CHRIS McVEIGH: Radio NZ

The brick wall has yet to be built that will yield to the pressure of the beating heads complaining over Radio New Zealand's lefty bias.

You will wait in vain to hear on RNZ any semblance of support for a policy or idea promulgated by the National Party. I venture to suggest that a devout believer awaiting the arrival of the second coming would have a greater chance of success.

RNZ's modus operandi in papering over the cracks of their prejudice is delightfully simple: the coalition announces a policy, say the removal of subsidies on electric vehicles. RNZ's researchers swing into action. They immediately cast about for some 'expert' on the topic in hand, someone who is reliably and vehemently opposed to the idea - usually, and predictably, from the local university. Having snared their man or (I should say in the interests of balance) their woman, they then broadcast an item on the topic. This usually consists of a brief mention of the policy, followed by a lengthy interview with the dispassionate observer in which the policy is eviscerated for all time.

Thus is RNZ's statutory obligation to provide balance in their programming fulfilled. It rather takes your breath away, with its deceptive simplicity, doesn't it?

Another of their favourite ploys is the ostrich gambit. If an item of news is disadvantageous to the political left, ignore it. As often as not this will involve a negative poll result or a particularly salacious piece of gossip concerning an MP.

Of course sometimes the news item is so important or prominent that even RNZ can't pretend it doesn't exist: you know, a transgender pope or Princess Diana's death or some such.

In that event they exercise the well-known 'shift and block' technique, whereby prominence is given to that part of the story which is least harmful to their chosen cause; and the balance is given second billing.

There was a good example of this recently when an opinion poll came out which was favourable to the coalition. The chosen line by RNZ was that the poll showed that support for Christopher Hipkins was increasing. The fact that it clearly demonstrated that the coalition would win an election in a canter was rather tacked on as an afterthought.

There are signs however that the worm could be turning and the jig may be up. Of recent memory, there was a rather ill-tempered exchange between Corin Dann and Winston Peters (disclosure: Corin is my son in law). Peters took to Dann over open sights in what can only be described as the broadcasting equivalent of the Mike Tyson ear biting incident. As could be expected, Dann defended his position stoutly. What was of interest though was RNZ's po faced response to the whole affair. Instead of taking it on the chin so to speak and dealing with Peters' attack on its merits or lack of them, depending on your point of view, RNZ hastily released a statement in which they piously rehearsed their own virtues and extolled their self-evident reputation for impartiality.

The air was redolent with the unmistakable odour of hubris.

Mediawatch is one of RNZ's flagship programmes. A recent edition of this included an interview between the presenter (Hayden Donnell) and Michael Wood, a former Labour party cabinet minister and current union secretary. A man who, without putting too fine a point on it would be unlikely to share many of the interests of, say, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The interview concerned the recent debate over the board and shareholding of NZME a topic not without a degree of controversy. Was there any attempt to achieve proper balance? Was a dissenting voice raised in even querulous opposition? As they used to say at journalism school, not on your Nelly.

I once heard someone asked if he ever listened to Mediawatch. He replied, "If I want to hear some self-righteous bastard preaching to me on Sunday mornings, I'll go to church thanks."

Chris McVeigh is a retired KC living in Christchurch. He was previously President of the Canterbury District Law Society and, in an earlier life, a scriptwriter and performer for the satirical TV programme ‘A week of It’

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