Little attacks media

NewstalkZB reports Andrew Little blast against the print media:

Labour president Andrew Little kicked off the party’s annual conference in Rotorua with a blistering attack on the print media.

He criticised the country’s three main daily papers for editorials supporting the Social Development Minister, Paula Bennett, after she revealed the details of two beneficiaries’ incomes. The women had made headlines for criticising government policy.

How dare the media take a position that more information is better than less information.

And Andrew overlooks that one of the women talked all over the Internet about her level of income support from taxpayers, and even appeared in a Labour advertisement talking about her situation a couple of years ago.

Mr Little called the editors who published the pieces “a disgrace” and said they had no place in an organisation such as the Commonwealth Press Union.

Yes how dare they belong to a union if Andrew doesn’t agree with one of theri editorials.

He says the affair demonstrated how fragile freedom of speech is…

Pardon me while I choke as I hear the President of the party that introduced the Electoral Finance Bill and passed the Electoral Finance Act shed crocodile tears for freedom of speech.

and what Labour is up against in trying to get balanced media commentary.

Oh yes. Everyone knows how the print media in New Zealand are terribly right wing. Just like the New York Times is a consistent supporter of the US Republican Party.