Is the media manipulating concerned citizens into violent action?
By Charles Drace
Over the past several years there have been literally hundreds of events around the country protesting against the Key
government's expected signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement without public consultation or Parliamentary
debate, the government's heads in the sand approach to climate change, income inequality, dangerous deep sea oil
drilling off our coasts, asset sales and other policies that are designed to raise profits for large and mainly overseas
corporations at the expense of New Zealanders.
The main media companies have largely ignored these protests and, what is even worse, have ignored the messages from
concerned citizens to the government.
Last November's march against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement was the largest public protest in Christchurch
since the Springbok Tour of 1981 with over 1500 concerned citizens marching, yet The Christchurch Press and most TV news
ignored it and its message. On Thursday 19th, a peaceful protest at the opening of the Oxford Town Hall by John Key was
captured on film and shown on One News but no comment was made referring to the protesters or why they were there, as if
they could have been John Key's fan club!
Yet on February 15th when Auckland Action Against Poverty demonstrated at a National Party fundraiser at a yacht club in
Auckland attended by John Key and the event turned violent with police throwing protesters to the ground and damage to
the building, the media gave the protest sensational coverage.
'This begs the question," said Gen de Spa, Its Our Future Christchurch organiser. "Why does the media of New Zealand
require violent action from groups who strive to raise awareness against harmful government policies?"
"It seems obvious that the only communication available to these groups is when the media is able to reinforce the idea
that protesters are a nasty bunch of troublemakers. It's the same old story and I believe the media is being derelict in
its duty." said de Spa. "We are dedicated to peaceful actions yet our message is ignored by the mainstream media and
thus the public do not become aware of the harms of many government policies."
The media have a major responsibility to raise awareness of issues that affect the well-being of our country and
citizens. This is more true now than ever before as the Key government ignores public concerns, prevents the public from
having any say in many of their decisions and often implement policies without proper Parliamentary process.
"The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement takes away the rights of New Zealanders and even the rights of Parliament to
make laws protecting New Zealand and its citizens," said de Spa. "It has been written by and for over 600 international
corporations. There is no avenue for a cost/benefit analysis to be undertaken prior to signing the agreement and we
think this is essential. You would take that care if you were running a business, and it needs to be done for the
country as a whole."
"You only have to do a little bit of digging into the Trans Pacific Partnership to find it hard to trust what we are
being told. The fact that there is to be no open, public debate about something with such wide-ranging effects is
concerning. And the virtual media blackout on those people who are raising their concerns and trying to raise public
awareness puts the whole notion of an informed democracy into question," said de Spa.
Awareness and protest groups in New Zealand are not against government. They are groups of concerned citizens who
believe it is important for everyone to be informed and for harmful government actions to be accountable.
If the media continue to blackout their actions and their messages in favor of corporate profits and often irrevocable
and harmful government actions that are detrimental to the interests of New Zealanders, then is the media attempting to
manipulate these groups towards aggression so that they can tell the only story they have already chosen to tell?
ENDS