Earlier today I blogged about Asenati LoleTaylor’s claims about NewstalkZB and its willingness, or not, to have Pasifika MPs on its shows. Around the same time that was happening, Asenati engaged in an attack on TV3 and the way that they reported the announcement of New Zealand First’s GST of food policy.
Tova O’Brien, who did the story, responded.
With Damian Christie, co-host of Back Benches, chipping in. Since her propensity to block people is well known.
However, she did come back pointing out that it was potentially a presenter, other than Tova, who had made the comment.
So I decided to check the video on the TV3 news site. (sadly they charge you to embed video, so you will need to watch it here.) The opening line from the presenter is:
Winston Peters has made 7 new election year promises. In a Winston World GST would be scrapped from healthy food.
Which contridictes with the bullet point at the bottom of the story:
- Remove GST from basic household food
The debate then continued on Twitter:
Now if any other MP had tweeted something like that, the media may have taken them more seriously. However, during her nearly 3 years in Parliament, Asenati has built up a reputation as a combative person, who makes claims that cannot be substantiated. This can still be seen coming through with quotes such as “Tova, if they are unhealthy they shouldn’t be eaten.”. The reputation that Asenati has developed on Twitter, and other social media networks, prevents her from being an effective force for advancing her parties policy platforms on social media.
