I had a very reasonable question put to me after I gave an overview on the media to the Epidemic Response Select Committee. My old colleague Geoff Lealand asked why I had not included film among the media I discussed.
The answer was that, in my pre-occupation with news, I simply had not thought about it. And I was wrong to omit it.
Cinema is a long-established resident of the media landscape. It is both a mirror of culture and a vehicle to aid our understanding of the culture of others. Continue reading “Cinemas under threat”→
I now know why they are called ‘home truths’. They reveal themselves while you are banged up in your house waiting for the plague to go away.
I have learned a few home truths about the media since going into voluntary isolation even before the Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown order was issued. Age was the reason I turned my back on human contact weeks before the café doors slammed shut but it also means I’ve seen a few media institutions come and go over the years.
Journalists have learned to go with the times – yes, mainly go. They have been constantly told they need to adapt with technology, with competition, with changing markets. They have learned to roll with punches and that, for many, has meant accepting some things that leave a bloody taste in the mouth.
So, from the safety of my bubble (or, more accurately, the serenity of my study where the only danger lies in refusing Rufus his cat treats), I have had time to reflect on the past, to gather a few home truths that just might be useful lessons for the future. Continue reading “Coronaviral home truths”→
Public trust is a percentages game. A survey released last week tells us 53 per cent of New Zealanders trust overall news sources most of the time.
That isn’t a particularly high number, but it ranks well against other countries. We sit behind Finland (59 per cent), equal with The Netherlands, and ahead of Germany (47 per cent), the United Kingdom (40 per cent) and Australia (38 per cent). We are well ahead of the United States, where a dismal 32 per cent of the population trust most news most of the time. America, though, has become a very strange country under the leadership of President Trump. And when it comes to the news sources New Zealanders personally use, the percentage who trust it jumps to 62 per cent.
Our ranking will help to validate the campaigns being run by news media to demonstrate to the public that they are the trusted sources to news. Continue reading “Trust is a percentage gain”→
The Government’s $50-million media package announced today has bought broadcasters some time, but it could put nails in the coffins of some of our print titles.
