Archive for May, 2010|Monthly archive page

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Editing The Herald – Badly: Yesterday’s Big Tobacco blunder

In Rory MacKinnon on May 25, 2010 at 2:26 pm


2008-01-26 (Editing a paper) - 31 by Nic's events. [UPDATE: The online disclaimer has now been amended. If anyone from the Herald's reading this, thankyou and please don't file my CV in the shredder]

There’s a famous saying attributed to Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana: “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to look like bloody big chumps and confirm every negative perception of their industry”. Or something like that.

Anyway, shame on the New Zealand Herald. On Monday – the very same day they ran NZPA’s recap of the incredibly sketchy relationship between Imperial Tobacco and the Association of Community Retailers – they also ran an opinion piece by Roger Bull of the Association of Convenience Stores. You know, Glenn Inwood’s other pro-tobacco client. Read the rest of this entry »

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Breaking The Habit: Imperial Tobacco comes clean, kind of

In Rory MacKinnon on May 21, 2010 at 1:57 pm

[UPDATE: In case you really don't feel like reading today, I'll be discussing the ACR and newsblogging in general with Colin Peacock on Radio NZ's Mediawatch this weekend. Tune in 9am or 10pm Sunday or look for the podcast here]

“The association does not have a relationship with tobacco companies, and nor did Stay Displays as far as I’m aware.” – Denielle Boulieris, Association of Community Retailers

“As far as I am aware, the Association does not get any funding from Imperial Tobacco. Glenn might with his hats; he might get paid by Imperial Tobacco, but that’s his business” – Richard Green, Association of Community Retailers

“Imperial Tobacco has not funded, or directly funded, the ACR” – Glenn Innwood, Omeka Communications

But it turns out Imperial Tobacco finally broke its silence at last fortnight’s Maori Affairs Select Committee hearing. Read the rest of this entry »

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It’s The Economy, But Stupid: Bizarre Budget PR

In Rory MacKinnon on May 20, 2010 at 8:10 pm

polish.jpg Kiwi Turd polish picture by desertdog7788The last thing the internet needs is another Budget blog, but it’s always amusing when a current event is awkwardly shoehorned into a mostly pointless press release. Sometimes it’s an earnest attempt to catch a reporter’s eye with an otherwise weak news angle, other times it comes across as nothing more than a jaded intern mashing out another spiel so their boss hits the daily exposure quota.

In any case today’s post ranges from the tenuously topical to the breathtakingly cynical with my personal highlights from Thursday’s Budget blather:

DoC to develop cycleways and camp grounds

Cool, I guess. So, is that from DoC itself? Maybe an outdoor recreation group? Nope; apparently that’s the best thing Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson had to say about her portfolio. Read the rest of this entry »

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Policy Wonks, Wonky Policies: the Welfare Working Group

In Rory MacKinnon on May 12, 2010 at 10:40 am

http://dar2dream.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/tennieldumdee1.jpg?w=300&h=240

So there was a fair bit of reportage last week around the fact that Minister for Social Development Paula Bennett had appointed a sociologist named Peter Saunders to her Welfare Working Group, while citing the work of a completely different Peter Saunders in the House. Not different in the ‘Clark Gable moustache and eyepatch’ sense; more ‘diametrically opposed philosophies which should be readily apparent to anyone reading their work’. Lyndon Hood has a much, much funnier summary of the whole ordeal here, but what most media outlets seem to have overlooked is the sheer craziness that the Actual Peter Saunders is touting.

Again, Gordon Campbell has a much better summary than I can really offer, but the gist of it is that the Peter Saunders that Bennett intentionally appointed to the Welfare Working Group explicitly believes that poor people (like beneficiaries) are generally less intelligent than wealthier people and are therefore less deserving of training and education. No, really. Read the rest of this entry »

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Seriously, who’s behind the Community Retailers?

In Rory MacKinnon on May 4, 2010 at 6:29 pm

Cigarettes by curran.kelleher.

[UPDATE: more skullduggery on Public Address, Soundbites from Richard Green and Glen Inwood on RNZ Morning Report]

Some interesting developments since yesterday: a brief response from the Association’s coordinator, a somewhat conflicting interview with Glenn Inwood and a very interesting poll of the ACR’s members. So let’s get cracking.

Dear Rory

Thank you for your email yesterday. I apologise for the late response, however, I was not in the office yesterday.

To answer your questions, the ACR is a trust, with retailers as trustees.

Your  calculations regarding the operational budget are incorrect. Some retailers have offered to pay above the $50 annual membership fee. There are more than 7000 independent retailers in New Zealand and we are currently in the process of a membership drive.

The association does not have a relationship with tobacco companies, and nor did Stay Displays as far as I’m aware. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Association Of Community Retailers: A Smoking Gun

In Rory MacKinnon on May 3, 2010 at 7:50 pm

Cigarettes - I hate cigarettes, but it's so good. :) by jphilipg.

[UPDATE: Keith comes through with the goods again!]

It turns out I’m not the only one interested in this grassroots collective of mum-and-dad-tobacconists, with several people messaging and calling me with little tidbits of information. I also emailed the ACR twice to ask them directly, with no reply (despite their employees putting out a third press release today). But I just found out some very very interesting things, courtesy of Keith “Student Media Mafia” Ng.

Keith googled the PO Box listed on the Association of Community Retailers’ website and got back a bunch of articles about one Omeka Communications Ltd, who are still a registered company (although their website shut up shop in 2008).

According to the Companies Register, it just so happens that between 01 May – 16 July 2006 Omeka Communications was working out of the exact same offices ACR is using today. Read the rest of this entry »

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Who is behind the Association of Community Retailers?

In Rory MacKinnon on May 3, 2010 at 12:27 pm

cigarette by SuperFantastic.

Who is behind the Association of Community Retailers?

Last week’s sudden tax hike on tobacco saw a flurry of impromptu press releases, but far and away the most interesting ones were from these folks. “Tax Hike Will Hurt Dairies”, they said, and reporters scrabbling for an original news angle flocked to them for comment. But who exactly are they? Read the rest of this entry »

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