‘FAILED’ STATES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

DRNoted PHILIP CASS is acting reviews editor of Pacific Journalism Review. Taking scalps and vicious ‘attack’ politics : How attack politics is poisoning 's politi- cal environment, by Nicky Hagar. Nel- son: Craig Potton Publishing, 2014, 166pp. ISBN978-1-927213-36-0

ICKY HAGER’S revelations of Ndirty tactics by the National Par- ty will come as no surprise to those distance themselves from the scandal numbed by the vicious politics of the in the ensuing months. US, the UK or Australia, but they have For members of the public who raised hackles in New Zealand and retained some faith in the New Zea- no doubt prompted many people to land political system, Hager’s book wipe their hard drives as thoroughly exposed a system in which a right as they can. wing government largely bereft of any Dirty Politics investigates the ideas apart from staying on power, has role played by the right wing com- dragged local politics down to unprec- mentator Cameron Slater who uses his edented levels, with raids on Labour WhaleOil blog to attack National Party computer systems and leaks targeted opponents. It also details the depth of at the press. collusion between the National Party According to Hager, Cameron government and Slater. The revelations sought advice and information from were met with gasps of what one sus- prostitutes about the sex lives of poli- pects were feigned incredulity by the ticians and crowed in obscenity-laden media and it is certainly noticeable that e-mails about how it was ‘never wise certain media workers have tried to to piss off the whale’. Hager noted:

258 PACIFIC JOURNALISM REVIEW 20(2) 2014 ‘FAILED’ STATES AND THE ENVIRONMENT If Slater and his colleagues had been drafted draconian legislation to pun- moral conservative campaigners their ish journalists who write about state interest in other people’s personal spying operations. lives might have had some small jus- Hager told The New Zealand tification. But, as with the attack on Herald after the raid that he would not [Auckland mayor] Len Brown, the co-operate with the police and believed aim was purely to hurt their political opponents (p. 115). the raids were dangerous for journal- ism in New Zealand. So far Hager’s only scalp has been Those who hoped that Dirty Justice Minister , whose Politics would have some affect on resignation Prime Minister the outcome of the election have been demanded. However, Hager himself disappointed. There may have been has been the victim of attacks by those reasons for the fact that ultimately the whose behaviour he has questioned. book had little short term impact, none Hager felt the weight of govern- of them anything less than depressing. mental displeasure when, soon after Were those sections of the New Zea- the election, police raided Hager’s land media which used Slater’s mate- home and took away papers, equip- rial complicit in the outcome? Perhaps ment, computers and electronic equip- people have become so jaded by the ment belonging to the freelance jour- second rate nature of national politics nalists’ family. in New Zealand that they simply no Hager said in a statement that he longer cared, or else they may have had been told he was not a suspect, believed that Cameron’s behaviour but a witness. was actually acceptable. The US-based Freedom of the Hager sees the kind of tactics used Press Foundation has launched an by the National Party and its support- international appeal to raise funds ers as a threat to democracy. Quoting to cover Hager’s legal costs. The Simon Lusk, he writes that negative foundation has reported that Hager campaigning ‘lowers turnout, favours was working on a project using docu- right more than left as the right con- ments leaked by Edward Snowden and tinue to turn out, and drives away the raised speculation that New Zealand’s independents’. Then he continues: government has been nervous about In short, many people simply stop the possible revelations. Australian participating in politics. If politicians and English governments have both cannot be trusted, if politics looks like acted aggressively in the wake of a petty or ugly game and if no one Snowden’s revelations and used or seems to be talking about the things PACIFIC JOURNALISM REVIEW 20 (2) 2014 259 ‘FAILED’ STATES AND THE ENVIRONMENT that matter, then what’s the point of While this slim volume refrains bothering to participate? (p. 132) from exploring Qatar’s involvement and ambitions in Libya, Egypt and Perhaps we can only hope that Syria, its strengths lie in its skilful thoughtful readers will take the time exposure of the self-aggrandising to digest the implications of Hager’s poses struck by celebrity reporters in books and decide that they don’t conflict areas and how their employ- want to vote for politicians who use ers attempt to exploit them to retain such tactics. viewers. The author isn’t fooled by the accoutrements which journalists insist Exposing celebrity reportage in equipping themselves with while no Conflict Coverage Promotion: High one else in the frame senses any im- Quality or High Concept? By Chris minent danger. This predilection for Veits. Hamburg: Anchor Academic Publishing, helmets and body armour—as well as 2014, 95pp. ISBN 978-3-95489-200-6 the use of dramatic explosions filmed under uncertain circumstances—cre- UE to his background in enter- ates the impression of being close to tainment television Chris Veits D the action, and fulfils the audiences’ would seem uniquely qualified to expectations of being taken there by conduct a semiotic analysis of the the network. Yet if the crew were really conflict coverage promotional spots as close as these outlets would have on CNN International and Al Jazeera us believe, then the footage acquired English. However, admirers of Al would come at an even higher cost Jazeera English might be surprised than their industry-leading produc- to learn how both networks routinely tion standards exact. This reminds us employed high concept material in what quality journalism should and the segments lauding their reporting shouldn’t be; and as he looks to move of the multinational intervention in into non-fiction TV, it’s comforting Libya and the broader Arab Awaken- to realise that Veits feels CNN and Al ing. Although at times semiotic ap- Jazeera could do better.—Steve proaches can seem like the scrutiny Ellmers is a Unitec lecturer. of minutiae, the unusual choice of promotional clips provides an oppor- tunity to demonstrate how image cen- tric these channels’ claims about their professional integrity and morality really are.

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