to take and anything else that could really pour on the grief for the families concerned. There’s advertising space to be sold FFS! 

  • Anonymous

    These types of tactless reporting incidences help reiterate and cement just how appalling the mainstream media has become….. Keep it coming the Herald, TV1 & TV3, your audience is dwindling…

    Most people I know in my circle record the tv they want and then fast forward all the ad’s….

    Mainstream media as we know it is fucked in my opinion… 

  • bb

    agreed. not watching the news cause of the lack if dignity they are showing.

  • Pingback: Waiting for the hearse | Kiwiblog

  • http://kate-raue.blogspot.com/ TransparencyNZ

    The all time low is this “report” on Stuff website titled “Community in Shock After Balloon Tragedy”: 

    “Carterton has suffered its biggest shock since the murder of 23 month old Lillybing in 2000 after 11 hot air balloonists died in a fiery crash early this morning, a resident says. 
    Carterton was at the centre of a national outcry in 2000, when 23 month old Hinewaoriki Karaitiana-Matiaha, known as Lillybing, died from a brain injury after a severe shaking.She was covered in more than 90 bruises and abrasions, had a full-face burn, and was also suffering genital mutilation so severe that doctors said it could have killed her had the head injuries not done so first. The injuries were inflicted over three days.Her step-aunt Rachelle Namana was sentenced to six years in prison for manslaughter, two charges of wilfully ill-treating the child and two of failing to provide the necessaries of life. Namana’s sister, Rongomai Paewai, 27, was jailed for two years for ill-treatment and neglect. - © Fairfax NZ News”For the information of your readers, Lance Hopping was whanau to Rachel and Rongomai, and I’m pretty sure he would be absolutely disgusted about this “report” – Matt Stewart is a scummy little journalist.
    Here’s a link to how the local rag he works for tried to cover up a brutal murder by the 17 year old son of the local cop, and how this creep was only sentenced to 3 years for it:http://kate-raue.blogspot.co.nz/2009/12/had-enough-of-violence-yet-sack-mcphee.html