Kim Hill spouts braindead neocon ideology yet again RNZ National, Saturday 3 December 2016
Kim Hill interviewed an interesting guest at 8:25 a.m. this morning….
Olivier Weber has been a war correspondent for 25 years,covering conflict in Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Iraq. He was an assistant professor at the Institut d’études politiques de Paris, President of the Prize Joseph Kessel and former Ambassador of France at large. Olivier Weber has won several national and international awards for literature and journalism, in particular for his stories on Afghanistan and for his books on war. His writing has been translated into a dozen languages. He is touring New Zealand as a guest of Alliance Francaise and will speak in Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston North, Nelson and Christchurch.
Sadly, though, Kim Hill doesn’t seem capable of getting through a political interview without indulging in ritual obeisances to prevailing government messaging. This morning she pretended to be astonished when her guest said that the U.S./U.K. aggression against Iraq had been nothing less than a disaster.
I sent her the following email….
Your politically loaded question to Olivier Weber
Dear Kim,
You asked Olivier Weber, in apparent high seriousness: “So no matter how bad the leader—Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Bashar al-Assad—you shouldn’t go in and get rid of him?” You forgot to mention another convenient focus of Western wrath: Robert Mugabe.
It’s interesting that you chose a triumvirate of officially ordained enemies. Surely it would be equally valid to “go in and get rid of” the likes of Barack Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu and King Salman. Why would you not choose one of those names?
Yours in astonishment at the political bias of our media,
Off base Morrissey. Kim Hill is the best interviewer in NZ. She asks tough questions of both sides, that’s why FJK won’t go on her programme but he will go on softcock Veitchy on Sport
I share your high opinion of Kim Hill, ropata. As you say, she does ask tough questions, and dullards like John Key are rightly frightened of her. Key no doubt heard, or was informed of, her evisceration of John Howard a few years ago.
But, as this morning’s failure shows only too starkly, she has some flaws. One of the worst of those flaws is a tendency to thoughtlessly reiterate official lies and, as shown by her careful selection of three official enemies to illustrate “bad leaders”, a crucial failure of moral courage. in 2003 John Pilger memorably keelhauled her for exactly that behaviour. “You waste my time because you have not prepared for this interview,” he angrily told her. “This interview frankly is a disgrace.”….
Gosh that article is simply jaw-dropping. I am reminded of what happens to animal colonies in Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene when the selfish come to dominate a previously altruistic colony.
You are so right! If there were ever a textbook example why meritocracy may sound appealing but clearly has unintended consequences it is ‘god-like’ Richard Dawkins. On top of that, he gives scientists and intellectuals a bad name.
completely unjustifiable…but not news. Douglas and co instituted this grand con back in the day and it has been gleefully expanded ever since (and as we know “wages are sticky’)…..it will be one hell of a shit fight to bring these back to realistic (and a true reflection of their capabilities) level.
Thanks Stever – def worth reading. North and South have been doing some decent commentary of late about real issues not just sucking up and sending out propaganda drivel like many of their peer publications.
RNZ National, Saturday 3 December 2016
Northcote Point