8/4/2023 0 Comments Hd culo site horaeNo one but the sworn enemies of western liberal democracy should want the alternative- a press which is not free not free to criticise the government not free to embarrass politicians not free to lampoon the pompous and identify the fools not free to criticise the courts or judges not free to campaign for justice not free to expose wrongdoing, corruption or hypocrisy not free to take any side in public debates not free to say what needs to be said on any subject not free to express any editorial opinion not free to publish all aspects of the minutiae of daily life in New Zealand no matter how seemingly trivial not free to publish photographs of celebrities not free to publish gossip not free sometimes to be wrong. People who sniff at the publications of the free press really don’t know how lucky they are. If newspapers are to stay in business then they have no option but to publish what the public wants to read, ie, content that “sells newspapers” and criticism of the content of newspapers is really therefore just criticism of the tastes of the general public. The second thing that critics of the content of newspapers seem to overlook is that newspapers are a business, and they are largely a paper business in a world that is increasingly digital. Freedom is the freedom to publish gossip as well as serious investigative journalism. If there are difficulties in the romantic lives of celebrities you can read about that in the magazines. If celebrities walk our streets or play on our beaches you can see the pictures in the paper. In addition to reporting the outcome of international sporting fixtures, newspapers can report the drunken antics or criminal behaviour of sports stars off the sports field. In addition to reporting the proceedings of the courts, newspapers can criticise sentences which appear inadequate, decisions which seem wrong, and judges whose decisions appear inane. Freedom of the press means that as well as reporting the proceedings of Parliament and the utterances of politicians, newspapers can also report petty disputes between neighbours and stories about lost pets. The first is that to be a free press, the press must be free to publish what it wants to publish. This attitude to the press seems to overlook two important things. It is not unusual to hear politicians, judges, commentators, friends and colleagues bemoan the quality of news reporting, despair at the content of news programmes, criticise the standards of newspapers, and generally treat the press as something common and a little distasteful. It is, however, too easy in New Zealand to take the freedom of the press for granted. I don’t think there’s one person in 30 who agrees with him. They seem to be reacting to this: I guess it’s not a news flash that the Herald’s lawyer would oppose statutory restrictions on the Herald. The Herald’s lawyer, Alan Ringwood, argues that we don’t need any statutory press regulation in NZ. Budget leak: Nats’ behaviour “entirely appropriate”?.When free speech creates disorder or hate.NZME admits it misled listeners by buying into Trump’s ridiculous election fraud claims – but BSA somehow finds broadcasting standards not breached.
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