Sometimes I just despair of this media industry I've spent 45-years working in.
Last night I was at the New Zealand Sports Journalists Association annual awards dinner at the Ellerslie Events Centre. I was there because I was a judge and because I'm a Life Member of the Association.
Among the guests were two of the sporting stars of 30 years ago - Dame Susan Devoy and Peter Lester.
Dame Susan Devoy said Mr Peters described her as "a bit round" in 1987, but the deputy PM disputes that. (Source: Other)
In 1987 Susan was the world champion in womens squash and Peter was part of the three boat team that won the Admirals Cup for New Zealand.
In other words, they were two of the sporting heroes of their era and as such were invited to the NZSJA annual dinner to celebrate and remember their great feats 30 years on.
In order to sing for their supper, both were subjected to a light hearted Q and A session on stage. During Dame Susan's session, conducted by veteran sports journalist Phil Gifford, she made some comments about the deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters.
Now they were not especially complimentary comments, but neither were they malicious. It was a fun night, with lots of awards and lots of laughs.
It was a privilege for us media types to have Dame Susan - who I regard as a very distinguished New Zealander - among us. It was even more pleasurable to be sitting beside her, with Phil Gifford one chair over.
So when I heard that a former editor of the New Zealand Herald had sent out a tweet quoting Dame Susan talking about Winston Peters, without any context at all, and that Dame Susan had to leave the function to attend to the follow up calls from hungry media inquiries, I was - to say the least - quite angry.
This was a pleasant, harmless and - I thought - relatively innocent night out. What was said there was, I would have thought, off the record. Chatham House rules and all that.
But no, some journalists and editors can't resist. Those bloody mobile phones and that awful medium called Twitter have wrecked a good night out for me and probably others too.
I'm embarrassed for the profession of journalism.
If every mildly controversial comment made at an awards dinner or sports function was reported then frankly, these fun functions would probably cease to exist because no sports personality would ever come to speak knowing the trouble they might incite.
As it stands now we have a great New Zealand sportswoman and Race Relations Commissioner highly annoyed and a deputy Prime Minister less than impressed as well.
In case you've been living under a rock today, the comments relate to a similar function 30 years ago when Winston Peters and Susan Devoy were speakers at the NZSJA awards dinner at the DB Windsor hotel at Mairangi Bay in Auckland.
It just so happens that I was the secretary of the NZSJA in 1987 and organised the dinner, including the guest speakers. I know both were there, both spoke but I have only a vague recollection of what was said.
If Winston insulted Susan I don't remember it. She does, but he doesn't.
Unless there's some audio or video from 30 years who will ever really know?
What I do know is that Dame Susan was in great form at this year's NZSJA dinner. She mercilessly took the mickey out of herself: "I gave up squash in 1992 when my kids starting beating me" and delighted the big audience with her comments on a variety of sporting and non- sporting topics: "I've just discovered only the Governor General can fire me," she said.
But what really annoys me is that her comments were reported when one might have expected them not to be.
Dame Susan is not the first sports person to have this problem. Remember Steve Williams and his comments about Tiger Woods?
Or Sir Graham Henry at a speech in Napier in 2012 which wasn't complimentary about some of his Rugby World Cup winning All Blacks?
The point is, these are social nights out. The speaker is there to add a bit of value in an entertaining way. Is there really a need for reporters - off duty - to beat up what are mainly innocent and humorous comments?
If this practice becomes widespread, no person of profile or reputation will be bothered to offer any comments on anything.
Can't we just have some innocent fun every now and then?
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