Lack of relevance is the kiss of death for journalism

It was a phrase that rolled too easily off the tongue, as if it was the product of a branding exercise by smart young marketers. Nonetheless, it contained an imperative that should sit at the core of journalism.

The phrase had been around for a long time. It was the title of a column in U.S. News & World Report in the 1950s. Later it would capture what passed for imagination in the minds of media management executives, and become so ubiquitous that it virtually lost meaning.

What was the phrase? It was “news you can use”.

It needs to be resurrected, not as a trite play for audience but as the central element of how journalism will be practiced and how news will be presented.

Why, and why now? Continue reading “Lack of relevance is the kiss of death for journalism” →

Another threat to our news industry: AI slop

AI slop – the 2025 word of the year in several prominent dictionaries – is lazy and often misleading online content generated by artificial intelligence. It presents a major threat to legitimate news outlets, including those in New Zealand.

There is a high risk that the loss of trust that inevitably follows users’ realisation that they have been taken for a ride will widen into a belief that ‘you can’t trust news: Full stop’

Yesterday both RNZ and TVNZ carried stories about the emergence of AI slop in this country, primarily on what purported to be a news site, but which carried no original reporting and distorted visual reality.

They interrogated the site – called NZ News Hub (clearly a take-off of TV3’s Newshub which closed in 2024) – and found numerous AI-generated images that were not identified as such. The broadcasters also found the site consistently dramatised natural disasters and emergencies beyond what had actually occurred. Continue reading “Another threat to our news industry: AI slop” →

Book review: How to Rebuild Trust in Journalism by Tim Watkin

The following review was published by Newsroom on 5 February 2026

 

How to Rebuild Trust in Journalism by Tim Watkin (BWB Texts $20)

Reviewed by Gavin Ellis

The relationship between news media and the public is like a marriage. It is conceived in heaven but there is an ever-present danger that it will be perceived as the Eighth Circle of Dante’s Inferno. That is where we find panderers and seducers, hypocrites, sowers of discord, and falsifiers.

Like a good marriage, journalism’s bond with the community is based on trust. Trust is a small word that belies its power and obligation. Behind it lies a reliance that we behave openly, honestly and transparently toward each other. It is also an informal grant of power to act honourably on behalf of the other party.

A matrimonial thread runs throughout Tim Watkin’s book which addresses what may well be an existential issue facing news media both in New Zealand and the wider world. He uses marriage as a powerful analogy, one that will resonate with readers who enjoy successful or failed marriages…or both. No marriage will succeed without trust, and the absence of it will also destroy the public’s relationship with news media. Continue reading “Book review: How to Rebuild Trust in Journalism by Tim Watkin” →

Media relationship with the public is like a marriage – based on trust

My review of Tim Watkin’s book was published today on Newsroom. Here is a sample: 

“The relationship between news media and the public is like a marriage. It is conceived in heaven but there is an ever-present danger that it will be perceived as the Eighth Circle of Dante’s Inferno. That is where we find panderers and seducers, hypocrites, sowers of discord, and falsifiers.”

You can read the full review here: https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/05/book-of-the-week-journalism-is-broken/