BBC : Stick To Your Own Patch

“The BBC should confine its reporting to events rather than, by inference, taking sideswipes at New Zealand First,” said New Zealand First Deputy Leader, Peter Brown. He was commenting on an internet media announcement on the BBC News which displays a photograph of a recent New Zealand First poster. The poster displays a photograph of the Rt Hon Winston Peters and shows an arrow going skyward with the words “Immigration’s Up, Treaty Costs Up, Crime’s Up”. At the bottom of the poster there are the words “Had Enough?”

“Nobody has been named but underneath the photograph on the BBC website there are the words “There is here a group of people who undoubtedly hold such views – it is a problem ”.

“This statement refers to an alleged comment by the New Zealand Race Relations Commissioner who, whilst commenting on Paul Holmes remarks about Kofi Annan, stated “There are people in New Zealand who have welcomed what he [Holmes] said”.

“Let me be quite clear, there is nobody in the New Zealand First Parliamentary team or our Party Executive who has any sympathy for Holmes’ remarks. They are everything that they have been accused of being and in addition are undignified, uncalled for and unnecessary,” Mr Brown said.

“However, I do recognize he has apologized now on several occasions.

“Immigration, treaty costs and crime are legitimate political concerns in this country and it is only right and proper that the issues are debated. Nothing that the BBC or the Race Relations Commissioner has to say will stop New Zealand First espousing its views on these concerns. The public expect such from their elected Members of Parliament.

“Good advice to the BBC would be to ‘check your facts and value your reputation’. The latter has taken the institution a long time to earn and false or garbage reports will tarnish it. The BBC should stick to reporting news and not endeavouring to become part of it,” concluded Mr Brown.

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