Hooten on Garner

Matthew Hooton has a long post on why he thinks Duncan Garner was right to run the tape, but to put it in context. But he also gives an example of how the media may be relaying a lit, by not insisting on the full tape. His example is:

Labour Spy: Do you reckon Obama can win?

Key: Oh, I hope so, he’ll be a great president.  I’m actually looking forward to meeting him if I become Prime Minister.

Labour Spy: But you don’t think Americans will elect a black president?

Key: Sure they will.  There have been black mayors, black governors, black Secretaries of State, this is just the next step.  Sure there is still a lot of racism in the US – I saw it when I lived in New York, even way up in the North-East, and it is worse in the South – I still think Obama can win and it will be good for the world.

Labour Spy: Oh come on, New Zealand wouldn’t elect a bloody Maori boy PM ….

Key: Just wait a second.  I suppose you’re one of these racists who says ‘the American people aren’t going to elect some nigger boy their president, let alone have that black wife and those black kids in the White House.  He’s not even really an American’  … but if you think that you’re in the wrong party pal.

Labour Spy: Maybe, thanks for your time Mr Key.  I’ll go and talk to Bill English now.

And of course all that would be handed to TV3 is:

the American people aren’t going to elect some nigger boy their president, let alone have that black wife and those black kids in the White House.  He’s not even really an American’

Now that is a made up example by Matthew but a useful example of why it is important for media to treat extracts with caution. And remember this Keystone Kop who did the taping was deliberatly trying to entrap people by saying things he did not believe in.