Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the actions and inactions of governments, which means that citizens have less information about public life. Therefore, to draw on the famous Washington Post tagline, New Zealand politicians are guilty of allowing democracy to die in the darkness.
I don't agree with Hehir’s point: "... Going from one TV newsroom to two inevitably means less stuff that needs to be uncovered". Firstly I don't think you could shine much light between TV One News and TV Three - they're both equally bad really and they cover the same items with much the same narrow perspective and approach. In my view the "golden age" of NZ TV was in the early 1980's, before the "commercialisation" of TV/TVNZ charter; days when Linsdsay Perigo was a news anchorman and Ian Fraser was also around. Not only was there a an actual news hour with news and some analysis/debate, there was the 9:30pm news as well (Lindsay Perigo presented this) with even more different analysis etc. There was MUCH more of a public interest culture that was delivered through individual professionals within the organisations. It seems to me that not only is there an issue of funding (due to loss of advertising revenue etc) but deciding what is in the public interest to broadcast is either driven from the top down or somehow the culture of these organisations have become mono-cultures. I'm not from the sector so I don't know but I find it staggering just how narrow the discourse has become both on TV and in most daily newspapers.
Interesting article, but can I suggest media is in the trouble they are in EXACTLY because govt (Labour) intervened. Doing more of that is likely to make the problem worse, and National is likely to face the same voter back-lash as Labour. Plus it shielded the companies from there unwillingless to adapt to a changing media landscape. I would certainly not throw more money at the problem while we have none to spare.
Aside from forcing giant companies to pay for the content they use I don't see how the current crisis within the media has anything to do with the government, this one or the last.
The core issue is between the public and the media and is one of trust. Pointing fingers at fringe issues will not repair that trust.
I can only speak for myself but I want unbiased political articles that give all the information and don't use subtle word selection to soften the blow on the reporters political preference.
I want information, I don't want to be told what to think.
I agree that with an effective fourth estate it would help keep accountability of all levels of government, however the fourth estate chose to ignore their duty to the public of NZ from 2017 to 2023 and, in my opinion, were little more than a marketing arm of the government over that period.
The fourth estate must have seen the current crisis coming and could have, or rather should have read the room better. The fourth estate have also been asleep at the wheel.
I am totally against NZ tax money being used to bail journalists out. This is because they have made themselves unrespectable and not valued via the fact that at least 90% lean to the far left and do not report accurately or honestly. Look at the shocking piece by John Campbell a few months ago. It was a retired journalist who pulled him up for that piece, not a current journalist. They are no longer to be taken seriously and supported.
No mention in your article that the media thought the change of Government was an aberration caused by stupid voters, not a change of opinion from socialist control to freedom for us to make our local decisions. Until the reporting reflects better the opinion of its public it will not be trusted and will be shunned - both facts the media doesn't seem to accept either. Rex
"What’s more, there are signs that the most recent crisis in TV has been brought about by the Government’s demands for big budget cuts in their government agencies. After the election, to meet signalled budget cuts, such departments immediately pulled right back on media advertising as the low-hanging fruit in the accounting books. When this instant hit to broadcasting advertising occurred, television channels like Newshub knew that the dream was over" - I haven't watched the 6pm news for a while but from memory most ads were by private companies not government departments.
I don't agree with Hehir’s point: "... Going from one TV newsroom to two inevitably means less stuff that needs to be uncovered". Firstly I don't think you could shine much light between TV One News and TV Three - they're both equally bad really and they cover the same items with much the same narrow perspective and approach. In my view the "golden age" of NZ TV was in the early 1980's, before the "commercialisation" of TV/TVNZ charter; days when Linsdsay Perigo was a news anchorman and Ian Fraser was also around. Not only was there a an actual news hour with news and some analysis/debate, there was the 9:30pm news as well (Lindsay Perigo presented this) with even more different analysis etc. There was MUCH more of a public interest culture that was delivered through individual professionals within the organisations. It seems to me that not only is there an issue of funding (due to loss of advertising revenue etc) but deciding what is in the public interest to broadcast is either driven from the top down or somehow the culture of these organisations have become mono-cultures. I'm not from the sector so I don't know but I find it staggering just how narrow the discourse has become both on TV and in most daily newspapers.
Interesting article, but can I suggest media is in the trouble they are in EXACTLY because govt (Labour) intervened. Doing more of that is likely to make the problem worse, and National is likely to face the same voter back-lash as Labour. Plus it shielded the companies from there unwillingless to adapt to a changing media landscape. I would certainly not throw more money at the problem while we have none to spare.
Aside from forcing giant companies to pay for the content they use I don't see how the current crisis within the media has anything to do with the government, this one or the last.
The core issue is between the public and the media and is one of trust. Pointing fingers at fringe issues will not repair that trust.
I can only speak for myself but I want unbiased political articles that give all the information and don't use subtle word selection to soften the blow on the reporters political preference.
I want information, I don't want to be told what to think.
I agree that with an effective fourth estate it would help keep accountability of all levels of government, however the fourth estate chose to ignore their duty to the public of NZ from 2017 to 2023 and, in my opinion, were little more than a marketing arm of the government over that period.
The fourth estate must have seen the current crisis coming and could have, or rather should have read the room better. The fourth estate have also been asleep at the wheel.
I am totally against NZ tax money being used to bail journalists out. This is because they have made themselves unrespectable and not valued via the fact that at least 90% lean to the far left and do not report accurately or honestly. Look at the shocking piece by John Campbell a few months ago. It was a retired journalist who pulled him up for that piece, not a current journalist. They are no longer to be taken seriously and supported.
No mention in your article that the media thought the change of Government was an aberration caused by stupid voters, not a change of opinion from socialist control to freedom for us to make our local decisions. Until the reporting reflects better the opinion of its public it will not be trusted and will be shunned - both facts the media doesn't seem to accept either. Rex
We need our journalists in New Zealand. Someone has to put Shane Jones’s feet to the coal fire.
"What’s more, there are signs that the most recent crisis in TV has been brought about by the Government’s demands for big budget cuts in their government agencies. After the election, to meet signalled budget cuts, such departments immediately pulled right back on media advertising as the low-hanging fruit in the accounting books. When this instant hit to broadcasting advertising occurred, television channels like Newshub knew that the dream was over" - I haven't watched the 6pm news for a while but from memory most ads were by private companies not government departments.
Could be a good time to dust off the 'television is a vast wasteland' speech - https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/newtonminow.htm