The reaction of many in legacy media and politics to efforts by Jim Grenon and others to change the board of NZME is rather telling, hypocritical even.
Legacy media still seem to be wrestling with how they should adapt to the changed media environment. I think it’ll get worse for them before it gets better. They appear to want to hold onto their historical role as the ‘primary’ voice across the media space, evidenced by how they’ve left X in an attempt to pull people back to their preferred spaces. I don’t think that move will be successful in the long term. New models, new methods of delivery, and a hard and honest look at why trust has eroded in them will help turn things around.
Great article. It's a pleasure to read something balanced, informative and which makes you think. Something NZs media should try to emulate.
One of the most disturbing things during my media studies course (anything ending in studies being a bit of a joke) was the focus on advocacy journalism, which moved journalists from reporting the facts and informing the public to being activists.
The problem with this mindset is twofold. The public are viewed as a bunch of gormless proles, who need to be educated on social justice etc. and the cause du jour. The people who practice this type of propaganda are intellectually mediocre and are the perfect example of the Dunning Kruger Effect.
So NZ media produce a crappy product in a crowded market with lots of options which offer better value and instead of improving their product, they simply double down. Not really a winning strategy, especially for the shareholders.
Best way to fix this? Cut all taxpayer funding of the media which includes government advertising and any subsidies. They'll either adapt to providing a product people want to buy and will survive or they'll go under when Social Justice meets the Marketplace of Free Ideas.
Excellent article and thank you Simon. I actually was shouting out loud in anger at what that woods mp guy said! It’s so obvious what they are doing! Happy little Marxists in our govt! They think we don’t know!! Ugh!
Legacy media still seem to be wrestling with how they should adapt to the changed media environment. I think it’ll get worse for them before it gets better. They appear to want to hold onto their historical role as the ‘primary’ voice across the media space, evidenced by how they’ve left X in an attempt to pull people back to their preferred spaces. I don’t think that move will be successful in the long term. New models, new methods of delivery, and a hard and honest look at why trust has eroded in them will help turn things around.
Agreed and if they insist on narrowing their viewpoints, as they currently do, there is little hope.
Thanks as always for your excellent, well researched and trustworthy commentary Simon. 🙏👍
It’s nice to be back and writing again
Great article. It's a pleasure to read something balanced, informative and which makes you think. Something NZs media should try to emulate.
One of the most disturbing things during my media studies course (anything ending in studies being a bit of a joke) was the focus on advocacy journalism, which moved journalists from reporting the facts and informing the public to being activists.
The problem with this mindset is twofold. The public are viewed as a bunch of gormless proles, who need to be educated on social justice etc. and the cause du jour. The people who practice this type of propaganda are intellectually mediocre and are the perfect example of the Dunning Kruger Effect.
So NZ media produce a crappy product in a crowded market with lots of options which offer better value and instead of improving their product, they simply double down. Not really a winning strategy, especially for the shareholders.
Best way to fix this? Cut all taxpayer funding of the media which includes government advertising and any subsidies. They'll either adapt to providing a product people want to buy and will survive or they'll go under when Social Justice meets the Marketplace of Free Ideas.
Excellent article and thank you Simon. I actually was shouting out loud in anger at what that woods mp guy said! It’s so obvious what they are doing! Happy little Marxists in our govt! They think we don’t know!! Ugh!