You do not have to be a Paddy Gower fan to enjoy reading about his life and times.
In fact, you might regard him as a "deceitful bastard, quite frankly" — how Don Brash, then-Act Party leader, described the television political reporter in 2011 — but can still appreciate he has a nice yarn or two to tell.
This Is The F#$%ing News, the title coming from the mock skit that went viral some years back, is a rollicking read that charts one New Zealand news hound’s rapid rise in the media world, a rise that made him a household name but also took a fair effect on his mental health.
Gower covers plenty of territory in double-quick time, befitting the soundbite-dominated world he lived in for so long.
There are some moving passages about his childhood, which featured a loving family but peers who teased him about his unconventionally dashing looks, and teeth that would not quit.
It was a time, Gower writes, that embedded a deep sensitivity about the way he looked.
Later, as viewers of that particular "Paddy Gower Has Issues" documentary will be well aware, he turned to alcohol to cope with the stresses of the world and his high-flying job at the coalface of New Zealand politics.
Highlights are his experiences of covering the Pike River disaster, and getting to know the families of some of the victims, and being quickly on the ground for the 2019 mosque shootings.
This is a memoir, above all, that does a really nice job detailing the recent history of journalism in this country.
It is an industry under siege from changing demographics, the collapse of traditional revenue streams thanks to tax-dodging global giants, and public distrust fueled by social media cesspits, and it is an industry that needs more people like Gower — whether you like him or not.
From earning the nickname "Night Train" while on night shift at an Auckland newspaper, to chasing politicians and stories in the Press Gallery, to some cracking stories in the field, Gower gives readers some neat yarns until the point that his career is grounded by a breakdown.
He ends with the terrible blow to journalism earlier this year when Newshub was shut down.
The cover photo could have been less cringeworthy, and the odd topic was crying out to be explored in a bit more depth, but this is a nice read.
Hayden Meikle is ODT sports editor
