Frowny-face hypocrisy

As regular readers will know, I've been banging on for a while about the increasing trend in the Herald towards 'frowny-face journalism'. These are stories that, while usually about actual issues of note, borrow the style of 'human interest' stories: the initial focus on a particular individual; the giant photo, usually with a child or elderly person looking glum; and, perhaps most importantly, the inevitable overemphasis on statistically-insignificant individual cases over larger trends - viz. the cases of Bruce Burgess and the beneficiary women who last week crossed the path of Paula Bennett.

On some level, today's front-page headline is even more galling. Of course, when I say 'headline', I mean 'headlines' - while the article online is topped with the rather dull "Special education centre threatened by funding cuts", the print edition is headlined as follows:

"Trey Hess, 8, is one of hundreds of special-needs children to benefit from the help of therapists like Keith Morton-Macphail. But the Government says it can no longer afford $2.5m a year to fund them"

You can almost hear the violins. Of course, I'm not trying to make light of the story itself; I'd like to meet the person who thinks that a wealthy society like ours doesn't owe the seriously and blamelessly disabled (at the very least) all the opportunities that we can give them. And I can see the potential argument from the journalist's side: if frowny-face journalism is the only way to connect with readers, and thus gain support for worthy causes such as this one, then that's the way they should report, however unfortunate it may seem.

I guess my objection to that argument would be threefold. Firstly, that's a big 'if'; I'm just not certain that people can't identify with an article that isn't studded with pretty pictures, colourful graphics and tragic true-life stories. Have we all really fallen so far in the last couple of decades? Secondly, to the extent that the claim is true, it seems that it only makes things worse in the long run. Once people start to expect frowny-faces they will, like Pavlov's dogs (bear with me here), only respond to frowny faces. Thirdly, and this is my particular point regarding this article, I am a wee bit suspicious of their motives. Call me a cynic (!), but I suspect that the Herald as a business - as opposed to the individual journalists - doesn't really care too much about shaping public opinion to be more tolerant of the least well-off in society, and is more concerned with people buying papers. Shocking, I know.

If you remember back to the election, I don't think it is too uncontroversial to claim that the Herald implicitly supported the National Party for the most part. I remember them being particularly nagging about tax cuts. This isn't a political blog - maybe tax cuts were a good idea and maybe they weren't - but the paper's position now seems a bit disingenuous. Frankly, what did the Herald expect to happen to 'marginal' health services when the National government came in? Money had to disappear from somewhere - where exactly would they recommend? To be fair to Anne Tolley, the money is apparently being diverted to a system of grants to pay for care. Whether this system is better than centrally-offered care is a question for someone more knowledgeable than me. It just seems crass to me to bemoan funding cuts when they were pretty much the (indirect) consequence of the Herald's editorial position less than a year ago.

I'm not certain what conclusions to draw from this, other than being slightly more put off with this 'school' of 'journalism' than I was before today - and considerably less impressed by the argument in its defence.

Find... me... somebody to suuuuuub...

"'Clear ultimation' given to Fiji"


Also:

I'm not even sure what I mean anymore.

FYI: YV

I just thought I would point out that there is a great Your Views topic up this morning. Grab some popcorn, put your feet up and laugh/cry as appropriate.


What do you want a referendum on? Should it be binding?

Mumbles (Mt Eden): I would like to see a referendum that asks the question 'Should traffic lights be replaced with roundabouts ?' It is a pet hate of mine to stop at a set of traffic lights and no cars cross the intersection or when 576 cars on a main road have to come to a grinding halt so that 3 cars can go. Roundabouts are more efficient, cheaper to construct, they would save power, petrol and oil.

Yes, imagine the savings involved with tearing up every set of traffic lights in the country and replacing them with roundabouts.

Heylin (Hamilton): 1) Lower age of criminal responsibility to 12
A year year old who commits serious crime is full aware of what they do.

Year year year...

The Doctor (Gisborne): I'd like to see a referendum on making referendums binding on the government.

I can see a problem here...

Crucie Fiction (Te Kowhai): Treaty Claims and when they will stop.

Im going to a lunch in New York City on the 24th of Sept. John Key will also be there. Im going to ask him face to face. This is the biggest waste af tax payer money ever.

I'm sure he's looking forward to it as much as you are.

Jim Donald (Whangarei): Daylight saving - the biggest hoax of all time and injurious to public health.

He's right. No 'daylight' is 'saved' at all! There's the same amount, it's just later!

westie (New Zealand): Here is another suggestion for a referendum.That is we,the consumer,decide what is the suitable amount to pay for fuel without being dictated to by the various fuel companies that took "forever" to bring down the price of fuel but ever so promptly upped it by 5 cents within the following days.Rather cheeky buggers are the fuel companies and it's time they realised we are not ones to be pushed about(meaning pay their dictated prices) by them.

Great idea. I propose 5c a litre.



Feel free to add your own gems below. Kia kaha.

Theft-erendum

What makes you lose sleep at night? Whatever it is, be thankful you're not tossing and turning like the Chief Electoral Officer - "Theft fears as referendum papers hit letterboxes":

The ballot, asking whether smacking should be a criminal offence, raised fears yesterday that enthusiasts on both sides may try to corrupt the vote by stealing voting papers from letterboxes over the next few days.

"The ballot ... raised fears"? That's an odd way to put it. Presumably someone raised fears on behalf of the ballot, but we are left to guess exactly who that might be.

Chief Electoral Officer Robert Peden urged voters to alert him to any possible interference by ringing his office's tollfree number if they have not received voting papers by next week.

He warned that anyone interfering with ballot papers faced a fine of up to $40,000 or up to two years in jail.

"If you go round and pick up voting papers, people will realise that they haven't got their voting paper and the original voting paper will be cancelled," Mr Peden said.

Is it Mr Peden who has raised these fears? Or is he just responding to them? The very idea that someone might go to the concerted effort of organising a massive campaign of letterbox invasion and mail pilfering in order to influence a referendum which a) is certain to go heavily in favour of one side anyway and b) the Prime Minister has already said he will ignore is just a wee bit laughable.

It doesn't really matter anyway, as the scary headline and lead-in paragraphs are really just an introduction for a pretty standard article on the referendum - I guess "Referendum about to happen" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

Headline of the week

Mischievous subeditor or prudish content loader? You decide. Note the article "Snakes' escape from pants causes crash":

Police say a driver blamed a car crash in Connecticut on two pet baby snakes that he said escaped from his pants pockets as he was driving.

Hartford police Sgt. Christene Mertes says Angel Rolon claimed he lost control of his sports utility vehicle when the snakes slithered near the gas and brake pedals and he and a passenger tried to catch them.

Oh yeah.

Headline in the print edition of today's Herald:

"Trouser snakes blamed for crash"

I'm told they have a mind of their own. I really need to invest in a digital camera.

Vivawatch: Slight return

"Reference the ubiquitous grunge trend in a feminine way with these new wearable pieces from the latest Levis range. Plaind? Check. Denim? Check. We like the shrunken denim jacket with rolled sleeves and the slouchy pocket detail on the dress. Easy to wear and relatively cheap too. Levis trucker jacket, $159.90, and hceck dress, $119.90."

Ubiquitous? In what, 1993? I just had a quick look around the office and couldn't spot anyone grungy at all. It's also good that they're wearable, unlike those tiny rugby jerseys that you are supposed to stick to your car window. Anyway, Kurt Cobain, rolling in grave, etc. etc.

------------------------------

Channel your inner Lady Gaga with these new mirrored shades from Morrissey. Called "Thus Spoke", after a Nietzsche novel (so deep), the sunglasses are very limited edition with only 100 made available for sale. So if you want to make like Gaga and hide from the paparazzi behind bold sunglasses, we'd get on the waiting list fast. Morrissey "Thus Spoke" sunglasses, $275.

Yes, Nietzsche is my favourite... novelist. Didn't he write that new movie that just came out, um, Angels and Demons? So deep. That aside, $275 doesn't seem so bad for a pair of sunglasses designed by Mozza himself.

------------------------------

This eyeshadow pinwheel from M.A.C. is part of the limited edition Colour Craft range of in-your-face shades for eyes, lips and cheeks. The mineral makeup quad costs $44 and its colours would work well with the tribal bohemian feel we'll see in some spring fashion.

Surely they mean "on-your-face"? Seeking more information, I googled 'tribal bohemian' and found myself at the Wikipedia article for Bohemia:

Roman authors provide the first clear reference to this area as Boiohaemum, from Germanic Boi-Heim, "home of the Boii", a Celtic people. As part of the territory often crossed during the Migration Period by major Germanic and Slavic tribes, the western half was conquered and settled from the 1st century BC by Germanic (probably Suebic) peoples including the Marcomanni; the elite of some Boii then migrated west to modern Switzerland and southeastern Gaul. Those Boii that remained in the eastern part were eventually absorbed by the Marcomanni. Part of the Marcomanni, renamed the Bavarians (Baiuvarum), later migrated to the southwest. It should be noted that, although the leading tribes changed, there was a large degree of continuity in the actual population, and at no time was there a wholesale depopulation or change in ethnic stock.

Interesting. Using this information, I did a google image search for 'boii' and found (among other things) this image:


So there you go - future fashion trends from the comfort of your own home or office with Editing the Herald. $44 from your quality cosmetics stockist.

Bits and pieces

Slightly scary paragraph of the day:

Taser CEO Rick Smith and his brother, Chairman Tom Smith, unveiled the new device [a Taser that can shoot three barbs at once] to hundreds of law enforcement officers and distributors at the company's annual conference yesterday. They stood on stage, each holding two new Tasers, and fired six rounds a piece at metal targets to whoops and applause.

Don't worry, they're non-lethal. Right?


Garth-George-interest news of the day:

A Bay of Plenty baker has scooped New Zealand's best pie award for a record third time. Pat Lam [no relation... probably] of Gold Star Patrick's Pies in Tauranga won the supreme award with his creamy bacon, mushroom and cheese pie, the winner of the gourmet meat category.

Can't wait for tomorrow's column.


Advertorial of the day:

Ruby Giblin, 3, was among the thousands of Wagamama customers to tuck into a plate of free noodles yesterday when the restaurant declared it National Noodle Day and gave away free lunches at its five stores in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Its Queen's Wharf, Wellington store gave away the most meals (472) closely followed by its Auckland's [sic] store in the Metropolis hotel with 470 meals.

Accompanied, of course, by a giant picture of a child attempting to eat noodles. It's good to know that, despite staff cuts, the Herald still has enough journalists to cover the big stories.

------------------------------

Also, can I just point out that the Herald I bought today came stuffed with not one, not two, but three identical copies of the Herald Jobs supplement. If that's intended as a hint: I just got a job, thanks very much! But as a solution to the general employment crisis it's inspired.

Only one copy of Viva, unfortunately.