Barry Soper on what makes a good PM (and what doesn't)

About this episode

Barry Soper discusses his experiences covering New Zealand Prime Ministers and the evolution of political reporting.

Barry Soper is a name and certainly a voice that’s recognisable across New Zealand. After decades in the Beehive, Soper put pen to paper outlining his time covering 12 Prime Ministers, from Muldoon to Luxon. He blends personal stories, policy critiques, and behind-the-scenes tales ... like Muldoon’s drunken Schnapps election call, Lange’s antics in Africa, and Bolger’s mimicry habits. As former PM John Key wrote in one of the book’s forewords, “Barry knew, and still knows, where the bones are buried”. The other foreword is penned by Helen Clark. Barry Soper joins The Front Page to discuss how political reporting has changed over the years, and where he thinks it’s headed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Guest: Barry Soper

Topics covered

• political reporting
• Prime Ministers
• New Zealand politics
• media history
• personal stories
• policy critiques

Keywords

• Barry Soper
• Prime Ministers
• political reporting
• New Zealand
• media
• policy critiques
• personal stories

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NZ Herald

Books & works: book

Places: New Zealand

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