MEDIAWATCH: Can Steven Joyce protect NZME Fourth Estate Journalism from alt-Right Billionaire Jim Grenon and his pet gollum Philip Crump?
Former National Party Cabinet minister Steven Joyce is in line to be the new chair of media company NZME under a compromise deal between businessman Jim Grenon, other major shareholders and the company’s existing directors.
NZME chair Barbara Chapman is reportedly preparing to step down from the role following a turbulent two months in which Auckland businessman Grenon – who owns 9.97% of the firm – called for a board overhaul, unhappy about the operational and financial performance of the company.
As part of a compromise deal, Grenon is prepared to now forgo seeking the role of chair and instead settle on a board seat, according to a report in The Australian and independently confirmed on Monday evening by the NZ Herald.
Fascinating power plays on the NZME takeover.
In a weird way, Steven Joyce could end up being the most important defender of Fourth Estate Journalism at NZME if alt-Right Billionaire Jim Grenon and his pet gollum Philip Crump take over.
As former editor of the NZ Herald, Gavin Ellis points out, there is nothing more than cultural convention that the owners don’t take over the editorial position.
That’s why Grenon is such a threat.
I argue that Grenon represents a unique threat to NZ Democracy because what he as a radicalised culture war Billionaire could do to the largest media platform in NZ will have enormous damage to society.
Look.
NZME is already a hard right media platform.
From Radio Hauraki for private school boys to ZB Capitalist Mythology, NZME is as right wing as it gets, but within that paradigm, 2 plus 2 is always going to equal 4, from Mike Hosking Breakfast to Heath Duplicity Allen, they espouse their right wing nonsense from a reasoning landscape that acknowledges 2+2=4.
That is NOT the case with the anti-vaccine, anti-global warming, anti-Māori, anti-Treaty, anti-Trans alt-Right, indeed in alt-Right land (which is situated next to MAGAstan and Qanon Island), 2+2=4 whatever the fuck alt-Right claim it to equal.
Now.
Steven Joyce cut his teeth setting up Radio stations around NZ, and while he is a Right Wing Political Behemoth, 2 + 2 still = 4 in Steven Joyce land.
He simply won’t accept alt-Right mythology as an editorial perspective and can be pressured if Grenon goes rogue.
Which I’m almost certain he will.
Joyce will be a comfort to the wider share holders who have become increasingly concerned that Grenon’s alt-right radicalisation could tank the share price from advertiser and reader boycotts.
Let’s see how much comfort that brings once Grenon seizes power.
We need far less alt-right billionaires in our media.
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I get it. You don’t want a politically biased main stream media presence in NZ.
How come you don’t also rail against massively left leaning Stuff or TVNZ?
It’s a rhetorical question BTW.
Can you provide proof they are left leaning?
It’s a rhetorical question BTW.
Can I borrow some of your (no doubt mountainous) P stockpile?
RNZ, Stuff, and TVNZ are all extreme neoliberal zionist organs of the enemies of New Zealand.
Wow, that’s big on conspiracy and sparse on evidence!
nonce detected
ANOTHER RIGHT WING LIE .If the media is so left leaning why are they not trumpeting on about the TAX PAYERS UNION road show thats traveling NZ right now pointing out how willis is the worst finance minister nz has had for a very long time .They point out that she is spending more today than Robertson was spending during the pandemic supporting every person in NZ . tHEY ALSO POINT OUT SHE IS BORROWING OVER A MILLION PER DAY .And still no ferries to show for that spending.
In the current system those who own media determine the information and opinions it disseminates.
They may do so with a tight rein (by dictating content) or a loose one (by choosing who to appoint as editor), but in the end the owner makes the call.
Whoever owns NZME will have the legal right to decide what is published in the “New Zealand Herald” and all other media under NZME control.
The same applies to any other newspaper, radio or television station or blog. Each is beholden to its owner and will be used to further the political and financial agendas of its owner.
Jim Grenon is not the problem. Neither is Philip Crump.
The problem is a system where the owners of capital can dictate what the public are allowed to see and hear.
The argument we have “good” traditional media with “editorial independence” on the one hand and “bad media” whose editorial content is decided by its owners on the other, is self-serving duplicity. New Zealand mass media has consistently failed to inform its audience on what is taking place in our nation and the world at large and it has misrepresented that reality. If a self-interested foreign oligarch manages to wrest control of NZME from the local owners it will only represent one small further step along the way to irrelevance for New Zealand media.
At least Joyce has experience of radio though a bit back-in-the-day. Energy FM, wasn’t it? He managed (owned?) the show and even jocked on-air.
Steven Joyce, James Grenon, Atlas Network, Stephen Harper, Bull Inglish.
All as intertwined as a morass of palolo in a bucket.
I have no idea how you think Joycie will make a jot of difference.
We see here everyday the myth that the media is left leaning .Where is Luke Mallpass the right wing commentator who spent 6 years trashing the labour government ? HES HIDDING AT STUFF AS EDITOR hence the reason we see nothing on stuff about how poorly the NZ government is doing at managing the economy .Shit we have to target the women in the workforce and keep them earning less than their co workers to save Willis budget even though she is out spending and borrowing Grant Robertson ,who Malpass used to attack at every chance .