Dirty Politics - Chapter 1 - The Rise Of The Bloggers

I've been a little slow to blog about Dirty Politics because I didn't want to comment on a book that I hadn't yet read.  It wouldn't have been right.  The book arrived today and I am one chapter in having read the chapter, "The Rise of the Bloggers".  To summarise, the chapter talks about Whale Oil/Cameron Slater's relationship with the National Party and the dirty tactics he uses against the left.

I'm pretty liberal on most things that go on behind the scenes having studied politics at university (a paper titled Political Marketing, one called Political Content of Television and another entitled Media Opinion and Propaganda) but there is one excerpt that disturbs me.

"Two days before the dinner, for instance, Slater wrote to New Zealand Herald gossip columnist Rachel Glucina, urging her to try to smear businessman Owen Glenn, who donated money to the Labour Party: 'You should dig out some girl stories about Owen Gleen, either who he was/has shagged or tried to get in the sack'. And, he urged, 'if you can't find any then make it up....."

There are two things that I'm disturbed about here:

1. Cameron Slater who has been fighting to be labelled a journalist and criticises the New Zealand Herald publicly encouraged gossip columnist Rachel Glucina to make up a story.
2. He appears to be unhealthily obsessed with dragging out the sex lives of politicians which has nothing to do with politics at all.  People meet others.  It is natural that they'll get involved with people in their circle.

What this indicates to me is that Slater cares more about bullying, although that is too kind to him, he's vindictive and wants to achieve victory at all costs and make a name for himself regardless of who he hurts along the way. 

This chapter really throws into questions about journalism ethics in New Zealand.  I've been saying it for years that the NZ 'journalists' have no integrity and this chapter just adds weight to that.  Why isn't journalism in New Zealand being investigated?  It is more corrupt than I'd previously thought and I'm really ashamed that the NZ journalists get away with this type of behaviour.  That's not what journalism is about - it's not a tit for tat scenario.  True journalism is supposed to inform and help people, not seek out to destroy reputations.