Polls get clicks, they cause drama and make headlines that sell papers (and website visits) but it’s also a great tool for seeing uses and gratification theory in practice as different media spins the results to match their own bias in how they present news on social media. And the TVNZ Poll on Sunday was a great example of this.

Check out www.election2026.co.nz for resources and tools to help you decide on who to vote for.

Why not check out some of my other content - there’s an award winning podcast, a weekly newsletter and more - https://linktr.ee/paul_barlownz

And if you want to support what I do with a donation, you can do that through this link - https://buymeacoffee.com/paul.theotherone

All your support is really appreciated, especially as we push for a change of government in 2026!

©️ Paul… The Other One, 2026

We’re now just 200 days until the election (well the currently scheduled one anyway) but after a nightmare weekend of successive poll results, we can see on our election data that things are bad for the PM, that the Coalition are getting too comfortable with straight up lying and the worst people support them.

Check out www.election2026.co.nz for resources and tools to help you decide on who to vote for.

Why not check out some of my other content - there’s an award winning podcast, a weekly newsletter and more - https://linktr.ee/paul_barlownz

And if you want to support what I do with a donation, you can do that through this link - https://buymeacoffee.com/paul.theotherone

All your support is really appreciated, especially as we push for a change of government in 2026!

©️ Paul… The Other One, 2026

The BSA may be on he way out - the Government thinks it’s the best thing to do and the data and research shows it’s a really bad idea that will enshitify our media and put people in harms way. Or maybe they want to do it because they want to enshitify our media. Either way - it’s a bad idea, so it’s one the coalition loves.

Check out www.election2026.co.nz for resources and tools to help you decide on who to vote for.

Why not check out some of my other content - there’s an award winning podcast, a weekly newsletter and more - https://linktr.ee/paul_barlownz

And if you want to support what I do with a donation, you can do that through this link - https://buymeacoffee.com/paul.theotherone

All your support is really appreciated, especially as we push for a change of government in 2026!

©️ Paul… The Other One, 2026

It seems every month now there’s some media fracas about rolling the PM, and it may happen - but this month we’ve also seen the perfect circumstances for the longest serving MP to make a move that might land him the Prime Minister’s spot - if he calls a snap election - and that’s bad for those not yet enrolled to vote.

Check out www.election2026.co.nz for resources and tools to help you decide on who to vote for.

Why not check out some of my other content - there’s an award winning podcast, a weekly newsletter and more - https://linktr.ee/paul_barlownz

And if you want to support what I do with a donation, you can do that through this link - https://buymeacoffee.com/paul.theotherone

All your support is really appreciated, especially as we push for a change of government in 2026!

©️ Paul… The Other One, 2026

The 2026 JMAD Media Trust report is out - it’s made Sean Plunket mad because he reckons the report doesn’t ask about non-woke media but over all it’s encouraging as trust builds in mainstream media to counter the rise in pink slime news.

Check out www.election2026.co.nz for resources and tools to help you decide on who to vote for.

Why not check out some of my other content - there’s an award winning podcast, a weekly newsletter and more - https://linktr.ee/paul_barlownz

And if you want to support what I do with a donation, you can do that through this link - https://buymeacoffee.com/paul.theotherone

All your support is really appreciated, especially as we push for a change of government in 2026!

©️ Paul… The Other One, 2026

From the Party of "Pay more for prescriptions so we can drop the price and thell you now you pay less" and "all tax is bad" comes a new tax.. sorry levy, for ordering online.

Is it unfair to compare our Coalition to Space Nazis? Well there’s a heap of data out there that shows using pop culture as a tool to train ourselves to spot authoritarianism and rising oppressiveness is really effective. We just sometimes need a nudge to see it when it happens in front of us.

Check out www.election2026.co.nz for resources and tools to help you decide on who to vote for.

Why not check out some of my other content - there’s an award winning podcast, a weekly newsletter and more - https://linktr.ee/paul_barlownz

And if you want to support what I do with a donation, you can do that through this link - https://buymeacoffee.com/paul.theotherone

All your support is really appreciated, especially as we push for a change of government in 2026!

©️ Paul… The Other One, 2026

Research from Wellington suggests we can expect Act and NZ First to use the most BS and half truths on the campaign trail this year - which leads to some common bad faith arguments like we’re seeing appear at FNDC where a local Act Councillor is being hailed by Conspiracy theorists and Act Bots as a hero, while really what she’s suffering from is being wrong and outnumbered.

Check out www.election2026.co.nz for resources and tools to help you decide on who to vote for.

Why not check out some of my other content - there’s an award winning podcast, a weekly newsletter and more - https://linktr.ee/paul_barlownz

And if you want to support what I do with a donation, you can do that through this link - https://buymeacoffee.com/paul.theotherone

All your support is really appreciated, especially as we push for a change of government in 2026!

©️ Paul… The Other One, 2026

Hopefully you’re all prepared for the Cyclone and keeping safe - I thought now was a great time to look at some of the more, well let’s say questionable comments I received about the video suggesting we get ready for the cyclone…

Check out www.election2026.co.nz for resources and tools to help you decide on who to vote for.

Why not check out some of my other content - there’s an award winning podcast, a weekly newsletter and more - https://linktr.ee/paul_barlownz

And if you want to support what I do with a donation, you can do that through this link - https://buymeacoffee.com/paul.theotherone

All your support is really appreciated, especially as we push for a change of government in 2026!

©️ Paul… The Other One, 2026

Did you know that this year we have already lost almost a dozen lives to extreme weather events? There’s a reason why MSM is pushing the warnings hard about the incoming Cyclone Vaianu - it’s big, it’s following a summer full of other weather events that we’re still recovering from, and it’s being downplayed in places that don’t feel comfortable talking about the impacts of climate change with their audiences. So please, take the warnings seriously and prepare because it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Check out www.election2026.co.nz for resources and tools to help you decide on who to vote for.

Why not check out some of my other content - there’s an award winning podcast, a weekly newsletter and more - https://linktr.ee/paul_barlownz

And if you want to support what I do with a donation, you can do that through this link - https://buymeacoffee.com/paul.theotherone

All your support is really appreciated, especially as we push for a change of government in 2026!

©️ Paul… The Other One, 2026