Nats would sell off Kiwibank eventually - Report
National deputy leader Bill English was reportedly caught saying the party would sell off Kiwibank in future.
National Party policy is no state asset sales in its first term.
TV3 reported tonight that Mr English was asked at the party's conference whether National would sell off the state owned bank. It had an audio recording of him saying; "Well eventually, not now".
Labour has argued that National had a plan to later sell off state assets.
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Comments and questions11
National is seriously out of touch in planning to sell Kiwibank "eventually". Kiwibank has been hugely popular. It has collectively saved all banking customers in New Zealand by placing downward pressure on bank fees. The amounts saved are far in excess of the cost of setting Kiwibank up.
Kiwibank now turns a tidy profit for the NZ taxpayer. It has positive social and financial utility for New Zelaand that National is foolish in the extreme to ignore.
Selling off Kiwibank wold almost certainly see it sold to one of the other foreign-owned banks who have dominated banking for decades.
National's stance leaves them open to the claim that they are working or foreign-owned banks and not for New Zealanders.
1. Is it ethical to record a private conversation and broadcast part of it without the knowledge of the participants?
2. Is it ethical not to include in such a release without the part that actually paints a quite different picture?
3. Do reporters and producers feel governed by any ethics at all?
Duncan Hamilton
1. The journalist has a prior ethical responsibility to inform the public and report news that is in the public interest. And this issue transparently was in the public interest. The participant in this case was a prominent politician whose policy forecast betrayed a private agenda that was not to be made public for fear of losing political credibility. In short, the participant's right to privacy has to judged by his hypocrisy and lack of public concern for honesty.
2. The journalist should reveal that his source was unaware of the disclosure.
3. Reporters are very often guided by the highest ethics. Producers however,paricularly in a privately rin organisation like TV3, are often directed less by ethics and more by commercial imperatives or the policy directives of their employers. T
Is it ethical for the National Party to tell the public one thing and plan another in private?
The reporters ethics are not our problem, unless we are planning on inviting them to a dinner party, what is our problem is whether kiwibank will get sold or not.
As to the sale itself - everything has it's price but I'd want a very high price for kiwibank and I don't trust any government to not sell it at a discount.
Sadly our journalists as a group don't have a grasp of basics ethics. The only way they know, to sell a story is to sensationalise it; this nearly always requires 'taking a comment out of context' and creating a sensationalist headline. Don't let facts or truth spoil an opportunity to make the headlines.
A good example of sensationalist drivel reporting is today's NZ Herald front page headline about John Key's address to the National party conference.
There was nothing in the small print of the article to justify the headline. The article shouild have refferred to Nartional's bold plan to 'start the country up again'; but this wouldn't fulfill the ideological dream of the editor.
Sad really. Don't read the newspaper and you are uninformed, read the newspaper and you are misinformed, or worse brainwashed with drivel.
Bill English's expressed intention to sell Kiwibank is thoroughly newsworthy. Especially since John Key acts 'dumb' when this question is asked of him.
After all, the sale of Kiwibank is a crucial election policy as it has ramifications far beyond English's pet ideological beliefs and/or Key's blinking public visage.
Re: media ethics,
Saying journalists as a group don't have a grasp of basic ethics is about as clever as saying lawyers as a group don't.
It's fatuous in the extreme.
The reason - the only reason - journalists write sensationalist stories and / or focus on trivia is because people respond to it. If people responded to calm, sober, subtle, thought-provoking journalism then you'd see a lot_ more of it, because that's certainly what most journalists are more interested in.
Perhaps have a look at the demand side of this equation before you glibly make assertions about the supply side.
Maybe also learn a little about the history of journalism - Joseph Pulitzer was largely responsible for adding populism, scandal and sensationalism to broadsheets in the late 1800s.
I personally dont give a toss whether it is sold or not becuase they have Donal Curtin on the board at Kiwibank and now he is the Deputy Chair of the Commerce Commission thanks to Minister Dalziel. Mr Curtin was the Chair of the Investment Committee at Vestar and was responsible for putting millions of dollars of mum and dad investors money into crap investments. I will certainly not put a cent into Kiwibank as a result. What a corrupt government we have. I thank the reporters for informing the public!
Perhaps I am naive but is it unreasonable to expect a leader to act with some degree of integrity? A decision maker is being made accountable for something he has said. This is a direct quote - the leader himself can offer a press release as to what the cotext was and defend himself. Let him do so, if he can. Reporting this is most certainly ethical.
In this time of recession, buying assets can prove worthwhile cause they will always be in demand whether economy is strong or poor.
This site has very detailed information.
Raj
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