Derek Cheng shows on two paragraphs why people lose faith in the media. He states:

Likewise, expect Seymour to continue to carve out his own electoral niche as the sole opposition to gun law reforms and the champion of widening free speech laws, a stance that has opened him to accusations of pandering to the racist vote.

Seymour denies this and was quick to claim that Act's newfound support was the result of "people responding to principle", but that seems unlikely given Act has been so close to lifeless for so long while singing the same old tune.

The logic is that people concerned about firearm laws and free speech must be racist.

I have challenged Derek Cheng to explain his logic to me but, of course, he won’t call because what he has written is indefensible.

If he plucks up the courage to call I will explain to him that supporting due process in lawmaking, especially when the results are as disastrous as those of April’s Arms Amendment Bill, is not a racist position. It’s a position that a range of people hold regardless of their ethnicity.

Similarly, believing in freedom of speech and being concerned about its erosion is a position many people take. The people in the world fighting hardest for it today are in Hong Kong, and it’s not because they’re white supremacists.

Derek Cheng might even come to understand that ACT's support is rising because basic freedom issues are arising in a way that they haven’t in previous years. Who knows, perhaps he might acknowledge ACT’s various actions in opposing racism over recent years? I am not holding my breath.

The great irony is that by calling all people with these concerns racist, The Herald is engaging in generalising and stereotyping. None of this helps public trust in the press.

ends

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