That's Malcolm Rewa, and while we don't want to appear too prejudiced or biased hereat Media Scrum, it's still fair to say he's undoubtedly one of the biggest pieces of shit this country has ever produced. The serial rapist is locked away for a long, long, long time and is about to face trial for the 1992 murder of Susan Burdett for the third time, with a stay of prosecution lifted after Teina Pora's conviction was quashed.
There have been a lot of online and print news stories over the past few years that have talked about Rewa, but they've all had to use the same image from his arrest back in the 1990s, with the younger scumbag looking morose as hell. It's a photo that is totally outdated, but it's all that most of us have got.
At least it was all anybody had, until he appeared again in court a few months back, and RNZ was the only media organisation that was given permission for a photo to be taken. It was the only one to put in a picture application, and so it was the only one granted, something the judge even raised an eyebrow over.
Even though there is still court action going on right now to stop the third trial before it starts, Rewa is highly unlikely to make an actual appearance in a courtroom until that trial begins, so nobody else is going to get another shot until then.
Even better - for RNZ at least - was that they aren't allowed to share the image with anybody else, and some certainly tried. In cases like this, there is a lot of quid pro quo that goes between editors and reporters at different organisations (especially when many of us are mates who have worked and studied together in the past), but the granting of RNZ's application specifies that it is not allowed to share the image, even with its syndicators, let alone competitors. (We can't even put the image up here on this site, because that will get us in some serious legal strife.)
There has been a growing trend in the media to make reporters shuffle around, and be experts in everything, especially when there aren't enough staff in the first fucking place. But Eddie Gay got this photo by working the Auckland court beat for years, keeping a close eye on all the big developments, and leaping on an opportunity to get some new visuals when it appeared for the briefest moment.
There are a lot of great court reporters in Auckland, working the same beat as Mr Gay, and you can bet they are kicking themselves for missing the opportunity. Shit happens, and even Eddie misses things sometimes. The court system, especially in the greater Auckland area, is huge and sprawling, and the few dedicated court reporters in the various newsrooms can't be expected to get every appearance, or every picture possibility. We're not slagging off those other reporters here, just highlighting a great get.
A lot of the big court cases in this country are covered by multiple media organisations, all sharing the same quotes and pictures. But sometimes just one place can get something nobody else has, and sometimes it takes a goddamn expert in court reporting to see that opportunity and grab it.
RNZ is going to use the shit out of that photo of Malcolm Rewa, and who can blame them? When a great reporter serves you up something like that, you have to make the most of it.
- Steve Lombard / Katherine Grant
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