NZ's 'Notworth News' Takes on The Onion
A web-based parody of NZ's national news, NZ Notworth News soft launched a few days ago.The inaugural article, written by somebody with tongue firmly in cheek, was released this morning, indicating that NZ Notworth News is establishing their position as the place where the New Zealand public will soon get 'news you can feel'.One of the NZ Notworth News team quips, ‘The news should be more than just credible. It should be incredible. You shouldn't just watch the news. You should feel it. That's why we've searched the world over to put together the best news team New Zealand has ever seen.’The NZ Notworth News cast is made up of six hungry news hounds ‘on a mission to erect fact and deconstruct fiction, to pick out only the best bits and throw out the rest.’ After a 7-video preview on YouTube, I can give you my first impressions.The obvious comparison is The Onion News Network, a popular American news satire, known for its ability to invoke the style of the 24-hour news networks, to smuggle in satirical information and acerbic social commentary.What makes The Onion so successful is that it matches the production values of the shows it mocks, a feature which at this point NZ Notworth News seems unlikely to replicate.Underneath character Rock Stone’s bio is written ‘controversial and opinionated - if you’re thinking it, he’ll say it’. If you recall, TVNZ used a similar line in defense of Paul Henry’s controversial on-air remarks about Sheila Dikshit, which led to his resignation and embarrassment for all concerned.Unfortunately, the NZ Notworth News character lacks any concerted punch now that Henry is off the air, as it's difficult to parody a personality that no longer exists.The Rock Stone character is introduced to us with jokes about fat people, gays and everybody’s fave, Work and Income. Perhaps the intention is to draw inspiration from Henry and popular discourse, but with embarrassingly bad lines like ‘In what can only be described as daylight robbery, thousands of lazy, uneducated New Zealanders are queuing up [at Work and Income] in their thousands to get their grubby hands on yours and mine hard earned cash', where’s the humour?If there’s one thing Henry taught us, it's that when you parrot back the ugly talk you hear at golf clubs north of Auckland, you will be left without a job. As the saying goes, ‘if someone in a bar could write the joke, don’t write it.’Paul Henry may have been excessively controversial but not all parody has to be so, as the loving parody of John ‘McHuntly Live’ Campbell in The Jaquie Brown Diaries proved.A quick Twitter search of ‘@nznotworthnews’ reveals people asking ‘What is this for?’. I suppose all will be revealed on the official launch date of February 21, giving SMNZ a good opportunity to post a full review. Until then, meet the NZ Notworth News team below.For more information and more videos nznotworthnews.co.nz[Image Credit: NZ Not Worth News]