500 Interruptions & The Art Of Communication | 500 Words

Thursday, 7 March 2013, 9:41 pm
Column: Alastair Thompson

500 Interruptions & The Art Of Communication | 500 Words

After 500 interruptions first thing yesterday morning, I missed my writing time. As a result by 5pm yesterday I was wondering why I felt so fed up. It seems that missing my daily writing has a similar impression on my psyche as missing the gym.

So anyway back to it. Here are three brief news notions I hatched this morning:

1 .Hugo Chavez and The Prime Minister's Decision Not To Attend His Funeral

The passage from this earthly coil of Hugo Chavez will be the global news of the week. Hugo's somewhat premature death seems likely to ensure his immortality and lead global papers for a couple more days yet. Which makes our Prime Minister John Key's decision not to attend the funeral rather odd, especially since he is already in the continent.

Pretty much everybody else important in South America will be going to Venezeula. So why wouldn't you go? It seems likely that even the stated primary objective of his trip - drumming up support for NZ's bid for a UN Security Council seat - would be well served by such a change in plan.

But then I remind myself how John and his advisers make their decisions. And in this light the decision seems predictably unimaginative.

2. The Water Rights Case - Is It Over Yet?

Have we buried the lead in the Supreme Court Decision in the Water Rights Case?

As I understand it the Supreme Court held that decisions made by the Crown in relation to privatisation of SOE's are reviewable - and that the new section 45 of the MOM legislation is essentially identical to the old Section 9 of the SOE Act which the lands case was based on.

It was the tweets about this part of the judgement that led to twitter reportage of announcement going somewhat awry on the day of the judgement. (As an aside: the confusion in media twit land seems to have sparked a high level rethink around higher court communications policy.)

This means - as I understand it - that when the Government approves the prospectus and offer documents and/or makes any more decisions in relation to the sales process - that in theory those decisions will be reviewable. Again.

If so then Maori water rights claimants and their supporters could yet have another shot at stalling the sale if officials make any mistakes in the days ahead.

3. Digital Diplomacy and The Art Of Communication

I had the great pleasure on Tuesday of attending the opening of a new "Digital Engagement Center" at the US Embassy in Wellington.

The new center is all about social media, digital diplomacy, and digital communication. It will be able to be used for interviewing US Government officials, academics and the like.

The small group of attendees were mostly keen users of twitter - a communications pursuit they share a love of with the US Ambassador to NZ David Huebner @DavidHuebner (who has a very impressive 20,000+ twitter followers and a klout ranking of 78, only two less than @KimDotcom - and 5 places ahead of the Prime Minister @johnkeypm).

The center was opened twice - first virtually via a live cross to Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara D. Sonenshine @TSonenshine (recorded in the video below).

And then it was opened again by Ambassdor Huebner - this time with an actual ribbon.

You can view more images of the event on the http://www.facebook.com/newzealand.usembassy">Embassy Facebook page: (with higher resolution versions on FlickR). At the end as a party trick we were all teleported to the South Pole via green screen, photographed and then presented with a print of said photograph.

What was most delightful about the event was the company.

Among them were Peter Griffin @petergnz (back from his Fulbright #futureofnews discovery tour of the US), Nicola Kean @nkean (RNZ), Laura "Disco Pants" McQuillan @mcquillanatorz (Agency Reporter), James Robinson @jalrobinson (former Werewolf writer, now Stuff blogger & currently based in San Francisco), US Embassy communications pivot Sean Gillespie @SeanDG and poet & bird fancier Jackson James Wood @_jjw_ .

These folk are all very accomplished digital native communicators. While they all consider themselves journalists - by vocation - they are not all employed full time in the field, which is fairly normal these days.

As far as I can see they are also realistic about the prospects they face in this very challenging profession over the coming decade - and appear to be keen to pursue their journalistic ambitions anyway. They love the art of communication in spite of its current challenges.

In New Zealand the #futureofnews will ultimately be the responsibility of these new communications pioneers. Fortunately they look to have what it takes to make the thing work.

- Alastair Thompson 500 Words 7/03/2013 9:22:24 p.m.

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Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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