It’s that time of year again – when, in a strange departure from traditional news values, websites are imbued with a kind of happy ho-ho-ho-ness and the real stories are often buried underneath stories such as “How to appropriately regift”.
The lists, the bests and worsts of the year, have started to sprout like rare end-of-year funghi. If you can’t beat ‘em, I say…..
Best News Story
Christchurch Earthquake 1, 2, 3, 4 …
In a country where annually news is thin on the ground, both channels share the honour of Best TV News cover of the quakes, even if 3 News had the by far the most extensive video on February’s killer quake (if only because ONE News’ building was virtually destroyed and its equipment largely lost or inaccessible in the wreckage).
Best TV reporter in the February quake has to be TV3’s Hamish Clark, anyone who saw his superb walkabout in the immediate aftermath, capturing the terror of the immediate aftershocks and running vox-pops with stunned survivors as buildings continued to crumble onto the street, got as close as you could to the disaster without actually being there, cowering or stumbling for your life.
Best camera coverage of the February disaster, all the news crews who got out on the streets, shot whatever they could, edited in the camera and filed some much of their field footage live to air.
Best newspaper coverage of the quakes, the Christchurch Press which never missed a day in print, despite its building being largely destroyed and its staff injured or shocked – even if the state of the streets made home delivery a forlorn hope.
Stuff.co.nz and herald.co.nz came into their own as rolling, quickly updated, news sources with excellent video and stills people were seeking so that they could try and comprehend what had happened.
A Breaking News Award to the citizen journalists of Twitter who beat every form of media for getting information, news and rumour out within seconds of every shake and all developments in the city.
Worst News Coverage goes to the dickheads – you know who you are – from both home and abroad who breached the CBD red zone trying to gain a “scoop” – and were promptly arrested.
Best Election coverage (on the campaign and on the night)
3 News takes the title for the campaign TV coverage, even if it was grossly sensationalist over the “teacupgate” – which proved to be a storm in one.
Patrick Gower’s superb baiting of Don Brash should feature in Journalism 101 courses for years to come – even if his story did, in fact, prove Brash’s point that Paddy was a “deceitful bastard”.
TV3 again takes the title for Best coverage on the night if only because its graphics were better, its panel smaller and saner, and it didn’t cutaway at vital moments to comments and events that were irrelevant.
The Royal NZ Herald wins best newspaper coverage of the campaign, it remained uncharacteristically extremely challenging to the National Party incumbents and Claire Trevett’s “fly on the wall” coverage of the leaders out on the trail was unfailingly funny and insightful.
The Dominion Post gets a highly commended for its use of Vernon Small’s well-trained eye on the leaders but, somehow, we were left feeling he was underused.
No newspaper gets an award for election night coverage as this came the next day in the Sunday papers and, as we all know, the Sundays are complete crap.
The Best News Website Coverage was undoubtedly Scoop, which seems to pride itself on “being there” and “being first” – old news values serving new media well.
Worst Election News Coverage had to be The Standard whose hard left rhetoric rendered it blind to any rational coverage.
Labour’s Red Alert was a much better and clearer standard bearer for the left and while right wing sites such as Whaleoil were almost as blinkered as The Standard, the blubbery one saved himself – just -by the liberal use of humour.
Then there’s The Worst Awards….Teacupgate, as mentioned, and the “accidental” (yeah, right) taping of the conversation between Prime Minister John Key and Act’s John Banks.
No-one came out of this silly debacle with any honour, least of all the media who tried to stand on the high moral ground but found it crumbling away around them as public sentiment lined up against them. It proved that the ends don’t justify the means every time, and yes, while the pollies were stupid to be discussing sensitive material as hacks were pressed on the other side of the café window, the means don’t necessarily justify the ends.
Most improved Telly Critters
This award goes to TVNZ’s Breakfast.
In the lunar crater left on TV ONE’s Breakfast by the stellar implosion of Paul Henry, new hosts Petra Bagust and Corren Dann were hung out to dry for several weeks.
Attacked by razor-toothed packs of commentators and critics they staggered on until, miraculously, one day – they found their own characters. Yes, it’s frothy and light with a snap, crackle and pop but at least it is once again watchable.
Those who prefer healthier muesli can opt for Rachel Smalley’s creditable effort at pumping out nutritious hard news on TV3’s Firstline.
Gone But Not Forgotten
He has an ego bigger than Paul Holmes, his career meltdown was the envy of Michael Laws, but Paul Henry ain’t seen nothin’ yet. His trans-Tasman leap to Channel Ten’s new morning show has a “into the valley of death…” air about it. Quite frankly Ten has a reputation for being a newsman’s graveyard but, luckily, Paul is more showman than journalist so his reincarnation on what Lachlan Murdoch apparently wants to shape into an Aussie Fox News might not be the disaster we all expect.
His co-host is touted as being Lachlan’s former supermodel wife Sarah and, serious career advice here, Paul, this is not the TVNZ newsroom! Keep it zipped (and I don’t mean your mouth)….
Meri Kirihimete to all…..
The News of the World may have set new standards but NZ citizens clearly believe that their papers are right down there. Trust a journalist? Yeah Right!
Best News Story is aired on CD — “Chris” Carter moonlighting as a parliamentary postie, and “Daryl” Hughes’ paramour mooning in the moonlight (albeit, somewhat fraught).
er… “Darren” Hughes
“His co-host is touted as being Lachlan’s former supermodel wife Sarah and, serious career advice here, Paul, this is not the TVNZ newsroom! Keep it zipped (and I don’t mean your mouth)….”
You flatter him. His ‘prowress’ is from neck-up, only.
[...] to Janet Wilson (I know – I was surprised she’s still around too) the Standard are “blinkered” to sensible ideas. Wilson makes this claim while posting her list of best and worst of 2011. [...]
pity hit
I had no idea who janet wilson was until I read the post on The Standard. I guess you learn something new every day.
Janet, why do you think Whaleoil is rational?
This is what Whaleoil said to me reading Earthquakes: (verbatim)
“F*** Christchurch”
In person I found him so offensive I thought he must have been joking. His grotesque right wing rants are not jokes, I wish they were.
s/reading/regarding/
i’m just a little surprised that you get paid to spout this stuff…. “what passes for knowledge, i can’t understand” to quote steely dan…. and what passes itself for “unbiased” commentary, i don’t know…. but it ain’t this article….
but if your intent was to show up just how shallow the philosophy behind “good news reporting” has become, then you have succeeded magnificently….
pity hit
pity hit
Jeez Janet you only wrote 11 words on The Stranded and they get this upset. Imagine if you’d bothered to point out precisely why Red Alert is better in say a paragraph.
You neglected to state who had the best blog site.
Pity hit.
Hey Janet,
The term “hard left” actually has a meaning.
sad to think that the tiny proportion of standard readers who bothered to comment suddenly becomes an extreme reaction…according to the prickly one…..
so the obvious overstatement is proof that the opinions expressed in this article don’t contain enough grounding in reality to be defended sensibly, or rationally….
again, i have to ask,, you get paid to write this stuff? where do i sign on for this particular gravy train?
Wow! Amazing response from the trolls at the Standard – who knew they could get so upset and spiteful over the Red Alert Blog being considered better than than their own twisted one?
I guess that’s the problem with the Looney Left: large egos, zero sense of humour and as subtle as a brick through your front window when it comes to intolerance of any views other than their own.
Still, I’m sure Janet is taking some comfort from the fact that that these Standard-bearers will now have to face the joy of three more years of a National-led government (and judging by the performance of opposition parties so far) probably another six years of john Key et al. Oh dear, how sad, never mind.
So….have been enjoying what Christmas is all about. Family & fun – only to find near hysterics on-line.
Who knew that a few throw away lines could evince such hysteria?
Proves my original point entirely.
Seems to me The Standard is the problem for the left – is Red Alert the answer? It is informed opinion written by those who really matter in politics – the politicians and policymakers.
Yes I agree we should cancel free speech forthwith.
“right wing sites such as Whaleoil were almost as blinkered as The Standard, the blubbery one saved himself – just -by the liberal use of humor”
I love it how Janet actually abused Cameron at a far more personal level than the anonymous authors of the Stranded, and his response? I asked him. He thought it was funny and could not care less.
The Stranded? An entire post, abuse back at Janet (a real person) at a far more personal level than the anonymous authors (not real named people) of the Stranded, and they are still at it.
The Left needs a new “standard” bearer, now that their Dear Leader is decamped in that most useless of organisations, in NY. I nominate comrade Ruth Dyson, who would look the part in a shapeless, grey tunic pant-suit uniform. She has that icy-cold stoicism and her austere horned-rimmed specs are perfect.
The mounting irrelevance of The Standard aside, the most gasmically fascinating news story of the year has to be the implosion of the media’s stand around the teapot tapes. Yes Key and Banks were stupid, but it was a remarkable, and painfully slow, own-goal on the part of the Herald on Sunday and Duncan Garner – they totally misread public opinion and have seemingly neutered themselves as serious news sources for the near future.
Sadly, there was winner out of all this… old Winny. And he’s already up to his tiresome tricks around the traps in Wellington. But HoS and TV3 really lost out, making even TVNZ look respectable.
pity hit
Uh-oh, Janet and Bill, you forgot to get your story straight! Quick, someone clear it up for me: are you running the “haha Labour suck and have no power so The Standard are crybabies” line, or the “haha Red Alert/Labour are the ones with all the power and influence so The Standard are crybabies” line?
And is it really a good idea to crow about “hysteria” and “trolls” when all this post really shows is that Janet doesn’t understand the difference between blogging and news coverage?
Oh Mr. Ralston, showing your true colours or supporting the other half? Which is it?
You knob ends think The Standard is a news source, when it is actually a blog. Media trainers? Tall poppies who never got chopped down – who the hell knows why?
The Peters Principal – both promoted to a level of incompetence
@ Ianupnorth “The Peters Principal – both promoted to a level of incompetence”.
Speaking of your spelling incompetence: it’s “Principle”.
Pity hit.
newsworld newswhat’s happend…
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