The Nation review – has MediaWorks damaged political journalism worse than Dirty Politics has & what future for Public Broadcasting?

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The Nation was on this morning, but given the mindset of news by MediaWorks Chairman Rod McGeoch, one wonders why bothering to watch it ever again…

“We put news on, but only because it rates. And we sell advertising around news. This is what this is all about.” 

So if that’s MediaWorks attitude towards news, I take it that attitude extends to all their political programming shows, which would help explain the near silence by The Nation on the Campbell Live issue. I tweeted the Nation asking why they were silent, their response was telling…

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…there are more important stories than political and corporate interference in  a current affairs show? Really? Making a joke about Save Campbell Live in their 60 seconds satire piece isn’t discussing the issue, it’s sidelining it. At least we now know why The Nation always pull their punches and sides with the right.

The reality is that MediaWorks position on news is more damaging than the revelations that most of the mainstream media worked hand in glove with the dirty politics smear team of Cameron Slater & Co. If MediaWorks see their role purely as profit driven over any democratic obligations to the fourth estate then the entire charade is made redundant.

Many media are still struggling to gain back any respectability after they were outed as working with Slater, knowing that MediaWorks  is simply pimping for the news market doesn’t help.

What does Public Broadcasting need? It needs vision. It needs a change of Government that aim to increase public interest broadcasting. It needs harder regulation and more taxpayer funded support of the remaining public broadcasting assets we do have. We need a special levy on Sky TV, we need the existing public broadcasters to embrace new media and we need TVNZ7 and Radio NZ 2.

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If Labour are serious about public broadcasting they need to give it to an MP with real mana, like David Cunliffe.

In terms of todays Nation programme, it was as dull as death. Laila on the panel was the only highlight. It’s incredible that the Nation still managed to avoid discussing the threats to Campbell Live again for a second week running, but then again when their bosses attitude is “We put news on, but only because it rates. And we sell advertising around news. This is what this is all about,”  are we surprised?

If you care about NZ, you watch Campbell Live. If you care about nothing, you watch Seven Sharp. It’s as simple as that.

 

12 COMMENTS

  1. +100 Agreed!

    “If Labour are serious about public broadcasting they need to give it to an MP with real mana, like David Cunliffe ”

    and re public broadcasting…this is the crux of the issue:

    “What does Public Broadcasting need? It needs vision. It needs a change of Government that aim to increase public interest broadcasting. It needs harder regulation and more taxpayer funded support of the remaining public broadcasting assets we do have. We need a special levy on Sky TV, we need the existing public broadcasters to embrace new media and we need TVNZ7 and Radio NZ 2”

    • “Government corruption of the media.”

      “We put news on, but only because it rates. And we sell advertising around news. This is what this is all about.”

      “Dumbed down”

  2. Tim Watkins, responsible for The Nation, was on the afternoon panel on Radio NZ National the other day. Asked about Campbell Live he responded in a very evasive manner, also saying, he could only say so much, given his contractual agreement with TV3.

    That says it all, TV3 journalists have now been sent the message, tow the line we approve of, or you may follow John Campbell out the door soon!

    The self censorship is common in NZ Media, and a senior Herald journalist also once confided to a friend of mine, that he could not write what he may wish to write and have published. There was only so much space and topic contents he was allowed.

    The MSM is indeed also full of personalities that go to the same parties and functions as many government politicians, yes also of course other ones. So they all know each other to some degrees, and as most journalists belong to the middle or upper middle class, they have their own preferences and ideas, which they inevitably bring into their reporting also, to some degree at least.

    John Key was not charmed by so many just by accident, he was helped into government with a media happy to support him in 2008, and we know the rest.

    Labour may think it is mainly their policies that did not appeal, but they seem to fail to realise that it is largely due to media bias against Labour that they performed so poorly.

    I have noticed recently how the news presentation on TV3 has changed a bit. It is more shallow and superficial than ever before, and the other day, when UNITE and others protested against Zero Hour Contracts, I saw this presented in TV One, but not the TV3 news, which was bizarre.

    It seems they make efforts now to distance themselves from John Campbell, who covered the Zero Hour Contract issues a fair bit.

    So much for the MSM, and hence we need to use wider sources to stay informed, which must include blogs, like TDB and others.

  3. I have just watched the TV3 Saturday 6PM news and what a load of bullshit.
    First the story about a foiled terrorist attack on ANZAC day ceremonies in Australia. Very little substance but lots of emotive fear creation. Watch this story over the next few weeks and you will see it fade into a couple of teenagers acting out their resentment against a society that they perceive as discriminating against them.
    Next the story about Syrian chlorine gas attacks on civilians. Assad would have to be mentally challenged to launch a chemical attack after the drama of Putin defusing the last threat by destroying Syria’s chemical weapons ( but not the Chlorine according to TV3 and National Radio also.) No mention of the proven false flag chemical attack carried out by the Washington backed anti-Assad Syrian rebels, in an attempt to blame Assad. Assad may not be a boy scout but do you believe the latest story from people who have been proven liars in the past. I don’t and this sort of propaganda presented as news does the NZ people a huge disservice. Thanks TV3 staff, do your little bit to foster international discord while foreign people get maimed and killed and you go home to your tidy little middle class meaningless lives secure in the knowledge you have done your bit to ensure Washington’s propaganda reaches into the homes of NZ’ers . Arseholes!

    • Tonights news Sunday TV1 They want to hold one suspect for a few weeks without charges being laid. The second is on possession of weapons charges. Hardly justifying the initial Terrorist event explosion of fear on the news media . We are being manipulated.

  4. TV3 led with a story recently about an american who had supposedly been missing at sea for a short while. It led the news in front of items of national importance and world importance, you know, real news. It looked to be a very dodgy story at the time, he has never been heard of again. One day last week, with just two stories about NZ, the rest were american news stories.

  5. I loved Kathryn Ryann’s comment on her political panel this morning; the TV News will soon be filled with cute kitten videos and nothing much else. The public, bless their reality-tv-stupified wee brains, will no doubt lap it up.

  6. Talking about news ,I thought this was the day suppression orders were to be lifted on “well known business man”whats happened?

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