All day long I’ve been listening to Radio New Zealand repeating the same report about Wellington’s decision not to restrict cat ownership, asserting that the issue has “divided conservationists and cat fanciers”.
Even John Campbell repeated the same throw-away line while introducing his coverage of the issue on Checkpoint.
Journalists are taught that conflict makes a good story, but reducing every disagreement to a binary model is simplistic – and in this case it’s bollocks.
I’ve been a conservationist for 50 years and I definitely love my cats, but that’s apparently too complicated a concept for our national broadcaster.
If we are to protect our native wildlife AND continue to enjoy cats as companions, we’re going to need to move beyond the one-dimensional stereotypes served up by Radio New Zealand.