NZ media’s TDS – A short Case Study

I remember one time in church many many years ago – in my teenage years - when a member of the congregation collapsed and needed urgent medical assistance. But that didn’t deter the preacher. Nope – from the elevated pulpit, he continued to preach while a number of people bowed low and tended to the person and dragged them out of the service in anticipation of the arrival of the ambulance.

The sermon took priority.

I always said to myself after that event, if that ever happened in any church I was responsible for, we would stop – and we would at least pray for the person as a church family - while we also allowed church members to get out of their seats and care for the urgent needs of the church family member.

And yes – it did happen a few times in our church subsequently.

That incident came to mind this week when we heard about an event at a Trump rally.

But it was the response of the media – including the NZ media – which really revealed the level of Trump Derangement Syndrome - a mental condition in which a person has been driven effectively insane due to their dislike of Donald Trump, to the point at which they will abandon all logic and reason.

And that’s the definition from CNN – who I always believe!

Whatever your view of Trump, you should be always concerned when you’re not given the full facts, and when there are attempts to mislead you by the media.

It simply confirms why the trust in media is plummeting.

So here was the wall to wall coverage yesterday of the day’s events of the US Presidential Election. Well, there was only one event being talked about.

Newstalk ZB

And the written version said

Trump's impromptu dance performance at Pennsylvania town hall raises questions, mockery

Trump cut the town hall event short yesterday, when he stopped taking questions and swayed on stage to music for 39 minutes. 

NZ Herald

Kamala Harris mocks Donald Trump after rally turns into bizarre dance-a-thon

Kamala Harris questioned Donald Trump’s mental state on Tuesday after the 78-year-old Republican’s latest televised town hall rally veered into a surreal, impromptu music session.

Radio NZ

Kamala Harris has questioned Donald Trump's mental state after the 78-year-old Republican's latest televised town hall veered into a surreal, impromptu music session.

"Hope he's okay," the Democratic candidate posted on X.

Harris' campaign, which has begun to aggressively challenge Trump on his health and mental stability, said that during the late Monday event he appeared "lost, confused, and frozen on stage".

Oh look at that. Two independent media outlets carrying exactly the same report. Let’s get rid of the taxpayer funded one eh. Radio NZ. Excellent.

And then the other Government funded channel – 1News

Trump town hall event: 'Let's just listen to music'

Here was their 6pm news bulletin coverage

Then there was Stuff

Oooh – if you look right down the bottom in the real small print, it mentions the fainting.

Here was their 6pm coverage

Waikato Times

Watch: Donald Trump sways and dances to music for 39 minutes at bizarre campaign rally

Note the line under the image – “Trump breaks down on stage as Ave Maria plays”

Let me read just a few extracts from this one because…. well, have a listen. Now the Waikato Times have just plagiarised – sorry, syndicated The Washington Post. As left-wing as you can get.

The town hall event, moderated by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, began with questions from pre-selected attendees for the former US president. Donald Trump offered meandering answers on how he would address housing affordability and help small businesses. But it took a sudden turn after two attendees required medical attention.

….As Trump stood onstage in his oversize suit and bright red tie, swaying back and forth, it was almost as if he were taking a trip back to decades past. Trump’s decision to cut short the question-and-answer portion of the town hall and instead have the crowd stay to listen to his favourite songs was a somewhat bizarre move, given that the election was only 22 days away.

….It was time to listen to Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye.” After listening to James Brown, Trump began to speak again, as if remembering that he was still at an event that was billed as a town hall.

… The crowd cheered and danced to the Village People song from the 1970s, which celebrates gay cruising culture. Noem put her hands up in the shape of a “Y.” As the song was ending, Trump mouthed the words, “Nobody’s leaving.” “Nobody’s leaving. What’s going on? There’s nobody leaving. Keep going,” he said, as Rufus Wainwright’s version of “Hallelujah” played next. “All right, turn that music up! Turn that up. Great song!”

So what actually happened?

Glad you asked. Let’s have a watch.

Now even some US media sources that don’t like Trump couldn’t avoid the truth. A media outlet that has no time for Trump and will definitely not paint him in a good light is ABC in the USA. Remember this is a network that hosted the farcical debate between Trump and Kamala where the moderators just couldn’t hide their bias.

Here’s their report

Former President Donald Trump's town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on Monday evening was interrupted twice by medical emergencies in a very warm Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and Fairgrounds before he pivoted -- turning the concert into an impromptu concert where he stood on stage swaying to music for nearly 45 minutes.

There was a medical emergency that required an attendee to be placed on a stretcher about 30 minutes into the event. As the crowd started singing "God Bless America," Trump requested that "Ave Maria" be played on the loudspeakers as medics tended to the man.

Moments later,…

(after continuing with the question and answers)

….there was a second medical emergency.

Following the medical emergencies, Trump requested that the doors be opened but he was advised that for security reasons that wasn't possible. Both Trump and moderator South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem commented on the heat in the room.

"Open the doors. I wish we could open those doors to outside," Trump said. "For security reasons, they can't. But you know what I suggest? Open them. Because anybody comes through those doors, you know what's going to happen to them."

"Personally, I enjoy this. We lose weight, you know. No, you lose weight. We could do this -- lose four or five pounds," Trump quipped.

Trump then requested that "Ave Maria" be played again and remained on stage as more music was played.

He continued, "Let's not do any more questions. Let's just listen to music. Let's make it into a music fest. Who the hell wants to hear questions right? Isn't that beautiful?"

The former president, adamant about playing his music, stood on stage for nearly 45 minutes swaying to several songs on his playlist as the crowd sang and danced along.

The crowd slowly dispersed, but many stayed for the entirety of the campaign event.

"To lighten the mood, President Trump turned the town hall into an impromptu concert and the crowd loved it," Leavitt told ABC News, adding, "The room was full of joy."

Here are the facts: There were two medical emergencies that occurred during the town hall. Trump’s pauses come from him seeing if a doctor or a medic was administering to the issue. This has been confirmed by multiple outlets.

Following the concert, Trump made his way to the front row, signing red MAGA hats and 47 signs.

…In a post on X early Tuesday morning, Harris reposted a video from her campaign's Kamala HQ account of Trump swaying to music for nearly 45-minutes at his Oaks town hall on Monday, writing "Hope he's okay."

Now this tweet from X was embedded in most media reports, including NZ – despite its misrepresentation.

Here’s what ABC reported in their news bulletins – remember this is a network that really doesn’t like Trump, and he doesn’t like them. (start 1.18 - )

So there’s the full story.

Remember the McBLOG earlier this week where I highlighted a new study showing that not only do we New Zealanders distrust the news, but now we’re also deliberately avoiding it. And we have one of the highest rates in the world for distrust and for avoidance.

This example is just one reason for those findings.

Remember – whatever you may think of Trump, you at least deserve the full story – in context – and without being deliberately misled or told what to think. That goes for any political leader.

Let me make the judgement. I will not be told how to think by the media.

Trump Derangement Syndrome - a mental condition in which a person has been driven effectively insane due to their dislike of Donald Trump, to the point at which they will abandon all logic and reason.

It’s time the NZ media got some treatment.

Otherwise November 6^th could be real triggering if a certain result happens.