Don’t laugh, we do
have an editorial policy here it’s just that we have not yet articulated it.
Why have an
editorial policy?
Well apart from “why
not?” there are several reasons why but the ones that motivate me is that it
keeps us focused and guides our work.
I read a lot of
blogs online and some seem to be going somewhere; some used to have direction
but have lost it and others just read like a highly reactive series of screeds
(often highly entertaining screeds I might note) with no real focus or genuine
output.
Also I, like you,
want to get something out of the blogs that I read and don’t just want a rehash
of the news. We want informed opinion, debate, interesting facts (or even
factoids), insights, analysis and even just to be entertained by the ability of
one person to put words together in an interesting way which, even if we don’t agree
with its content, compels us to read it from stem to stern.
So with this in
mind I set out below a list of things which I like to consider before I write
up blog posts.
Those who followed
me on KP may remember that I could be relatively regular in my posts (often two
a week) but that these posts would also be quite long and this was because I
plotted and planned some of my posts out in advance while also working on
smaller, shorter filler posts just to keep the momentum going.
In writing on this
blog I have a similar approach but without other contributors to support and
buttress my output there may be gaps in between posts that are larger than my
KP output. For that I apologies but it’s the peril of a one person blog.
So without any further
ado here are the planks of this blogs “editorial policy”.
Politics – No surprises
that the primary area this blog looks at will be politics but as the saying goes
“anything can be political” so that gives me a wide area for comment but in
reality I will try and stick to what I am interested in and what I know. New Zealand
politics will get attention but so will other areas where politics or political
views apply.
Expert Opinion –
Not something I ever got a chance to really do at KP but that will change as much of
my career and study has had a high focus on international relations and
Security so it’s time to share some of my area knowledge or subject matter expertise when I can.
You don’t work in
international education, mental health, advertising, security, the military and
government (along with hospitality and others as part time jobs) as well as a
decade living and working in strange climes (I am told I can get a cream for
that) without getting a broad base of experience and knowledge which can be
applied to many things. In short I am a big mouth know-it-all.
In Depth – I am
never just one to make surface comments or reflect what the media itself is
saying. I get paid to have an inquiring mind and the will to dig further than
mere surface appearances so what I write about here will attempt to go deeper
than often just the most obvious aspects of a story or situation. I am also by
nature naturally curious/nosy/gossipy so what better place to let those
tendencies run free.
My Persona – The person
you are reading is not the person who is writing. What I mean by this is I have
developed a particular persona for my blogging. Part Hunter S Thompson, part
John Stewart, Part George Orwell, a dash of Bill Hicks, two parts Daffy
Duck, a pinch of Clausewitz and a sprinkle of the original gadfly himself,
Socrates. This is not who I am when at work or in other parts of my life.
It’s a combustible
mix but then it’s supposed to be. It allows me to detach from my own beliefs
and prejudices and take on the mantle of another mind and write as such.
The basis of this
mix is deliberately confrontational, in your face and designed to kick the
reader out of their comfort zone as much as possible. Its very teenage radical
I admit but old habits die hard and there is nothing I can stand more than
mundanity.
Parroting – Sometimes
I will follow the thread the media is giving and sometimes I won’t. Just
because its front page today does not mean it will be front page tomorrow given
the nature of the modern media cycle and its relentless quest for new and novel
over actually exploring a story to its natural conclusion.
I do not like the
way the media controls the debate in such a way as you can almost guarantee
that the positions, ideas and arguments you hear are often pulled straight of
new sources like Stuff and read out like an actor reciting lines.
There is nothing wrong
with sourcing the mainstream media or following their lead but it’s never
enough to just take what they give and stop there and its places like blogs
where these discussions can continue forward, rather than descend into incoherent
shouting as they often do on Stuffs comments section (which is often quickly
closed for more topical stories).
Profanity – The power
of such words is robbed when used regularly or inappropriately. I do not use
them in my work because it not only lowers the professional tone but because
they simply do not add anything to most words except in the rarest of cases
(the exception being my time in the military where swearing approached that of
an art form and was often highly creative. Sadly it can not really be repeated here
because it would lack the effect of the situation/context in which it occurred although this very NSFW scene from Full Metal Jacket may provide some illustration, watch at your own discretion - you have been warned!).
Also If I am going
to take issue with some there are far more creative ways and combinations of
words to take someone down a peg than just appending or prefixing a profanity
to other words.
Rants – rants are
cathartic and often (at least for me) focused burst of creative energy mixed
with genuine emotion. They are an outlet for quick-fire inspiration and (again
for me) serve as animus to much of what I write (in the reformist sense as much
as the angry sense; ie focused anger) in much the same manner as John Lydon
sang that anger is an energy.
Sarcasm and Parody –
these are my tools in trade as I write. I would like to think it was my quick
wit but that has long since devolved into sarcasm so I go with what works.
Also
in this day and age where politicians and the powers that be have openly
started to believe they are beyond reproach and publicly lie and act as such
then the only response to such actions is not a calm measured analysis but a
red blooded piss take with lashings of scathing language and the mocking
contempt.
Hyperbole – I was
accused a million times of this over on KP more than while and I was guilty as charged but I never
saw hyperbole as a bad thing (see Sarcasm and Parody).
Humor – Spike Milligan
once said money can’t buy you friends but it can get you a better class of
enemy. I laugh at life, and myself and everything around me, the serious is
absurd and the absurd is serious. Also I don’t have much money.
Respect – Not so
much for those I blog about but for those who take the time to comment. I was
very grateful for the comments I got when on KP, even the negative ones as I
see them as helping me correct myself as well as keeping me in check.
So for any who take
the time to comment on this blog you will get treated with respect in all cases
except in the rare instance where that line is crossed and its gets personal.
In such cases it’s all bets are off and no quarter asked or given. But since I
treat others with respect I usually get it in kind so these situations are
rare.
Opinion – I have an
opinion and I encourage the readers/commentators to have one also. It makes the
discussion much more interesting.
Nothing is sacred –
This does not mean I will be going out of my way to insult or offend people but
if its needs to be discussed it will be and in full effect.
Humanity – While I
come from a rather religious background I am no longer devout in having loyalty
to any particular religious franchise. I believe in the power of the human
spirit and will in all endeavors and while believing in something bigger than
myself and John Key I have no wish to ram my belief structure onto another
person. I am a secular humanist as well as an animist as well as a realist.
Make of that what you will.
So those are the
things which will be guiding me as I write. You might not see all of them in
any particular post but they will be there somewhere, guiding me and making
sure I am aiming for more than something than just words.
Next post we are
back in the saddle as soon as the nitwits in parliament or the rest of the
planet gives me cause to start writing. On the side are ongoing posts on Asia
and Politics which will surface in due course as well as part II to my Probing the Depths posts.
You may never understand
How the stranger is inspired
But he isn't always evil
And he isn't always wrong
Though you drown in good intentions
You will never quench the fire
You'll give into your desire
When the stranger comes along
When the stranger comes along
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