From carrots to character assassination

Inside Andrea Vance and Charlie Mitchell’s latest media mess

If you're on X, you've probably seen The Post's latest hatchet job by Andrea Vance and her sidekick Charlie Mitchell, boldly titled "Inside the murky evolution of Dirty Politics 2.0". Let’s call it what it is. A left-wing smear campaign thinly disguised as investigative journalism, targeting New Zealand First and anyone orbiting the party's sphere.

This wasn’t journalism. It was a coordinated political hit, dressed up as a public service, and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters nailed it when he called it out on X.

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Vance and Mitchell's so-called "investigation" took aim at businessman Rhys Williams, Vlad Barbalich, Cam Slater and broadcaster Sean Plunket. But the inclusion of Plunket was especially telling. What was his crime? He replied to a tweet by fringe far-left activist Samuel Hudson, the self-anointed journo behind thisquality, with the words: “Do you like carrots?” That’s it. No deeper involvement. No scandal. Just a cheeky reply on social media and suddenly Sean's face is front-page news.

That’s the standard of journalism at The Post now.

And then there’s this absolute gem of a quote buried in the article:

"The Sunday Star-Times has reviewed an archived version of the porn account. While incomplete, much of the content does not appear to be illegal, though some videos show behaviour, including public masturbation, that could potentially be prosecuted."

Let that sink in. They combed through porn videos not to expose a public figure’s wrongdoing, but to paint a grotesque picture of guilt by association. The “investigation” tried to stir up outrage about a student who, according to The Platform’s broadcast, goes by the name Samuel Hudson. Sean Plunket named him and described what The Post coyly danced around. Explicit videos involving a Big Mac and a carrot. You’d think Vance and Mitchell might have mentioned this if they were serious about context, but they conveniently left it out.

The irony? The Sunday Star-Times claimed the online reaction was “swift and vicious,” with commenters calling the student “sick” and “deranged” but never once did they name him. Not until Sean did their job for them.

On X, @2ETEKA called out Andrea Vance for claiming he refused to answer her “pathetic” questions - when in fact, he did respond. And he was right to push back.

Let’s not forget Andrea Vance’s other tone-deaf masterpiece, just in time for Mother’s Day. "The girl-math budget that will cut deep, especially for women." In that column, she penned this absolute beauty:

"Turns out you can have it all. So long as you’re prepared to be a c… to the women who birth your kids, school your offspring and wipe the arse of your elderly parents while you stand on their shoulders to earn your six-figure, taxpayer-funded pay packet."

That was aimed at Finance Minister Nicola Willis. On Mother’s Day. No subtlety. No restraint. Just straight-up calling a sitting minister a c**t in a national newspaper.

This is where we are now. Journalists, funded by big media platforms, using their positions not to hold power to account, but to push political narratives and indulge personal vendettas. And when called out, they hide behind claims of public interest.

Disclaimer: The below video content contains graphic discussions of sensitive and disturbing topics, including public masturbation and other sick disturbing acts. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

Sean Plunket has announced that he is meeting with his lawyer this afternoon, following what he describes as a defamatory and politically motivated article published by The Post. Plunket, who was dragged into Andrea Vance and Charlie Mitchell’s so-called “Dirty Politics 2.0” exposé over a throwaway tweet, has signalled that legal action may be on the table. His decision to seek legal advice suggests he’s not taking the attack lying down - and neither should anyone who values press integrity over clickbait hit jobs.

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Since publishing this article, I’ve been sent some absolute gold tweets from readers. Reading them now, you really have to wonder if Samuel Hudson still feels the same way - or if, like the rest of this mess, it’s all starting to unravel. Enjoy!

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