Category: Speeches
Being investigative journalists in times of trouble
Bruce Jesson Lecture, Maidment Theatre, Auckland
The second part of the lecture will be about investigative journalism. But before that, I want to use the opportunity of this lecture to talk much more widely, sharing some thoughts about the state of politics in New Zealand today.
A short history of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS)
The SIS history divides into three eras: Cold War (1956-1990), post-Cold War (1990-2001) and War on Terror (2001 to the present).
Statement at PEN/Society of Authors event on freedom of speech in Iran, Bats Theatre, Wellington
I am grateful to PEN and the Society of Authors for inviting me to be part of protesting the suppression of freedom of speech in Iran. We are joining people around the world who are saddened and appalled by the news of repression in that country…. In doing this, and doing it wholeheartedly, I do not want to be a hypocrit or to be naive…
Speech to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Conference, Rotorua, 16 October 2009
I would like to set the scene for today’s discussion of pharmaceutical company sponsorship by looking at the whole range of tactics used by corporations and industry lobby groups to gain political and commercial advantage. I hope that examples from other spheres will illuminate the issues that you face.
“Imagining a world where the PR people had won”, Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand Conference, University of
We live in an era where the public spaces are being crowded with paid spokespeople, spin and trickery; where news and political discussion are being polluted by the glib outpourings of ever growing numbers of PR people; and where the public spaces available for real democratic activity are drying up. My subject for today is considering the CUMULATIVE IMPACT of the growth of public relations, and particularly its cumulative impact on the media and the other public spaces where politics occurs
“Exposing political parties and their strategies”, Global Investigative Journalism Conference, Lillehammer, Norway, September 2008
Unelected political advisers are the most interesting and important part of many political issues, controversies and election campaigns. They can be more influential than the politicians they serve. Yet they usually get away with acting invisibly and avoiding media scrutiny.
“Where are you, ethically?” A speech to the to the Records Management Association of Australasia conference, 10 September 2007
It is a sad truth in politics, and maybe all human activity, that when people believe they are acting in secret they do things that they would never do if they believed other people might find out. Often good record keeping and the availability of those records is the best protection we have against deception, dishonesty and corrupt behaviour by people in positions of influence. I hope you recognise this important and powerful effect of your work