Politics

Watch This New Zealand Journo Grill A Politician For “Peddling Misinformation” About COVID

"One of the most amazingly savage interviews you'll ever watch. She has no chill whatsoever. It's like watching someone's anxiety dream."

by Michelle Rennex  19 October 2020
New Zealand journalist

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If losing the recent New Zealand election wasn’t a tough enough weekend already, losing politician Jami-Lee Ross was further embarrassed after getting absolutely slammed during a post-election interview.

After Jacinda Ardern and the Labour Party won in a landslide victory in the recent New Zealand election, it was revealed that Jami-Lee Ross — a politician who co-led the Advance New Zealand party — had only received a lousy 0.9 percent of the total vote and effectively lost his seat in parliament.

The Advance New Zealand party gained popularity online with conspiracy theorists thanks to Ross’ decision to merge with the controversial Billy Te Kahika Jr, who is anti-lockdown, believes that 5G causes cancer, and that COVID-19 is demonic and also no worse than the flu. So essentially, the Pete Evans of New Zealand.

But despite this online following, this popularity didn’t translate to actual votes meaning the former national MP was a “loser”, as Newshub’s Tova O’Brien described him in a fiery post-election interview.

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“Jami-Lee you just described yourself as a loser… your political career is in tatters. Do you have any regrets?,” O’Brien opened the interview.

After he absolutely tried dodging the question, the political editor tore Ross a new one while asking the question again, specifically regarding the ex-MP’s decision to “be part of a political movement that’s been peddling misinformation” and “whipping up fear and hysteria in vulnerable communities”.

Digging the hole deeper for himself, Ross explained that his decision to partner with Billy TK was inspired by “growth on social media”, which O’Brien instantly criticised.

“So it was purely political ambition,” O’Brien questioned. “You sold your soul for political ambition.”

As the excruciating interview continued, Ross tried to justify his decision to partner with a conspiracy theorist by using the old, trusty “plandemic”argument around the “mortality rate of COVID-19 compared to other flu epidemics”.

Without hesitation, Tova O’Brien waved her hands at Ross mid-excuse, and literally spoke over him until he stopped speaking.

“I don’t want to hear any of that rubbish,” O’Brien said before Ross complained: “You can’t just give me that and not just allow me to answer”.

“If you’re going to come on the show and say things that are factually incorrect then I can do that actually,” O’Brien responded.

Strangely, when the footage made its way to Twitter, people quickly called the interaction “hostile” when that wasn’t the case at all. Really it was just a journalist doing her job, and doing it well by actually holding politicians accountable for the things they do and say — something that American journalists could learn a thing or two about before next month’s US presidential election.

Honestly, petition Tova O’Brien for Prime Minister once Jacinda Ardern gets tired of it.