Is this the most important news story of the day?
TV3 led their 6pm news bulletin tonight with the news that Paul Holmes adopted daughter has been arrested on drug charges. I really have to question why this is the lead item on TV3 news. Surely there are more important stories and anyway why does she have to get her name all over the media because of her relationship with Holmes?
If one were being cynical one would suggest that TV3 made a big deal of it because it gave them an opportunity to promote the TV3 show that the woman was modelling on - Deal or No Deal (yeah, enough already). Did TV3 put the story at the top of their bulletin in the hope of tempting viewers to see their show to catch a glimpse of Holmes’ daughter, now in trouble with the law? Or did they really believe that this was the most important news story of the day?
June 18th, 2007 at 6:24 am
yes to the first question/option.
(..i’m not going anywhere near the story..)
(i was shaking my head in disbelief..at this..their ‘lead-story’..)
and this is just further evidence of the ongoing degradation/downgrading of tv3 news..
it has become so magaziney/’lightweight’..
i have to place a heavy object on top of my television set..
before flicking over to 3 news..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
June 18th, 2007 at 8:40 am
Russ
The woman is involved in “P”, are you saying that this is not a big deal?
Or do the Greens support the decriminalisation of class A drugs as well?
June 18th, 2007 at 9:38 am
Blame Paris Hilton.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:02 am
No… its Brittney who’s to blame for everything
June 18th, 2007 at 11:06 am
BB
What makes it big BB? There are thousands of people in trouble with P in this country and I cannot see how this trumps the troubles in the housing market and the related conflict between the reserve bank and the rest of the government.
I cannot see how this is any sort of important story, and that assessment has exactly NOTHING to do with my attitude towards methamphetamines. Don’t confuse the two. We’re talking about a failure of journalistic standards, not legalizing some drug. Don’t confuse the two.
BJ
June 18th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
i blame helen clark/labour..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
June 18th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
What does good old aunty H have to do with the use of P by a young celeb?
As BJ say it isint about saying P isint a big deal, its about the TV3 news deciding that just because suddenly one fo the many people who use the drug happens to be a celebrity of sorts that her use is a big matter, another thing is it is potentialy dangerous (and heres where it gets political), role models like brit, nicole, paris and those other ones who i cant remmeber, going out and getting off their face and fucked up on hard drugs, these are people that young girls may want to be like, having fame, money and (supposedly) beauty, adding another young celeb into the mix and making a big deal of it cant help the situation.
Our populas is becoming increasingly more interested in the lives of celebs than of how our country is run, that is exactly the opposite dirrection to what we need, a news station acting like a gossip magazine doesint help the matter.
As for drugs and their use, im entirly liberal up to the extent of the Harm Principal, just so long as we the tax payers dont have to foot the hospital bill for those on the harder drugs, or those drugs such as alcohol and tabacco.
Sapient
June 18th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
It is very sad that this had to be the lead item on any news bulletin. Millie is 19 and needs a lot of help. If she had been anyone elses daughter she would have been given name supression, and the media would not have cared less. Hats off to Paul Holmes who was very cut up by what happened, yet still fronted to the media this afternoon and showed tremendous honesty and compassion. Even though he is not Millie’s biological dad Paul Holmes has always been tremendously supportive of her. Many dads never show their children this kind of support. It is not uncommon for some dads own perceived self importance to prevent them fronting up to assist their own children when they need it, and in the process deliberately destroying their lives.
Paul Holmes clearly is a very broken man, but loves his daughter so much. It is not easy to support a child through court I know having spent considerable time in courts and accused of things I did not do with no support from my family, and landed unfairly with a record because of someone elses delusions anfd fraud.
June 18th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
BB said: The woman is involved in “P�, are you saying that this is not a big deal? Or do the Greens support the decriminalisation of class A drugs as well?
To the first point, BB, there are heaps of people who get arrested for possession of ‘P’ every day, so why is it that this one hits the headlines just because she’s the daughter of a celebrity?
To the second point, I support the decriminalisation of possession for personal use of class A drugs. Prohibition doesn’t work, because despite more getting arrested and jailed, use of class A drugs has gone up. So the prohibition policy is not working.
So lets start dealing with drugs as a health issue, rather than a crime issue. The Greens have got part of the way with the policy of decriminalising possession of cannabis for personal use, but unless we move on to decriminalise possession of drugs other than cannabis, the dealers will just find another, and more dangerous, market.
And before you say this is Green policy, BB, it is not, but I believe it should be. Something, unfortunately, that they are not yet convinced of - despite people like you claiming they are, and despite people like me wishing they were.
June 18th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Certainly documentaries looking at the problems caused by P can be worthwhile, but this item gave us no new insight into the issue. All it did was associate it with a figure who is still associated in most people’s minds with TV3’s main competitor.
June 19th, 2007 at 11:22 am
heh-heh..!..sapient..
you bit..!
(wanna buy a bridge..?..)
(..and..wot toad said..!..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
June 19th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
(but seriously sapient..)
i can make a very strong case against clark/labour for the current irrational/prohibitionist drug laws..
(especially when we have new zealanders suffering/denied the relief offered by medicinal cannabis.
eh..?)
who else should we blame for this continued sorry state of affairs..?
if not the government/those with the power to end the insanities..
(sigh..!..prohibition dosen’t worj..!..eh..?..)
and for fans of (unintended) irony..
that we have a such large p/speed problem..
is due..in part..because there is no access here to the (arguably much less harmful) cocaine..
(yet another back-firing-victory in that ‘war on drugs’..local version..eh..?)
go figure..!..eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
June 19th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
‘worj’..(def:..(bastard) norwegian for ‘work’..)
“..i’m just off to worj..”
phil(whoar.co.nz)
June 19th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
as in..
cocaine is to speed/p..
as single-malt whisky is to methylated spirits..
as in excessive consumption of all will cause you problems..
but the damage wrought/wreaked by the latter options..
is far more dire..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
June 19th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
phil, i just like a good debate, but u havint realy given me much to debate, i agree with too much of what you said
and as toad said prohibition doesint work, we should at the least make the softer drugs legal, this eliminates the gateway effect of having to find a dealer, also stops a major source of income for those gangs that evenone seems to be so worryed about. though there has to be some sort of regulation, as i said with the harm principle thing, i dont care what anyone does aslong as its not hurting someone else, and a large number of people driving around on the harder drugs would make me wonder even more as to the saftey of our roads
Sapient
June 19th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Well, I’m sure there are many more important and weighty issues to be discussing, but it’s hardly surprising that a ratings-led news organisation is going to run with this story. “Hot teen model on drugs” is pretty attention-grabbing in itself. When said model is also the daughter of one of NZ’s most well known (and irritating) people, then the decision to screen it ahead of, say, “plane almost crashes: no-one hurt” doesn’t seem particularly odd.
June 19th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
yes tomsk..
all you cite is further evidence of the dire quality of news/information most are fed..
(..”plane almost crashs..nobody hurt’..indeed..!..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
June 19th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Of course it is an important news story. Drug use and receiving stolen goods? That’s a bad thing. And notice that the “drugs don’t harm anyone” line seems a little confused when it undoubtedly is very related to “receiving stolen goods”.
It’s important because this is going on all over NZ and no-one apparently cares. If this story makes people sit up and take notice, then so be it. It has the hallmark of a good story - a lass who has everything and yet wanted more, and didn’t care how she got it. A father that cares and yet has undoubtedly suggested we get a bit tougher on these “out of control” kids, and a whole lot of teenagers that may actually be forced to think about where they might be heading, and at the same time see a typically tough talking man turn around and become a father. Maybe kids can call on their parents for help.
There’s a message here, and I don’t begrudge the 5 minutes talking about this instead of how Bollard has tracked the world’s problems down to not only Kiwi home owners, but Japanese housewives. He really needs to get help.
June 20th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
apparently there some people who think that canada not so cold soon,
June 21st, 2007 at 2:23 am
So today TVNZ goes one better. In a radio promo for closeup Mark Sainsbury uses his best shock horror scandal tones to ask “Why is water five times more expensive in Auckland than in Christchurch?” Doh, Christchurch only happens to be built on top of an aquifier fed from the Southern Alps. Need more water? Drill another hole in the ground and connect it directly to the mains. No need for treatment, its been rock filtered all the way from the Alpine snow fields. No huge energy bills to pump the water from another region. Put your harbour and hills to one side and you get a nice compact little city, less pipes to lay, less distance to pump the water and waste water.
No wonder it costs one fifth as much as Auckland water. But of course it isn’t sold by the litre in Christchurch.
But never let the facts get in the way of a good story, eh. And sensation sells, and selling is what TV is all about these days.