If you haven't checked out Deborah Coddington's report Saving Public Radio (it's a pdf), you should. I was turned on to it by the Media Cow, one of the better online commentators. It's as well-written and full of skilful spin as you'd expect from an award-winning journalist turned politician, and if you're not careful you might swallow it hook, line and sinker.
I'd recommend giving it a careful read. Here's an example of an interesting oddity: When you reach the bottom of page 17, have a think and see if you can work out what the quote it includes has to do with the subject of the report. Then have a quick skim ahead to page 20, and look at footnote 41. Weird, eh?
The report actually gets its own name wrong twice: once on page 5 (the first page of Coddington's introduction), and again on page 9. To her credit, Coddington said in her press release announcing the report "I do not claim that my analysis is scientific, or that this report is the last word on public broadcasting." You'd be pretty soft headed if you considered it to be either, particularly as it's as biased and skewed as it claims National Radio to be.
Look I hope noone expects me to post anything else of a political nature ever again 'cause I really can't be bothered, but this was great to read with a red pen for underlining; I can't be bothered going through all the weird and funny things I found, but I hope you have a go at looking for them yourself. I hope Act stick around a while longer, they're much more fun than NZ First - and they're not racist either. At least I don't think they are. Prebble definitely isn't, pretty sure the rest of them aren't too, for all their strange ways.
I've been listening to Bone Machine by Tom Waits. Just freakin' buy yourself a copy for Christmas, okay? It's the best album ever recorded in a chicken coop.
Posted by pearce at December 16, 2003 11:23 PM