Talk:Paul Spoonley

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Updating page

Hi folks been sorting through the references and clearly it is a good time to update this page. I will look to set up sections and get some more detail under research, publications and social issues. Comments welcome.Realitylink (talk) 04:41, 23 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Well, the update is happening...I am trying to get some sequencing of ideas and his work, but of course, he is incredibly prolific so it is not easy to choose the most significant research, media comment or writing. He is very active right now in the pandemic so I will keep that stuff updated as he does contribute significantly to the debate of where to next for New Zealand.

Greg Realitylink (talk) 09:34, 31 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Promotional language

The lead section of the article states that, "Educated both in New Zealand and England, his work on racism, immigration and ethnicity is widely discussed in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings (2019) and the COVID-19 pandemic."

I believe such language is more or less obviously promotional in nature. It ought to be removed. Zarenon (talk) 04:15, 1 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, you raise a fair point, and as the writer of some of that lead section I am happy to reconsider it. He was educated in NZ and England and has written on racism, immigration and ethnicity. I guess the problem is the relationship between this work and the Christchurch shootings and Covid? Certainly 'widely discussed' is too vague and difficult to substantiate. I guess we could just remove the last segment of the sentence and slightly re-word it: Educated both in New Zealand and England, his work has focussed on racism, immigration and ethnicity.

But looking at it again, perhaps the bit about education is not that significant. So revisiting the lead, how might this be?

Paul Spoonley (born 1951) is a New Zealand sociologist and professor at Massey University where his specialist area is social change and demography and how this impacts policy decisions at the political level. Focusing on racism, immigration and ethnicity, Spoonley has led externally funded research programmes, written or edited twenty-seven books and is a regular commentator in the New Zealand news media.

What do others think? Discussions on these fine points are most valuable. Realitylink (talk) 20:11, 1 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]