‘Brutal’: Interview between NZ journalist and politician 'peddling misinformation' goes viral

A blistering interview between journalist Tova O’Brien and Advance New Zealand co-leader Jami-Lee Ross has gone viral after she accused him of using the pandemic to whip "up fear and hysteria".

The former Nationals MP exited politics after winning less than one percent of the vote, following Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s landslide victory in the New Zealand election.

After a falling out with the Nationals in 2018, Mr Ross formed Advance New Zealand alongside conspiracy theorist and Advance NZ co-leader Billy Te Kahika Junior.

Mr Te Kahika is a controversial figure who has claimed billionaires developed weaponised viruses to enslave humanity, according to Radio NZ.

He also claimed 5G could cause cancer, but later denied that he’d made these comments. 

In the hard-hitting interview, Newshub journalist Tova O’Brien said Mr Ross had sold his “soul for political ambition”.

“Jami-Lee, you’ve just described yourself as a loser,” she began.

“You are out of Nationals, out of Parliament, out Botany, your political career is in tatters. Do you have any regrets?”

The two clashed when Ms O’Brien claimed Mr Ross was “part of a political movement that’s been peddling misinformation”.

"You know exactly what you were doing, you were whipping up fear and hysteria among vulnerable communities,” she said.

Ms O’Brien then cut Mr Ross off mid-sentence when he began comparing COVID-19 mortality rates to other “flu-epidemics”.

“I don’t want to hear any of that rubbish,” she said.

Mr Ross stood down in Botany during the general election to campaign as a list-only candidate for the Advance New Zealand Party.

“Why did you stand down in Botany? People have described you as a narcissist. It did almost seem like a narcissistic belief that you could win this seat,” Ms O’Brien asked.

“Had I stayed in Botany, I probably would’ve taken so much vote off [National's MP Christopher] Luxon that Labor would’ve won the seat,” Mr Ross said To which O’Brien replied, “you’re dreaming mate.”

The viral video has since amassed more than 7.3 million views on Twitter alone, with the journalist’s dogged questioning earning her worldwide praise.

In the aftermath of the viral clip, Ms O’Brien tweeted, “Whoa! That’s quite something to wake up to.”

"I don’t know her, but I love this woman and her power,” one person wrote on Twitter.

“Can she please moderate the next [US] debate?,” another person asked.

“One of the best smackdowns of 2020. Along with Jonathan Swan owning Trump,” said another person.

“That’s him sorted.”