In this episode of Solid Ground, Simon starts with comments on Donald Trump’s provocative meme including messianic overtones. While calling this post and others totally inappropriate, he also notes it is deliberate bait and while right to call it out, he encourages people not to get too worked up and waste emotional energy over it.
Simon then critiques an interview with John Campbell as he prepares to co-host Morning Report on RNZ. In the interview, Campbell dismisses those who have an issue with his political views which Simon notes is symptomatic of the ‘gaslighting’ of many in legacy media. Simon also challenges the idea that objectivity should be second to representation, noting RNZ rarely provides a representative view, preferencing ideological views i
nstead. Simon also discusses the hype around ex-Cyclone Vaianu and news that the government is exploring restricting under-16 access to pornography.
