David Herkt and Jonathan Marshall's first post-Queer Nation venture, the controversial website NZ Tabloid, has been discontinued as from yesterday. Despite declaring at its launch that it was the start of a new type of media for New Zealand, both Marshall and Herkt now say the site was only intended to be temporary. "It achieved its intended purposes for me," says Herkt. "I was concerned to perhaps stir up a bit of complacency. Findlay MacDonald of the Listener referred to us as 'media guerillas' and the term fitted my agenda." Herkt says that he and Marshall are now "estranged". As to rumours about Marshall deciding that he is now heterosexual, Herkt describes his sexuality as "fluid". Now keeping busy with writing projects, Herkt says he has no regrets about any aspect of his time with NZ Tabloid, which was co-founded with Marshall after they both were dismissed from the Queer Nation programme over, amongst other things, engaging in tabloid-esque pursuits of celebrities. "I haven't laughed so much for a long time. I also like to think we changed a certain complacency in New Zealand." Marshall told Radio Pacific's Paul Henry this morning that a move to mainstream media may be on the cards for him, as he had received job offers. Commenting on the irony of receiving offers of employment from a sector of the media that had pilloried him previously, Marshall merely commented that they "recognise talent".
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 23rd October 2003 - 12:00pm