Media: Insult to injury for Indians

RadioLive host Michael Laws climbed right in after TVNZ presenter Paul Henry's 'is he a New Zealander' gaffe, calling the Governor-General 'fat'. Photo / Wanganui Chronicle

First it was Paul Henry. Now it's Michael Laws. These are cruel times for shock jocks and the people who love them.

RadioLive is trying to draw Michael Laws a line in the sand for offensive comments after his "fat" insult to Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand.

Laws bowed to pressure from the Prime Minister and apologised. But insiders say MediaWorks - owners of RadioLive - are trying to rein him in.

They've told him not to be so nasty about people. It's an interesting approach given Henry's exit - which showed there are people who like that sort of hard edge - and the increasing tabloid influence in New Zealand media.

Maybe he'll think twice about commenting on people with influence, but good luck getting him to self-censor. Laws is always desperate for headlines and has become a tabloid staple.

In June, it was revealed MediaWorks and Laws had to pay $35,000 in an out-of-court settlement to grieving parents of a boy killed in a trailbike accident. A RadioLive executive read the apology on air.

The Herald on Sunday reported the spectacle of Laws threatening to sue fellow RadioLive presenter Willie Jackson.

Then there was Laws' bizarre outing of himself and a relationship with a former prostitute - apparently to pre-empt publication of embarrassing texts. Last week it was his "me too" insult of Satyanand. RadioLive backed him, as usual.

RadioLive's newly appointed head of programming Jana Rangooni told the Herald on Sunday: "I'm comfortable from the tone of the comments they were not intended to be offensive." Laws had refused to apologise but backed down saying: "My off-air comments [in other media], in particular, crossed the line from puckish to insulting and although that was not my intent, it was still inappropriate."

More to the point, he said: "I also apologise to MediaWorks for any embarrassment that may have been subsequently caused". True to form, on Wednesday he was being all mysterious urging listeners to read his apology closely.

TAKE IT TO THE PEOPLE

TVNZ chief executive Rick Ellis has highlighted concern about fallout from the Paul Henry fiasco from advertisers like Progressive Enterprises - rather than the insult to Indian community or a lapse in ethics.

Ellis and his chairman were down at Government House apologising to the esteemed Sir Anand.

They would have done better going walkabout with the Indian community in Sandringham or Mt Roskill - the customers at Pak'n Save in Mt Albert or Royal Oak would surely tell them how they view TVNZ's handling of the issue.

Ellis has ordered a review of the codes of conduct for staff. But TVNZ folk tell me there are plenty of rules and guidelines on presenter behaviour, which weren't used in Henry's case.

The Herald has tried, without success, to get details of the review's scope and the news department's handling of the issue.

Loyal spokeswoman Megan Richards yesterday criticised media queries, saying it was not a major review. Other media were wrongly presenting the image that TVNZ could not be trusted and critics didn't understand how live TV worked, she said.

WHERE'S ANTHONY?

I understand that Rick Ellis is not happy with head of News and Current Affairs Anthony Flannery and the oversight of its most controversial host interviewing the Prime Minister.

But such is the ongoing love affair with Henry - and the fact that Flannery has maintained ratings with fewer resources - it would be surprising if he got more than a mild ticking off. Flannery has kept his head down through this crisis, leaving it to Ellis. Though he is holding his nose and hoping it will all just go away.

MOVING ON

Prime Minister John Key has also said he would like people to move on from the controversy.

Which is understandable given the flack he received for not speaking out when Henry implied New Zealanders should look and sound a certain way.

It's understandable the PM - on his round of soft broadcasting interviews - might have been wary of pulling Henry up for his offending comment mid-interview.

But it's worth noting that he said nothing afterwards to Henry or the Breakfast producers before heading off to talk to another National-friendly DJ, Mike Hosking at Newstalk ZB.

Key has a good rapport with Henry and was happy to return, despite the racial slur. Yet journos note he regularly turned down requests for a serious interview on National Radio when Sean Plunket was at Morning Report.

HOT PROPERTY

There's no shortage of rumours about where Henry will turn up - which is not surprising given the secrecy of his exit deal with TVNZ.

What was the TVNZ payout and was there a restraint of trade that prevents him taking his shock jock expertise elsewhere?

The deal went so smoothly - and Rick Ellis was so quick to express the hope he might come back - you wonder if a return has been pencilled in for later.

Megan Richards laughed off the speculation saying such a deal would not happen. The public did not have a right to know the payout for Henry's departure, she said.

There have also been rumours that TV3 is interested in Henry in a show to replace Campbell Live. The channel has said it is committed to John Campbell, but hasn't extended that largesse to the actual show.

What would financially challenged TV3 do with Campbell? And given Henry's right-wing credentials it would be a big call for TV3, which has always marketed itself as a slightly liberal channel in touch with minorities.

Then there's the possibility of radio - Michael Laws' contract runs out next year. And breakfast host Marcus Lush is yet to fire.

THREE'S COMPANY

Sean Plunket has been doing a star turn on TV3's The Nation. And I hear Radio New Zealand has drawn up a short list for his old job as co-presenter of Morning Report. Names mentioned in dispatches include parliamentary reporting staff Jane Patterson and Julian Robins, and TV reporter Simon Mercep.

UNION DUES

The entrenched and deeply complex dispute over Peter Jackson's production of The Hobbit raises questions about the strategies of the union movement and the screen production sector.

In particular, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) - backed by the Council of Trade Unions and supported by the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) - has made a crashing entrance into New Zealand industrial relations.

I won't choose sides in this dispute where there are limited details of what is actually on the table. But the MEAA, which runs the actors' union Equity in Australia and New Zealand, is an interesting beast given its unfolding relationship with the New Zealand union movement.

The EPMU has been supporting the MEAA in the fight with Peter Jackson and production industry body Spada. The EPMU has a close relationship with the MEAA due to their common background representing journalists on both sides of the Tasman.

Newspaper companies Fairfax and APN News and Media are significant employers of journalists, though for both groups union membership is much stronger in Oz.

MEAA president Chris Warren is president of the International Federation of Journalists, to which the EPMU is affiliated. There is no conclusion to the fight yet.

Passions are running high, with critics of the union alleging that the push on The Hobbit is largely about union ideology undermining the advantage that New Zealand has over Australia to protect the highly unionised industry in the US.

It's impossible to get an explanation from the union as to how success with The Hobbit will help more than a handful of actors, and not reduce the number of US productions that come here providing work for our actors.