RODNEY HIDE: When the columnist swears
Stuff has tried everything to rouse a falling readership.
Quizzes. Live blogs. Explainers. Podcasts. Vertical video. Then they let the kids take over the keyboard and reach for sweary words.
First it was Andrea Vance with the c-word — aimed at female ministers, carefully reviewed by experienced editors, of course. Now it is Verity Johnson, already exhausted by an election that hasn’t started, taking the Lord’s name in vain.
I doubt she would use Allah as an oath.
She’s not that brave. Or that progressive.
Will it work?
Nope.
Swearing in print is the last trick of a brand that has run out of readers and arguments. It is meant to sound authentic. It sounds like a teenager who has discovered the adults aren’t listening.
In an argument, the guy who starts swearing has already lost. He has traded the point for the noise. The room remembers the noise. It forgets the point — if there was one.
Vance’s column didn’t land because of the analysis. It landed because of the slur. Johnson’s fatigue piece will be shared for the same reason: the spice, not the stock.
Media managers call it cutting through. They mean clickbait with a pretend authenticity. They will not swear at the sacred cows of their own side. That would be brave. This is selective blasphemy — safe shock for a declining audience that still likes to feel edgy over coffee.
Circulation doesn’t rise because you said a naughty word. Trust falls. Standards fall. The next column needs a bigger bang.
If the product is good, you don’t need sweary opinion writers. The swearing is just reason 1,001 not to read Stuff -- except to be impressed by just how far it can fall.
Rodney Hide is a former Minister and ACT Party leader
Rodney - I know you're a fan of AI but do you generate your articles using AI? The vocabulary, the clipped sentence structure and the general tone are indicative of AI generated material. AI can help with many things but it won't replace the essential humanity that comes through in writing, whether it uses swear words or not ;-)
If people swear around me I walk away I do not wish to converse with people of low intellect.
Politicians who swear should be stood down until they can learn some manners.
Sadly we are living in an era that has lowered the standards through film, tv, newspapers etc and it is now very much up to the individual to draw the line. People should be thinking of setting a good example for our youngsters to follow.
New Zealand ( has it yet?) stopped bribing ‘journalists’ with money, to buy slanted coverage and boosted clique narrative.
ANY party ( looking at you, National ) will do this if it can get away with it. Labour and Minister Jackson are just more egregious about it. The others snort the cocaine out of obvious view - Labour too degraded to care.
Swearing, lying, pushing their opinion by these types is going to become MORE prevalent, for awhile, while they still have platforms. ‘That’ll show ya!’ No doubt they think. RNZ similarly unable to think outside its own collapsing mental box.
When this kind think they are winning, they behave a certain way, and when they’re getting flushed, this way.
Dear Rodney.
You criticise the use of words that are common in everyday speech by politicians and journalists. You criticise the disrespect for Jesus and God, that is now a characteristic of New Zealand culture.
Christianity and its values, principles, ethic and morals are "old school". They are not progressive, liberal or "cool".
There is a new religion that appeals to modern people who want what they "feel" should be theirs right now. It is not recognized as a religion beause it rejects the concept of any God or higher power than the ALL CONSUMING AND ENTITLED OMIPOTENT SELF.
Humility, Chastity, Charity, Dilligence, Temperance, and Patience? Those are for losers. GRATITUDE? Not when anyone else has something the consuming self desires.
It one easy thing…
I think you can blame the maori religion for most of this, the crudness and bullying anger that is part of that religion is now rubbing of on others in our society, the more maorified we become, the more society will degrade.