NIGEL GRAY AGAINST RNZ, STUFF AND NEW ZEALAND HERALD
Case Number: 3001
Council Meeting: MARCH 2021
Decision: No Grounds to Proceed
Publication: Radio NZ
Ruling Categories:
Bias
Conflict of Interest
Misrepresentation, Deception or Subterfuge
Overview
Nigel Gray complains that Stuff, RNZ and the New Zealand Herald have all used the expression "beginning of the end" in stories about the vaccine roll-out.
The complaint states
Innocent enough in themselves to refer to the beginning of the vaccination campaign, perhaps, except for two points which I believe are important in this circumstance.
1. the words are exactly the same in the 3 publications; more than just a coincidence.
2. one has to look at the wider context of this subject to gain an understanding of why these words in particular are of concern, and any good independent media should do that. Many NZers are well aware of the habit of policy of globalists to use key messages in media to announce their intentions. Secondly, it is well known that there is a plan to depopulate the world using vaccines; Bill Gates has said as much several times, and then there are the Georgia Guidestones which mention the reducing the population to 400 million. While that could all be seen as "conspiracy theory", the words "beginning of the end" published in 3 different media outlets could certainly be seen by some to be such a message. And undoubtedly media plays a role in catering to ALL NZers, not just some.
In this case the words "beginning of the end" could signify and message the beginning of a campaign to use vaccines to depopulate, rather than to end a virus.
He also posits that since all three organisations have used the same words they have made it clear that they are not independent and are pushing the same story from the same source. There seems to have been no acknowledgement of sponsorship or financial inducement, but it appears they are parroting the words of the Labour government who have just handed $55 million to media.
The Media Council notes the phrase 'beginning of the end' was used by all three media outlets as it was an attention-grabbing quote from Auckland University vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris. The phrase is in inverted commas, and is plainly expressing an optimistic opinion on the good effects of the vaccine.
It does not signify a lack of independent media, or the media outlets' collusion, to ignore Mr Gray’s apparent view that a “well-known plan” exists to depopulate the world using vaccines.
Mr Gray notes that ''all this could be seen to be a conspiracy theory". He is correct.
Finding: Insufficient Grounds to Proceed.