Today I checked "The Platform's" independence and it was found wanting

Alternate title: I rang the vaccine pushing Sean Plunket

This morning after another interview elsewhere, and as I had some time to kick around, I decided to have my second go at The Platform. The first time had not been greatly auspicious as Rodney Hide had been very keen to cut me short and I barely got 15 seconds at a guess despite others having minutes to expound on their views previous to me and one after me. But they claim independence¹ so I thought that I’d give them another go.

First up the phone that I was using has a blocked number so they really should not have been able to see who was calling from it. But like the previous time they certainly did know, although they had me down (maliciously I suspect) on their system as “John from Whangerei”. I had rung their talkback to discuss two issues, Plunket’s arrogant dismissal of listeners who were reporting vaccine injuries of their families and friends (I could also do this) and the other issue, Izzy Cook and her mother Rose Cook over an interview that Izzy had done with Heather Du Ples…