News stories don’t just pre-exist somewhere out there, walking around intact and whole, waiting for an equal chance to step through the door of a media outlet and into the public arena.

They exist in tiny bits and pieces, among heaps of junk and distortions and agendas — and the bits are selected, assessed, ranked, and assembled, according to the rigour and professionalism, or the whim and worldview, of the journalists and outlets involved.

Barry Soper chose to construct a pretty ugly beast out of their scraps. The Herald chose to parade it. Then they stepped back and let everyone else feed it, until the whole thing became something big and real-seeming enough to cause genuine uncertainty and fear, and to prompt genuine attempts to do the proper journalistic work of understanding what this new health initiative is all about.

  • BalpeenHammer@lemmy.nz
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    1 year ago

    Let’s be honest, Marama got much kinder treatment from the media than a white cis man would have gotten.

    White cis man are so persecuted aren’t they? We really should shape our society to make sure white cis men get more advantage. I don’t know how then can cope with so much oppression.