Clark labels magazine editor a 'creep'

Helen Clark has labelled another journalist a "creep" - this time targeting Investigate magazine editor Ian Wishart.

Mr Wishart this week published a report which revealed David Parker had filed several false Companies Office declarations, forcing him to resign his ministerial portfolios.

Asked about Mr Wishart on Newstalk ZB yesterday the Prime Minister said: "He's a scandalmonger and he'll carry on with that.

"He'll carry on trying to pry into every little nook and cranny of people's lives and all I'd say to people - and I think a lot of people listening would empathise with this - have any of us got nothing in our lives that we'd rather rerun the film on? I don't think so.

"Mr Wishart is the sort of creep who really delights in picking out any little thing that people might have in their background.

"And what it says is if you want to meet the Wishart test of public life, you'd better be one of the Vestal Virgins."

Mr Wishart said he found the comments "astounding".

"Helen is probably under a bit of personal stress ... she's lashing out. I don't take it personally, I find the comments saddening more than anything else."

The media was required to be a Government watchdog. If National was in power it would come under similar focus, he said.

In 2002 the Prime Minister labelled TV3 journalist John Campbell "a little creep" after an interview with her on the "Corngate" saga, in which she claimed she had been hijacked.

* Vestal virgin: a virgin consecrated to the Roman goddess Vesta and vowed to chastity, who maintained the sacred fire burning on Vesta's altar.