Radio NZ’s grossly substandard new “Middle East correspondent” ran rings around Caitlin Cherry this morning

Radio NZ’s grossly substandard new “Middle East correspondent” ran rings around Caitlin Cherry this morning
Friday 3 January 2014

https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-03012014/#comment-752733

Radio New Zealand has a shameful history of employing extremely biased commentators on the middle east. Both Kathryn Ryan and Bryan Crump continue to go to the egregious trio ofLiat Collins, Lana Shaheen and Irris Makler, and at other times Radio New Zealand National uses the sardonic ex-BBC hack Simon Marks and a string of Daily Telegraph and CNN “journalists”, none of them a credible or reliable source of information or opinion. [1]

This morning, long-suffering listeners were introduced to the latest in this partisan, solidly pro-Israel lineup: its new “Middle East correspondent”, Blair Cunningham.

Any eternal optimists out there who might have harboured some hope for this latest addition to the roster would be quickly disabused by checking on his recent work and having a look at his Twitter account.

Back in March 16, 2012, Blair Cunningham drew praise from Cameron Slater for an extremely biased “report”, actually nothing more than acting as a megaphone for the Prime Minister, that he’d done about David Shearer…..
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2012/03/a-good-summary/

As can be seen by a quick visit to his Twitter account, Blair Cunningham is really getting down to some serious, insightful journalism in Israel….
Israel pizza hut looks a-maz-ing (20 Nov)

On November 7th, he was keen to share his admiration for one of the leading thinkers of our time….
@pollyzm excellent inspiration today. ZM’s Polly says we are passive observers. “Do anything but nothing.” Perfect given this week
https://twitter.com/BriskyBlair

Blair Cunningham is, in other words, exactly the kind of “talent” that fits in perfectly with the Hoskings, Smiths, Lackwit-Williamses, Russells and ohoWmads at NewstalkZB, where Cunningham continues to work as a “reporter”. Unfortunately for more intelligent and discerning radio listeners, who expect a higher standard than extended racist rants, expressions of admiration for Communist China’s repressive policies and endless plugs for Sky City, Cunningham has also scored a choice gig as Radio NZ’s “middle east correspondent.”

The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is trotting off to Israel to—try not to laugh bitterly here— “attempt to broker peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.”

The obscenity of that cruel falsehood is obvious to anyone who knows anything about the situation in the Occupied Territories—but it didn’t seem to worry Radio NZ National’s Summer Report host Caitlin Cherry this morning. She repeated that ridiculous pat formulation without demur, and then crossed to “our Middle East correspondent Blair Cunningham”.

Caitlin Cherry evidently knows next to nothing about the situation in the Occupied Territories, but she’s obviously twigged that this is a subject that has to be treated with the utmost trepidation, even if one knows fuck-all about it….

CAITLIN CHERRY: [with as much solemnity as she can muster] Many have tried to broker peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. What are the chances of this succeeding?

Cunningham began his “report” by noting that “Mr Kerry’s thoughts are for the family” of the ailing Ariel Sharon. He then observed that Kerry will be visiting “Ramallah in the West Bank”. Throughout his spiel, he studiously made sure that he never once mentioned the crucial word: “occupied”.

Caitlin Cherry knows next to nothing, but she clearly felt she had to say something….

CAITLIN CHERRY: [with maximum solemnity] Obviously both sides are expected to make large concessions….

Cunningham cynically said nothing to disabuse either the bewildered Cherry or the listeners. He is exactly the sort of uncritical empty vessel that Israel wants “reporting” to overseas outlets like Radio New Zealand….

[1] http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-29032011/#comment-314173

• swordfish12.1

  3 January 2014 at 8:07 pm

  Yeah, this never-bloody-ending so-called “peace-process” has always been about Israel and its Super-Power sponsor bullying a compliant/dependent PA into abrogating fundamental Palestinian rights under International Law by accepting the “Separation Wall’ – built deep inside Palestinian Territory – as the permanent border. And if Israel can’t do that, then, as always, it at the very least buys more time for expanding the settlement-building and consequent ethnic-cleansing (while minimising outside criticism/sanctions).

  The ignorance/compliance in so much of the western media is really quite something to behold. The US/Israel contrive the official narrative, the MSM cheerfully regurgitate it.
  • Draco T Bastard12.1.1

    3 January 2014 at 9:51 pm

    Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land

    It’s no accident that the Western media fails to tell the true story of what is happening in Palestine.
    • swordfish12.1.1.1

      3 January 2014 at 11:27 pm

      Cheers for that, Draco. I’ll definitely watch that right through when I’ve got time in the next day or two. Looks excellent.
  • Morrissey12.1.2

    4 January 2014 at 10:53 am

    The ignorance/compliance in so much of the western media is really quite something to behold.

    Governments, whether in Israel or the United States or the United Kingdom or Russia or China or New Zealand, depend on cynical “correspondents” like Blair Cunningham and, even more importantly, on empty vessels like Caitlin Cherry.
  •