Latest episode of 'Curran events'

The fallout from Carol Hirschfeld's RNZ resignation and continuing pressure on the broadcasting minister Clare Curran were closely covered by the media again this week. Where are we now in the saga The Listener called 'Curran events'  - and what will be in the next episode?​

The broadcasting minister Clare Curran flew to the the Gold Coast to see TVNZ broadcasting the Commonwealth Games last Thursday.

Even in her absence she featured in news back home alongside the Games themselves.

Newshub at 6 got underway on Thursday evening with RNZ’s chief executive Paul Thompson and chair Richard Griffin taking  - in its reporter's  words - "a walk of same" to a Parliamentary select committee.

They were there to set the record straight after inadvertently misleading the committee last time round.

Both Richard Griffin and Paul Thompson gave what turned out to be false answers in March when asked about that now-notorious breakfast time meeting between RNZ head of news Carol Hirschfeld and the minister late last year. 

They assured the committee the meeting was not a secret 'off the books' one - just a general chat after a chance encounter.

Carol Hirschfeld resigned on March 25 after admitting the meeting had actually been arranged in advance.

Clare Curran further muddied the waters this week by calling Richard Griffin to say he needn't appear in person to correct the record. She left a voicemail which Griffin said was a "strong suggestion" he provide a written statement instead.

So when RNZ’s top brass made their way to the committee rooms it looked like they had as many cameras on them as Joseph Parker in Cardiff for his recent title fight. 

Stuff called this "the most anticipated select committee meeting in years" and illustrated their preview story with a file photo of Clare Curran in a hard hat.

In a Herald cartoon, the minister was depicted as a faulty airbag blowing up in the face of Jacinda Ardern.

Coverage of this story has been so intense some pundits have pondered why it overshadowed more serious matters like Middlemore hospital mildew and the NZDF’s backtracking on the Afghanistan allegations from the authors of Hit and Run.

The scent of a ministerial scalp always excites the press gallery, and potential political interference in a state-owned media organisation also piqued their interest.

Writing for the NBR, former RNZ political editor Brent Edwards said this was where media and power met in Wellington - and everyone, including Auckland based media, had a stake in it.

Otago University law professor Andrew Geddes pointed out in his account of the meeting MPs on the committee weren’t entirely focused on simply straightening out the official record.

The National members wanted to know if the minister was secretly trying to steer RNZ, and Labour members were miffed about Richard Griffin calling Melissa Lee to tell her about Carol Hirschfeld's resignation before the rest of the committee - and RNZ’s staff for that matter - were informed.

After Paul Eagle MP debated with Richard Griffin about what counted as “courtesy” and “collusion,” Andrew Geddes reckoned there was no smoking gun - or even "a gently steaming water-pistol."

In this hearing - as in the last one - RNZ’s men strongly denied there was any major difference between RNZ's board, its bosses and Carol Hirschfeld over plans for RNZ+ and the funding boost signaled by the new govt.

After the hearing, the National MP making the running on this - Melissa Lee - told Morning Report big questions remained unanswered.

She also said it was possible Carol Hirschfeld and Clare Curran could be summoned to the select committee too. 

There would certainly be media interest in that  - and in the voicemail Clare Curran left for Richard Griffin ahead of the committee meeting suggesting there was no turn up in person.

Richard Griffin told reporters he had “no interest” in releasing it, but he subsequently told the Weekend Herald he still hasn't made his mind up whether to release the content or not.

So that means more legs for this on this story which will run on in the media for sure. Clare Curran may need to keep that hard hat handy in the meantime.

Richard Griffin also confirmed he's done his dash as RNZ's chair and The Weekend Herald reported he will work for a Nelson charity which pairs rescued dogs with troubled children.

"Children and dogs - that'll work for me," he told the paper. 

He also told the Weekend Herald he believed Carol Hirschfeld thought her loyalty to the Minister "checkmated her loyalty to RNZ." 

"It's such a pity," he said.

But some in the media are also saying something good could come out of it.

In the Press this weekend columnist Martin van Beynan said it could focus public attention on a bigger question: how this Government should spend the extra millions earmarked for broadcasting.

(However the headline “Give us some of that broadcasting cash” made it plain as to where he thought the reallocation should go.)  

The latest Listener editorial says Clare Curran has “done us all a favour” by forcing us to reconsider what truly matters.

"The worst outcome of all this would be that the compelling public-good reasons for the state to support journalism get caught up in politics and media rivalries," said The Listener, while at the same time pouring cold water on the minister's notion of a commercial-free TV channel from RNZ.  

Getting people thinking about how public money should be spent on public broadcasting is no bad thing, but at this point in the process the sort of system the government is creating should be getting clearer, not being opened up for yet more debate.