A week ago, in the office at day’s end over drinks, Sam, one of our key chaps, mentioned he’d not renewed his Dominion Post subscription. I expressed alarm saying he needed to be au fait with what’s happening in a city we have such a large investment in.
“I read it online,” he replied. “Not good enough,” I protested to which Sam argued, too much of the content was simply insulting.
Sam’s a news hound, subscribing to The Week, The Economist and online, to The Telegraph, The Times, The Financial Times, Australian Financial Review, and other publications.
Reading the Dom’ the next morning I realised he was right. It ran a story (I’m not making this up) spread across two pages and an unbelievable five columns, plus a photo of an 18-year-old bloke, Benjamin, looking as if he’d just been sentenced to death. And why?
Well it transpires Benjamin wants to get his learner’s drivers licence, but his hometown Upper Hutt no longer has a testing facility. So he must go down to Lower Hutt, a 10 minute motorway drive.
This burden is so overwhelmingly onerous, Benjamin’s life is apparently over. And given the 5 columns across two pages devoted to it, it seems the Dom’ agrees, which is why it’s life is also nearing the end.
Running this abominable crap insults the newspaper’s readership. It’s bad enough with their bigoted humourless cartoonist daily attacking the Nats leader, as they’ve done for the last 2 years.
One thing’s clear. Buying the Dom’ ownership for 20 cents as the new proprietor recently did (allowing 80 cents for the rest of the fleet) is starting to make sense. The only question is, did she overpay?
Now apparently the Dom’s dropped Steve Elers as his truth-telling doesn’t fit its agenda. That may be the final straw for me when my current subscription runs out.
13 Comments
Agree. After 40 or 50 years ( starting with the Evening Post ) I have finally had enough.
The cartoonists in particular are merely a propanda outlet for the Labour party.
Despite a wealth of material, never an adverse comment…only glowing compliments of ” Dear Leader ” and her ontourage.
Day after day its relentless anti National cartoons , with occasional departures to attack ACT, or Trump, or Boris. They even lack the humour or wit of cartoonists in the past.
The last vestige of reasoned comment left with the ending of Karl Du Fresnes column. Look at whats left . Where do they get these people ?
It’s one thing to be indoctrinated, quite another to pay for it.
I only do a Saturday subscription.(property pages) The constant pc bleeding heart just got to me. They constantly insult their more conservative readers as if they don’t want them buying the paper.
I think it was the Dominion Post that made the one-page headline of just ‘WTF’ when Trump (peace be upon him) won the election. I thought it was appallingly inappropriate, and childish, for a newspaper to make such an utterly disrespectful and opinionated presentation like that. -I don’t waste my time with them.
I read Stuff daily, more in sorrow than in anger. I unsubscribed The Herald years ago. Both are rubbish. Like Sam I’m prepared to pay for value so subscribe to The Times, The Telegraph and read The Guardian to keep up with what the enemy is saying. You’d think Stuff would have the commercial nouse to be inclusive.
Couldn’t agree more, Max. The Telegraph in particular has some superb contributors, and presents alt opinion well. The Times is far too Left/Liberal these days – used to be highly Libertarian. The Guardian? Well the fact is its the least read paper in the UK, always pleading poverty, and known locally as The Graudian for its frequent grammar and spelling errors. Nearly up there with The Red Star for content.
FarmerPete
Oops. Pushed send too quickly. I no longer am willing to pay for either the NZH or Stuff publications. They regurgitate too much unevaluated content from overseas publications that is just plain wrong, or so biased and there is little local input to at least try and create balance.
Stuff’s appeal to readers is in essence ‘pay for quality local journalism’. My response is show me some quality journalism and I will consider it.
True too. Challenged Stuff on a horrifically biased piece on a BLM scuffle in a Church. Wouldn’t have a bar of my argument. Truly bad journalists there, often young, often women, given free reign to hate… .
Add my name to the list of angry Dom subscribers. Not only do we get this bigoted drivel full of leftist opinion pieces but even the cartoons have lost their humour. The only reason I am still subscribing after 40 years is the crosswords.
Can I start a campaign to bring back the Phantom to the paper. That would improve the content no end.
Agree entirely as the Press is similarly mindless. Don’t read it you’re just encouraging the buggers!
Gee Bob, I’d have another look at Sam and perhaps put him on a performance review. He is quite obviously a slow learner. I have up subscribing to the DomPost’s sister title, The Press, about 7 years ago. I’m now more informed than ever.
Journalism schools seem to be turning out indoctrinated reef fish unable to think for themselves. For some time the only local columnists worth reading have not been journalists. There is still some good reporting but it is becoming a rare find amongst the clickbait dross.
I agree with you Kennydalgleish almost fully but do add a further plus, this being the death notices. I need this to keep in touch with which church and at what time I should be there for another old buddy’s perch slipping farewell.
I am staggered that the management have no interest in finding that their main subscription supporters are in fact leaning to the right and would like a little nurturing, love and robust non pc reporting.