Today we have an unusual sight: the New Zealand Herald, our self-proclaimed "newspaper of record", decrying the taping of senior National Party MPs which has exposed their dishonesty with the electorate, and instead standing up for secrecy. Their reasons?
First, it is not fair to release a reporter's tape or transcript unless the subject denies something plainly said or the recording could serve a public interest somewhat more compelling than partisan politics. Second, the publication would damage the gathering of further information. Once bitten, a public figure is twice shy.It's easy to dismiss this as the sulky response of a media organisation beaten at its own game by a random member of the public, but it's not just that. Instead, this highlights two of the diseases pervading our media establishment. Firstly, the excessive focus on the superficialities of "the game", which sees journalists reduced to the role of sports commentators, commenting from the sidelines on the spin and the tactics while completely ignoring the substance. Thus, uncovering a party's actual policies - something of vital public interest in a democracy three months out from an election - is derided as "partisan politics". Secondly, their need to maintain a relationship with the politicians who are their sources - a need which utterly compromises their ability to do real journalism and hold those same politicians to account.
The latter in particular is on display here. Judging by the ease with which this information was gathered, such comments are not at all uncommon at National Party conferences. Conferences which, our insider journalists are at pains to gloat, they get to attend. So why haven't they reported these sorts of comments before? Because of the need to maintain access - a journalist who reports everything newsworthy they hear will soon find themselves shut out. And so they remain silent. So when the Herald sniffily says:
Nothing revealed from National's conference sneak so far offers insights to its intentions that could not have been obtained by a journalist trusted to use a private conversation responsibly.What they mean is that they can be trusted not to reveal it to anyone.
