January 2012
1 post
7 tags
My political media picks for 2012
John Key’s honeymoon with the news media is effectively over. The print media will illustrate stories with unflattering photos of Key.
David Shearer’s honeymoon with the news media has begun. Shearer will be smiling in the majority of photos accompanying stories about him.
David Shearer will be the only spokesperson on issues of concern to Labour over the next year.
David Shearer will pull the...
November 2011
3 posts
Undies Undies Togs: Undressing the Epsom Talk...
Many will be familiar with the Tip Top Trumpet “Undies” advertisement when a man in a bathing suit walks away from a beach into a town, while the question is asked “how far away from the beach do togs become undies?” The answer: “if you can’t see the water you’re in underpants”. Something that is acceptably public becomes private once it has crossed a perceptual dividing line.
It’s a scenario...
3 tags
On body language.
Valid questions were asked on Sunday morning’s Mediawatch about the role of television in political impression formation, and the focus of the punditry (me included) on the presentational style of the National and Labour party leaders in the first televised leaders debate on TV One. The issue: whether the focus on presentation masks attention to the ‘real’ issues, as illustrated by Jeremy Rose’s...
October 2011
3 posts
Twitter at its worst. Hearsay and rudeness.
During last night’s TV One debate, Richard Pamatatau, whose decribes himself as “Programme Leader Graduate Diploma Pacific Journalism. Auckland University of Technology” tweeted “Claire Robinson was a private secretary to Jenny Shipley – hmmmm”. This was retweeted many times, and a lot of abuse was subsequently directed at me.
It was felt that the fact that I worked as a Cabinet Minister’s...
3 tags
Robbing Peter to pay Paul: Why National doesn’t...
In the Herald on Monday 24 October John Banks is quoted as saying he was “not asking for any favours from the Prime Minister or the National Party” [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10761267] . “I’m going out to win the hearts and minds of the people of Epsom….Three years ago, National was 55 per cent in the polls and on election...
5 tags
Of course it was electioneering, but so what?
The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has dismissed the Labour Party’s complaint that the ”Prime Minister’s hour” broadcast on RadioLive on 30 September 2011 was an “election programme” in terms of the Broadcasting Act 1989, and breached Code of Broadcasting Practice in relation to election programmes.
To be an election programme in terms of section 69 of the Broadcasting...
August 2011
2 posts
2 tags
If I were a Labour MP now, I would be panicking!
Yesterday’s TV3 and TV One poll results are as good as it will get for Labour unless they do something radical, like replacing Phil Goff.
In the Herald today former Labour president Mike Williams is quoted as saying “there’s no need for the party to panic just yet. The gap between National and Labour ahead of the November 26 election was highlighted again last night in two polls….Mike Williams,...
Tweeting MPs should read this.
I have received a response from the Electoral Commission regarding questions I asked them in April/May about Twitter avatars. Twitter avatars are the small pictures in the top left corner of a tweeter’s profile. I asked for an opinion about the use of the Stop Asset Sales signs that were being used by a number of Labour MPs as Twitter avatars. I pointed out that the avatars are so small they could...
July 2011
2 posts
2 tags
ACT
In the space of a weekend ACT has imploded, and all because of the actions and comments of an unelected official.
Political advertisements often receive bad press from commentators and scholars concerned that they are contributing to increased levels of public disinterest in politics. Their concern is that the rational process of communicating meaning through words uttered by politicians has been...
3 tags
Labour’s referral to the Police a vexatious...
So Labour appears to have breached the electoral finance laws, again, and the Electoral Commission is referring the matter to the police for a decision as to whether any prosecution is warranted, again. I can’t imagine this will be on the top of the police’s list of priorities; it will probably sit alongside other vexatious complaints they must receive from time to time. It’s not the Electoral...
June 2011
5 posts
2 tags
The MMP Referendum Paradox
It’s a good thing that the “Vote for Change” campaign has been launched to oppose the “Campaign for MMP”. In the interests of good public communication, we need opposing voices to bring the referendum and its issues into the public domain, so that people can start to deliberate the merits of the five complex systems on offer.
I will now declare my personal interest and say that I actually support...
3 tags
Getting a grip on Te Tai Tokerau
Saturday’s by-election result was a resounding vote for Hone Harawira, an affirmation by a majority of Te Tai Tokerau voters of his passionate desire to stand up, care and speak on behalf of the people of Tai Tokerau. It is the same sort of personal victory that has been achieved by Jim Anderton and Peter Dunne over many elections: a vote for the person and their commitment to their...
1 tag
A headache of their own making
Political parties beware. The Electoral Commission has just provided MPs with an Election Advertising Rules Guidance document (http://bit.ly/kNp3tp). Never before has the advice from the Electoral Commission been so explicit about whether something is an election advertisement or not, and it will create headaches for political parties and candidates. The Electoral Commission has finally conceded...
4 tags
Anyone who thinks the Darren Hughes story is about...
Anthony Hubbard wrote a piece about sexual political scandal in yesterday’s Sunday Star Times, in light of Darren Hughes’ being let off the hook by the Police last week [http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/opinion/5132099/Politics-sex-go-hand-in-hand]. He re-quoted something I was reported as saying in the NZ Herald: “Massey University political scientist Claire Robinson says it’s...
Commenting on Darren Hughes' future on 3news →
May 2011
2 posts
5 tags
Clothes make the leader
Why does it matter what sort of clothing Phil Goff wears? I have been researching how New Zealand political leadership is communicated through appearance and image for 13 years, and small sound bites in newspaper articles like this (http://bit.ly/k3sJx8) don’t really do the subject area justice. I’ll expand on this as the 2011 election campaign progresses.
Firstly, some background as to why images...
2 tags
