Discussion
Political talking points - or "key messages" as Nicky Hagar called them in The Hollow Men - are a cancer on political communication. Expressly designed to allow politicians to make public statements without actually *saying* anything.
There's some great examples in yesterday's FOP on RNZ, where CLuxon and Rimmer vomited up and ate the same verbal hairballs they've been retaining since 2023;
https://www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/focusonpolitics/2025/FOCUSDISCONTENT
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Political journalists need to stop playing into this game, by quoting these verbal smokescreens as if they're serious serious public statements. My advice would be to publish only the first use.
The second time they're used (or maybe the third), add to a Key Messages website maintained by a consortium of newsrooms. Give each one a unique KM number, and a URI that links directly to an example.
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