1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Listen, good luck to TV and Z, A good luck 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: to TV and Z trying to convince anyone that they 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,560 Speaker 1: are unbiased, given what's just happened with them in the 4 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 1: first in the last week. So I just played you 5 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: the clip of the breakfast reporter singing with the organizer 6 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: of the Hecoy, which I think any right minded person 7 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: would interpret as an endorsement of the he Cooy, which 8 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: I think should earn her some serious trouble if TV 9 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: and Z takes perceptions of bias seriously. But actually, what 10 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:26,599 Speaker 1: is much more serious for them is that the woman 11 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: who was tipped to become the top news boss at 12 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: TV and Z has just been out to today for 13 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:34,279 Speaker 1: taking personal leave to go on the he Coy. And 14 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: the reason we know this is because she loves a 15 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 1: social media post and she's put it up on her Instagram, 16 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: so just flaunted it for everyone to see. Now, obviously, 17 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: people are entitled to private political views, even if they 18 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: are newsbosses, but if you are a news boss or 19 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 1: about to become the news boss, you should be smart 20 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: enough to keep that private emphasis on private, especially if 21 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: your organization is trying to pretend that it's unbiased, which 22 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 1: is what TVNZ is trying to do very hard at 23 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 1: the moment in the face of paul of falling public 24 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: trust in media. Just a few weeks ago, TVs itself 25 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 1: published its editorial guidelines for journalists, and the point of 26 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: that was to tell us that they take impartiality seriously 27 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: and that they are impartial. Well, that's just been massively 28 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: undermined by finding out that the woman who will be 29 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:21,960 Speaker 1: in charge of all of the journalists actually doesn't really 30 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: like the current government at all. So good luck. I mean, 31 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: you can corral those journalists into a neutral space all 32 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: you like, But if the lady who is their boss 33 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,479 Speaker 1: has very strong views about the current government, so strong 34 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:36,479 Speaker 1: that she wants to go on a protest against them, 35 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 1: I think you've got a problem with perception of bias. Now, 36 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: the important thing here about TV and Z to understand 37 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: is that it pretends it's impartial, right, That is the 38 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: important thing here. Nobody would mind if the editor of 39 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: the spinoff turned up at the hecy, because the spinoff 40 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: wears its colors on its sleeve. We know what they 41 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: are about, and they own it. They just are completely 42 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: honest it. TV and Z, though, was trying to convince 43 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: us that they are neutral. And the other important thing 44 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: here also is that TV and Z is the publicly 45 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 1: owned broadcaster on television, right, so that also means there 46 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: are standards that we expect from them that are different 47 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: to what everybody else is subjected to. Now, TV and 48 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: Z in order to convince us, because clearly they want 49 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: us to believe that they are impartial. In order to 50 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: convince us that they are impartial and that they demand 51 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: impartiality from the people who work within their newsroom and 52 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: in the order editorial team, they would have to a 53 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 1: not give that woman the news job, and I doubt 54 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 1: that's going to happen or be they would have to 55 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: discipline that woman and discipline the reporter for what happened 56 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: on television and then make that public. Do you think 57 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: that's going to happen? No, me, neither. So good luck 58 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:45,639 Speaker 1: to TV and Z trying to convince us from here 59 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: on in that they are impartial. For more from Heather 60 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to News Talk said B 61 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.