Dr Jarrod Gilbert Sociologist
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Gangs in Media Beat-Up.

16/5/2014

10 Comments

 
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Despite what was on TV this week, there is no gang merger proposed between the Mongrel Mob and Black Power. There is no plan for a ‘super gang’. What was on 3rd Degree was not a story being reported but one being created.

Calling talks between rival gang members who are trying to bring an end to senseless conflicts – talks that have been occurring for years – a ‘merger’ and the creation of a ‘super gang’ means 3rd Degree have either been led up the garden path, are ignorant of reality, or they are deliberately misleading viewers for the sake of provocation. And given some of the reporting in the programme, the latter is my guess.

At one point it was mooted that this ‘merger’ (which doesn’t exist) was a “carefully timed PR stunt” in the wake of the Mallory Manning murder. That would indicate the gangs contacted the media. No. The media contacted them. And initially they had no story idea they just wanted the gangs. I know because the media contacted me first.

3rd Degree do know stunts, though. The dramatically described “moment of truth” meeting at the Hastings Mongrel Mob clubhouse between Black Power and the Mob was completely manufactured for the show. 3rd Degree set it up.

The best way to break news is to make it, I guess.

In their own realms the gangs have much power, none more so than the Mongrel Mob and Black Power, but they are no match for cunning media. The gangs have been a deep well from which the media has drank for time immemorial. Gangs attract an audience.

Don’t get me wrong, elements of the story were accurate. There are some within the gangs who are looking to have greater communication and cooperation. Respect to them for that. The editorialising was, however, too often grossly misleading. Having some engagement with each other and merging are entirely different things. Furthermore, there is still much more antagonism than cooperation between the decades-long rivals. Super gang? Pure fiction.

I feel for presenter Samantha Hayes. She fronted the show well, but she is reliant on those who construct the programme to set her on the right path. In this instance, that didn’t happen.

When I was contacted by the show’s producer he told me that he wasn’t about the sensational, and that he wanted to do things well. I told him I’d heard that before. He told me he was different to the others.

He sure was different to the others. He was worse.

But hey, it was great telly and that’s all that counts, right?


*unfortunately my website provider had a nightmare and reset the Facebook and Twitter counters. Thanks, though, for making this by far my most read and appreciated post to date.

10 Comments
Cameron
17/5/2014 02:08:55 am

My understanding of gang truces is that they are driven by economics and optics.

If you're not killing each other you have time to be selling drugs and controlling prostitution etc etc and if all you do is periodically kill someone from your own organisation, privately, then the public and the police are much more tolerant of you're existence than if you're busy having knife fights and shoot outs in the town square.

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Az
17/5/2014 05:25:32 am

It was a great programme and I think if it goes ahead it will be a beautiful thing for all. There are a lot of great people who are in these groups who are ordinary people no more dis honest then a lot of people in the govt.

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Paula
17/5/2014 01:06:04 pm

I wonder how YOU know that it isn't true?
Do tell

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Jarrod
17/5/2014 03:49:55 pm

Understanding that the capitalisation of ‘YOU’ in your post indicates a skepticism of my ability to address the subject, I shall simply say this: I do have a wee bit of credibility having written a bloody brilliant book, which came out of an extremely comprehensive study.

Notwithstanding that, my girlfriend does often call me a complete goon, and she is very bright, so take from that what you will.

Whatever you think, might I suggest you ask 3rd Degree how they know there are plans for a merger or ‘super gang’. I would argue the burden of proof is on them in the first instance. They made the claim.

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Peter
17/5/2014 05:20:57 pm

from memory 3ed Degree did not suggest it was a merger, they asked if a "super gang" was a possible outcome. And as far as suggesting any co-operation between the gangs might result in them sharing resources and profits, 3ed Degree was only voicing what many many people watching the programme were already wondering

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Jarrod
18/5/2014 02:05:11 am

How a show is put together will lend itself to a certain editorial message. The same footage can be put together in many different ways to get many different messages. For this reason, one could say that the story is never given during the interview, it's created in the editing suite.

Regardless, though, in this instance the programme did very specifically use the terms merger and super gang and explicated stated that is what the talks between the leaders was about.

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h
18/5/2014 09:54:20 am

wat wud u know? ave u bin in a gang? prob not aye u sound like those fuck tards ova n oz tryna gt rid of da m.cs go suk a fat wun u fukn know all cock sucker like john keyz homo prick.

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Jarrod
18/5/2014 10:14:15 am

Extremely well articulated point, mate, very well done.

If I can hold you attention for a second, though, stay with me, you might want to read the post where I argue against the Australian MC laws. Here's the link

http://www.jarrodgilbert.com/blog/aussie-bikie-laws-should-concern-us-all

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Pepperann
20/5/2014 04:23:50 am

This story was a total beat-up by 3rd Degree - what a crock!! Listening to some of the BP guys talking, you just know they have practiced the answers many times....it sounded very much like 'social services provider' speak'. As for Dennis MM Rogue, the comment regarding him being 'the unofficial Mayor of Porirua", I nearly fell off my chair! Three quarters of Porirua don't know who the hell he is, and the bureaucrats tolerate him because they think he has respect in the 'hard to reach' community. Dennis has always considered "Dennis" to be the main priority. This story was a joke!! I actually had a little respect for this programme; that's gone now.

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best dissertation review link
28/1/2019 07:34:12 pm

Welcome in the world of media, I guess! I am woking behind the camera and this is not a surprise for me. Knowing these producers, they are after the spices of the story! If there is any chance for them to sensationalize everything just to get the ratings and good comments that they want, they will always be after that because that's the scoop they have been waiting for. That's kind of toxic though, but that's the culture I grow up with when I entered media industry!

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