PM fell for the quiz trick
One News reports:
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was caught off guard when asked at Waitangi today what the articles of the Treaty of Waitangi actually say.
Fronting media ahead of Waitangi Day on Wednesday which commemorates the signing of the Treaty in 1840, Ms Ardern was asked by 1 NEWS political reporter Maika Sherman what Article One of the Treaty says.
“Oh, Article One? On the spot?” Ms Ardern replied.
“Kawanatanga, sorry, excuse me,” she added when prompted by Willie Jackson and other ministers standing behind her.
The story here isn’t that the PM didn’t know what Article One says, and needed Willie to help her out.
The story is the media doing a “gotcha” story where they treat politics as a quiz night. You ask an MP a question with the hope they can’t answer it on the spot, and then have a story about how ignorant or out of touch they are.
The classic is how much is a loaf of bread. Others are what is the current inflation rate. Who is the best selling NZ musician etc etc.
MPs should refuse to play these games. If a journalist asks a question along these lines, the best responses are:
- I’m a Member of Parliament, not a quiz show participant.
- If you don’t know the answer, go Google it
- This is silly gotcha politics and I’m not playing along