After releasing a provocative teaser earlier in the week, Stuff, today, published a lengthy series of articles under the banner of a project called ‘Fire and Fury’.
Written by Louisa Cleave and Paula Penfold (and funded by the heavily derided ‘Public Interest Journalism Fund’) ‘Fire and Fury’ covers some of the extreme viewpoints circulating within the so-called ‘Freedom Movement’ in New Zealand. To its credit, the series exposes some of the more dangerous and revolting elements which use that platform to spread the kinds of misinformation and conspiracy theories which would be right at home in a Trump electoral campaign and it sheds a light on the deep undercurrent of racism and hatred which exists within that section of our society.
But the series lets itself down in four important ways which immediately reduce the credibility which it might have otherwise enjoyed:
- The hyperbole used to present the material (including an ominous opening sequence, to the video, which gives the impression that this is the biggest story since Watergate) isn’t matched by the content which is certainly graphic but is mostly idiots exercising their right to free speech. Where that speech constitutes incitement to violence, there are remedies in law – the rest is the kind of neanderthal banter which, while distasteful, is still entirely legal.
- Fire and Fury is unbalanced in that it completely ignores similar misinformation being pedaled on the alt:left which is every bit as revolting and dangerous. The series would have had FAR more credibility had this been included
- The writers mix their own bias with the facts presented (which is not entirely surprising given the source of their funding) – but the result is that they tut-tut at views that are held by middle New Zealand despite the fact that most kiwis would have nothing in common with the fascists featured in the video (eg, many kiwis have a healthy skepticism of the pseudo-science attached to climate change)
- Most importantly, the series identifies the extremism rampant within the Freedom Movement without really asking ‘why’ this extremism exists and how it has developed. I think that, while most of us see the danger of this movement – we also understand that it is an entirely predictable response to the policies and direction of the Ardern Government over the past five years. An expose which ignores THAT reality does a disservice to the topic and ends up adding nothing to the debate
(As an aside, I found it interesting that the series was so condemnatory of antisemitism within the Freedom Movement when Stuff, arguably the most left-leaning media organisation in NZ, is the poster child for media antisemitism in this country).
