Posted by Blogger Name. Category:
Julian Wilcox
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Labour Party
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Maori Television
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MMP
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Paora Maxwell
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Shane Taurima
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Tamaki Makaurau
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TVNZ
Shane Taurima may claim to have been vindicated by TVNZ's inquiry into his behaviour. But the New Zealand Labour Party does not agree with him. Peter Williams has just this moment announced on Breakfast that Taurima's nomination for Tamaki Makaurau for this year's election will not be be accepted by the Labour Party.
But there may yet be a broadcaster stand for Labour in the Tamaki Makaurau seat. Maori Television's head of news Julian Wilcox has expressed an interest in being nominated if Mr Taurima's nomination did not proceed. That creates an interesting scenario.
TVNZ announced yesterday that it had instituted policy changes in the wake of the report; the Herald reports:
TVNZ chief executive Kevin Kenrick said in a statement that their activities were "completely unacceptable".
"It's an absolute necessity for our News and Current Affairs service to operate free from political influence.
"We already have a number of checks and balances in place to protect the integrity of news coverage and the review panel has identified additional steps we should take to further strengthen our management of political conflicts of interest.
"We won't be asking our staff to tell us who they vote for. But we think it's reasonable to ask anyone who reports, edits or produces political content to be upfront with us if they're a member of a political party.
"Anyone who creates news content for TVNZ should disclose any political activity beyond passive party membership.
Will Maori Television do likewise? We have nothing whatsoever against Julian Wilcox, but it seems incongruous that he would only be a "passive" Labour Party member if he is even considering seeking a nomination to stand for Labour in a seat that Labour has a good chance of winning. That is way more than "passive party membership".
Questions need to be asked of Maori Television CEO Paora Maxwell with regard to his Labour Party affiliations. Given that the Labour Party has signalled that it will target the Maori seats strongly this year, is it appropriate for Julian Wilcox to remain as head of news at Maori Television?
The ripples from the Taurima affair are spreading wider still. We will however look closely at Labour's list when it is announced to see whether the pond has gone still again, and Shane Taurima is considered to have been rehabilitated; oh, the joys of MMP!
