Most biased article for a while

If you want a shocking example of a hideously biased article, try this one by Chris Barton in the NZ herald on VSM.

It does nothing but attack supporters of VSM, without even giving them a word in response, and uses propoganda exmaples from as many student associations as possible.

It paints the increase in the student services levy at Auckland university to $542 as due to VSM, and doesn’t even mention that on other campuses it has risen to $600 (plus a compulsory student association fee).

It lumps together National, ACT and the Business Roundtable together and ascribes motives to them – without again talking to a single person from them.

It fauls to mention the WSU vote to return to compulsion was scheduled by former UK Labour MP Bryan Gould to occur with no notice during study week, and hence a tiny number of students over-turned the results of three previous votes with much higher turnouts.

It quotes a legal opinion from former Labour PM Geoffrey Palmer that compulsory membership doesn’t breahc the international human right not to associate. It doesn’t mention the legal opinion submitted from a leading QC disagreeing with Palmer’s opinion.

The article would be fine as an op ed from NZUSA or the such – I have no problem with the media running anti-VSM views. But when it appears as a new story by an in house journalist, I’m amazed such a biased story appears.

Odddly the journalist is one I really rate – I just think this particular story is shiockingly bad.