Don’t target individual public servants

The so-called “guinea pig” letter media reports once again highlight the issue of individual public servants coming under the media spotlight when all they have done is carry out their job, PSA national secretary Richard Wagstaff said today.

“The naming of a parliamentary electorate secretary, who was simply performing the duties required by her job, in the media is unnecessary and causes significant stress for the person involved.”

Richard Wagstaff said the naming of individual public servants in the media was a disturbingly growing trend.

“It is imperative that the media distinguish between those making decisions and who are accountable, and those – our members – who are carrying out their work in good faith.”

Richard Wagstaff said the media should stop speculating and wait for the result of the investigation of the case by the State Services Commission.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>