KW: Mainstream Media Caught Red Handed
| Hi Malcolm “Dangerous, misinformation-spreading loons”. Our organisation is regularly on the receiving end of these kinds of labels. But what happens when the information we are “spreading” is their own? Namely, data and charts from a publicly respected national mainstream media source? In the past, sharing inconvenient research, data and stats saw us de-platformed from social media sites like Facebook and YouTube. Thou shalt not share problematic truths. Disappearing data On Friday, I wrote a post about several key Covid-19 cases and hospitalisation charts published on the Radio New Zealand (RNZ) website. These charts were derived from Ministry of Health numbers and looked at the data surrounding the vaccination status of the recent Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations, and deaths. In a nutshell, it showed that the boosted make up more than their fair share of the percentages, especially when it comes to being hospitalised or worse. Awkward. |
| Last year, when too many people discovered similar patterns of infection and hospitalisation amongst the vaccinated in the UK (via their regular Public Health England Technical Briefing Reports), they officially changed how they shared their information to obscure and omit uncomfortable findings. It seems our very own national broadcaster has opted for the same strategy in NZ. Or, perhaps it’s the Ministry of Health playing with the type of data it makes available? Either way, RNZ has pulled five charts displaying data relating to vaccination status from their webpage – within a day or two of us highlighting the results. |
| Coincidence? Perhaps. But after many months of regularly updating and displaying this information for the public’s benefit, the timing of this deletion is undoubtedly curious. So, what should we do about it? While RNZ is under no obligation to publish this information, they have until now been providing a public service to the people of NZ with these easy-to-read charts. We hear much about transparency and the importance of people accessing accurate information from trusted sources. So, let’s hold them to it! If, like us, you’re deeply concerned about the removal of information from this public space, then consider letting RNZ know. |
| Write to them and ask:Where have the vaccination status related charts gone?Why were they removed?When can we expect to see them reinstated?And why has mainstream media not highlighted the results in its reporting?You can copy and paste my example into an email (and ideally modify it a bit to make you’re own if you have time): EXAMPLE EMAIL: I am writing regarding the removal of five charts from your ‘Covid-19 data visualisations: NZ in numbers’ page. Last week, your page ( https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in- Is it the role of RNZ to censor uncomfortable information? Or should the facts be presented as they stand? Do the public of NZ require babysitting and shielding from the facts, or can they be trusted to make up their own minds as adults? I would be interested in understanding the decision to remove this data more fully. Specifically: Why have these charts been removed? Who ordered the removal? When can we expect them to be reinstated? Where else can people find this data if it is no longer on the dedicated RNZ page?If there has been a change in the data coming from the Ministry of Health, why was there not an explanatory note published on the webpage? When we can expect RNZ to publish articles on the fact that the boosted population are over-represented in case, hospitalisation, and death statistics. I look forward to your reply. Regards, [YOUR NAME] You can find contact details for RNZ here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/about/ Let’s fill their inbox with polite yet pressing requests for transparency! |
| Sharing is another way you can help! If you have friends and family who you think might be interested in this flagrant suppression of information, please forward them this link to the public post over on the blog. |
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