It seems people around Parliament are asking questions about
former TVNZ political editor Linda Clark’s supposed conflict of interest in
appearing on TV3’s The Nation as a
political commentator while also (reportedly) giving media training to Labour
leader David Cunliffe.
I welcome this, but only if it widens into a broader inquiry
into the murky ethics of political journalists, interviewers and commentators
selling their services to politicians on the side. I fail to see why Clark
should be singled out for scrutiny.
If what I hear is correct, quite a few high-profile media
figures have nice little undisclosed earners providing advice to politicians. In
fact it’s an odd quirk of New Zealand politics that many of the commentators provided
with media platforms for their supposedly objective views are hopelessly
compromised.
If it’s fair to unmask Clark for grazing on both sides of
the fence, then let’s complete the job by exposing all the others who are on
the take. This could get very interesting.