Day 1
The events in Christchurch on 15 March 2019 are still vivid in all our minds so I do not need to revisit each stage the attack. Suffice to say that there was a remarkably short space of time between police receiving reports of gunfire to the arrest of the gunman: A mere 21 minutes. Of course, at that stage, police did not know he was acting alone, and the emergency extended well beyond that 21- minute timeframe. Continue reading “15.03.2019: How media reported a date no New Zealander will forget” →

An address to the New Zealand Skeptics Conference 18 November 2018

It would be comforting to think that a society dedicated to the promotion of critical thinking would be immune to the effects of disinformation. As Skeptics, you are supposed to question the validity of statements, to examine whether there is objective support for the claims made. Your powers of critical thinking will stand you in good stead but even you are not immune to disinformation. Continue reading “Can’t Believe Your Eyes or Ears?” →

The topic I’ve been given is a big one: The impact media have on the world and how democracy could be in danger if the fourth estate is consigned to history. I need to move fast. Continue reading “Fair warning: An address to the University of Auckland’s Golden Graduates” →

In Nelson in August I gave a presentation in the long-running Spirited Conversations series. My theme was fake news, news media and the spectre of fascism. You can listen to it here: http://www.accessradio.org/ProgrammePage.aspx?PID=91d3cf9f-493b-4ba0-848e-516eb5f3156f#Downloads