Post by Kiwi Frontline on Sept 15, 2021 11:27:13 GMT 12
MEDIA GREEDIES – Michael Bassett
Early this year, under the guise of “enhancing public interest journalism” that was deemed to be at risk due to COVID, the Cabinet established a Public Interest Journalism Fund. It is to assist the media to produce stories that keep New Zealanders informed and engaged, and to support a “healthy democracy”. The fund is also to “protect jobs at a local, regional and national level” believed to be in peril. Applications for grants were invited for $55 million to be made available over the run-up to the next election. New Zealand On Air is administering the fund.
The first handouts have been made. Interestingly enough, they haven’t been mentioned in any mainstream media that I’ve seen. Stuff received $300,000 to establish a “cultural competency course”. To encourage Maori TV, NZME, Pacific Media, Newshub and support partners to take on journalism cadets who are Maori or Pacific, a cool $2.4 million was handed out. NZME that produces the New Zealand Herald got $440,000. One estimate I’ve seen is that 40% of the total beneficence will go to Maori projects.
The obvious question to ask is how much of this shower of money was really necessary? Only yesterday amidst a gratuitous rave about itself, the Herald told its readers that under COVID their readership figures have climbed to record levels. More subscriptions, more use of its website, and from the share index, we can see a rising share price as well. Other recipients also appear to be surviving comfortably under lockdown.
The answer to why the handouts have been introduced is almost certainly a ministerial intention to keep the media sweet during the run-up to the election. Today (11 September), under a glowing photo of their Beehive benefactor, the Prime Minister, the paper’s editor claims the paper is “proudly independent - it’s the Herald way”. “We will be independent and not bow to improper internal or external influence”.
On the same page of the paper, however, a columnist noted with cynicism that “this Government, as it lurches from clumsy mistakes to avoidable crises, is currently getting an easy ride from the majority of the media operators”, the implication being that editors might well have been “bought”.......
www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/media-greedies
Early this year, under the guise of “enhancing public interest journalism” that was deemed to be at risk due to COVID, the Cabinet established a Public Interest Journalism Fund. It is to assist the media to produce stories that keep New Zealanders informed and engaged, and to support a “healthy democracy”. The fund is also to “protect jobs at a local, regional and national level” believed to be in peril. Applications for grants were invited for $55 million to be made available over the run-up to the next election. New Zealand On Air is administering the fund.
The first handouts have been made. Interestingly enough, they haven’t been mentioned in any mainstream media that I’ve seen. Stuff received $300,000 to establish a “cultural competency course”. To encourage Maori TV, NZME, Pacific Media, Newshub and support partners to take on journalism cadets who are Maori or Pacific, a cool $2.4 million was handed out. NZME that produces the New Zealand Herald got $440,000. One estimate I’ve seen is that 40% of the total beneficence will go to Maori projects.
The obvious question to ask is how much of this shower of money was really necessary? Only yesterday amidst a gratuitous rave about itself, the Herald told its readers that under COVID their readership figures have climbed to record levels. More subscriptions, more use of its website, and from the share index, we can see a rising share price as well. Other recipients also appear to be surviving comfortably under lockdown.
The answer to why the handouts have been introduced is almost certainly a ministerial intention to keep the media sweet during the run-up to the election. Today (11 September), under a glowing photo of their Beehive benefactor, the Prime Minister, the paper’s editor claims the paper is “proudly independent - it’s the Herald way”. “We will be independent and not bow to improper internal or external influence”.
On the same page of the paper, however, a columnist noted with cynicism that “this Government, as it lurches from clumsy mistakes to avoidable crises, is currently getting an easy ride from the majority of the media operators”, the implication being that editors might well have been “bought”.......
www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/media-greedies