Scoop Feedback 3 Response To Holmes Sacking Survey

Wednesday, 1 October 2003, 10:14 am
Opinion: Scoop Feedback

Scoop Feedback 3: Response To Holmes Sacking Survey

Eighteen more votes overnight (out of a total 84 to date) for the Scoop Survey: Should Holmes Be Sacked? (click here for links to audio, transcripts and commentary)

Paul Holmes must go, and we need to urgently rethink the effect that manuipulative and superficial "ratings driven" programmes are having on our society.

Kathleen Guy

I am pretty sure New Zealanders believed in freedom of expression. Sure it was an offensive remark, but to fire somebody for upsetting a few people is going too far. Holmes knows he said a silly thing and has apologised and had to deal with public backlash, let him stew in his own juice and let our top broadcaster do what he has been doing most of his career, entertain us!

Mike Heinemeister

Amongst all the breast beating going on over Holmes and Edwards perhaps the critics should ask themselves if they really want to introduce censorship: "should Holmes be sacked" etc. One may or may not agree with Holmes and Edwards hidden points (that the UN has really had little to do with keeping the peace (other real politik factors have had more influence) and that journalism in NZ (and elsewhere sometimes) may be becoming unbalanced if female journalists outnumber males by two to one (sexual equality - sic transit gloria). But its better that they say it and get it out into the open. I met Paul several times many years ago through work and unless he's changed remarkably, he's not a patch on extremist broadcasters, journalists in the USA, middle east etc.(although perhaps good enough for a NZ ratings war ?) One problem I found as a journalist in NZ from 1963 onwards, is that many of our sources from Prime Ministers down, hold off the cuff views that if published in the raw form they may be expressed privately on a bad hair or crook booze day, would have all the politically correct do-gooders (plus their political opponents of course) righteously foaming at the mouth. Are we all so perfect that there's nothing we've ever said that we would like to reconsider and take back ? You have to remember that even the 'icons' we set up temporarily, also have feet of clay in their Guccis. Its better in the long run if we let it all hang out. At least you know its there and can deal with it. You might even get a decent debate going rather than simply perpetuating tall poppy envy journalism. Greetings from afar.

Bill Alexander

Sack the bastard - the sooner the better! He has made New Zealand look very bad overseas. We have enough racists in New Zealand without types like Holmes making our reputation worse. We ought to be able to say to the world, "Yes he said this but he got sacked for doing so."

Bob McMurray

i think Holmes should be dismissed. Resigning is just a face saving gesture from the company. He should be dismissed to set a precedent!

Samuel Okpattah

If this was anyone else he would be gone long ago. It is hard to feel any empathy for the man who belittled and ridiculed the plight of the thousands who have been aerially sprayed in Auckland for the Painted Apple Moth for the last 2 years and have had their health and lives devastated in the process.

H Wiseman-Dare

Holmes is a racist. The colour of the skin does not matter, what matters is what one's brain can offer the world and that is what Mr. Kofi Annan is doing.

Robert Wevamwo

From now on, anytime we see Holmes interviewing someone other than a white male, we will know what he is thinking.

He must go for a number of reasons, one being that it will show the other bigot broadcasters that they do not rule their supposed domains.

Darren

Yes, he should be sacked. What he said was unacceptable. His apologies are inane. As NZ's supposedly top presenter, he of all people should be aware of the effect of his words.

Michael Brennan

Yes. This last display from Holmes was disgusting, but not surprising really. I think the general standard of his work is low and he doesn't deserve the prestige he has in the broadcasting community. Having a more even, skilled presenter in his position would raise the standard of NZ broadcasting markedly.

River Walker

For such a high profile journalist to give such a low comment is unacceptable. He should be sack.

twumay

I believe that Homes should loose his job because of his outrageous comments. With his fabulous job and income comes a social responsibility that he forgot about when he made his unfortunate comments. A message needs to be sent to all role models that we as a society expect them to moderate their comments

Tracy

Never liked Paul Holmes, as a trained journalist working in PR, I find his brand of rabid emotional rabble rousing to be particularly repugnant. Don't know what everyone sees in him actually. Having said that, is it really up to Scoop to put the boot in with so much vitriol. One of the things (and it's a biggie)that makes Scoop different and better, is that the reader is not treated like a child. Why start with Paul Holmes?

Matt Daives

I think that RNZ should move Holmes into a back room job (if he has trouble paying the rent and if they trust him enough to let him near the equipment) and that both RNZ and TVNZ should develop a policy that has zero tolerance for remarks that denigrate other people.

Jan Farr

New Zealand needs to get a sense of humour and stop being so precious. NO Holmes shouldnt be sacked.

Tony

Just a word or two in the electronic wind about the continuing Holmes saga. Yes he should be sacked, those comments were not the result of a throw away remark. He has deliberately courted publicity over the years by being controversial and provocative. It should have been stopped in it's tracks back when he first started his TV show and Dennis Conner was treated to an ambush of rude and shocking journalism. Paul Holmes' managers must take a share of the blame too, as must those responsible for overseeing the broadcasting standards of this land. Indeed, we all stand indicted for propping up this low-brow nonsense.The one bright thought that comes of this episode would be that it may instigate a cleanup in the whole area of public broadcasting. Somehow, I doubt it! We are the very public that have supported Holmes through times every bit as bad as this. We don't deserve any better th

Noel Paton

tiredness is the 'excuse' given by paul holmes to 'excuse' his racist and misogynistic remarks. However the true nature and underlying bigotry of a person is revealed when they are 'tired' and their inhibitions are loosened. I beleive its imperative to the credibility of the nation to publicly dismiss paul holmes without delay and with clear reference the reason for his dismissal. paul holmes (was) a NZ icon that has shamed us all. We need to take a stand and put a clear message out there we will not stand for bigotry and narrowmindednes in such a public media figure fronting such a key media forum. We also need to hold him to account and not give opportunity for other innappropriate and bigoted remarks to surface when next he is 'tired'.

jil kuhtze

Paul Holmes made an unfortunate slip of the tongue with his 'cheeky darkie' comments for which he appears genuinely remorseful.

The interesting irony is that New Zealands expert in diplomatic bungling, Helen Clark, who hurled insults at the most powerful man on earth, made headline news condemning Holmes for his insult of a man who on current evidence appears to be the least powerful.

The other point worth noting is that while we are seemingly outraged at the comments being made on a popular, but limited audience, radio station, we are quite happy for them to be repeated on National TV and in major newspapers. In our demand for sensationalism, we have significantly increased the likelihood of Mr Annan, and non-whites in our own country, actually being offended.

Yours faithfully

Michael Williams

© Scoop Media

Scoop

Scoop Independent News

Scoop is NZ's largest independent news source; respected widely in media, political, business and academic circles for being the place on the internet for publishing "what was really said", and for the quality of its analysis of issues.

Contact Scoop

• Editorial - editor@scoop.co.nz
• Twitter - @ScoopNZ
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Services - services@scoop.co.nz
• Phone - 04 910 1844