The comparison with samizdat is a good one and we can see it in operation now in NZ. Ten or so years ago we used to get two daily papers and watch TV news. Now we don't get any papers and my husband records the news and flicks through it. The guts in what you say is: "The moment editorial decision-making appears to be based on ideology, political consequence or an outmoded gatekeeping mentality, trust is eroded." This was already happening ten years ago but gathered pace over the covid times. Traditional media, with all their bleating, have only themselves to blame for falling circulation and diminishing trust.
I believe you have accurately described an industry that has simply not yet changed with the times.
Here (NZ) - mainly because of protection levels by our slow moving and often unobservant Government.
Going forward - there needs to be a level of acceptable regulation on NZ based media (truth biased) and an active defunding plan to ensure NZ Taxpayers are getting a leaner product that actually fits their needs.
The TVNZ weather is a prime example.
Its a soft MS media target that in my industry has the nickname - “Defensive Weather Reporting.”
There are already far better world weather models that deliver more timely and vastly more accurate weather for anyone to see.
Yet NZ Taxpayers are all expected to pay good old Dan and crew - to “spin” often substandard weather reporting as Govt funded truth!
Which - like much other MSM is then used by all sorts of taxpayer funded departments to interfere with real commerce and unpleasantly impact on Kiwis lives.
Therefore retaining relevance by virtue signalling their so called “use to us all”.
Taxpayer contribution should be based on the quality of the product a supplier delivers.
As a left-wing politician, I disagree with your summary I could regale you with how I was unnecessarily slaughtered by the supposed biased towards my sort media on many occasions. I feel the current media challenge is that it is being strangled by being owned by wealthy often nasty self-satisfied individuals who want to promote homes rising in prices, and how Māori should stop grumbling about losing their land, or ignoring the loss of the democratic side bars put in place in the USA etc. The great challenge in this country is the media so often ignores the link between ACT, NZ Institute, Hobson's Choice, multinational companies using our country and paying little tax, and people like the 19.9% shareholder in NZME. These outfits wish to promote a neo-liberal economic model discredited around the world. Look at the useless delegation Trump took to China who were there to act in their own interests instead of the USA, where they also avoid paying tax. All these supposed clever people got eaten up by a very tactically smart President Xi.
Hi Garry, I was really only trying to make a point about the different incentives that mainstream media and independant writers work under when evaluating stories rather than suggesting that there is bias one way or the other with regard to politics. I don’t that you got a few unfair calls in your time but although they are not above criticism I don’t really think that media in NZ are promoting neoliberal policies …
Just consider Luke Malpass, politics, business and economics editor of Stuff. Look who he worked for in USA. He is straight out of the neoliberal school of writers. I spent 9 years as Mayor of Christchurch successfully fighting neoliberal greed trying to buy our cities assets. This economic system has created the massive divides in our society which did not exist in yours and my childhood. I am committed to spend as many of the years I have left working with those who are searching for a more justified system of finance which joins people together for a better society. I think this is something anyone with a drop of decency in their body would be committed to achieving?
You protest much. There will always be "exceptions", but across a huge swathe of media formats, your personal issues are a tiny vortex.
Most people on the street see for instance, the lack of incisive questions from the media - ( one of many instances the current government love affair with India). We are truly kept in the dark about many things, and substack really only gives us the tip of the iceberg of how the media does not represent honesty, and when it does come, it comes in skeletal form, with lots of "excuses" long after the horse has bolted.
Most of the media are regime media, and those who continue to watch journopaining are just contributing to their own intellectual menticide.
There is ZERO of worth to be had in the media, which has got to the point where most (sane) people believe nothing in it.
I agree with you. NZME and Stuff read like promoters of press releases written by former journalists pushing the interests of whoever pays them. That is a terrible generalization as some really good jounos survive and they write good stuff. However, they are the exception. I subscribe to several NZ on-line publications which promote decent debate and alternative ideas. I mainly scan most of the mainstream efforts. Where decent media has ended up is sad. However, part of the answer is in taxing the mostly American IT giants who strip the advertising revenue out of NZ and pay little, if any, tax as they pass the boundaries of this country. Why aren't they charged tax? Because our political class are too gutless to tell the tarts who are their voices in the courts, or in the media, or in the halls of parliament, to get stuffed.
The comparison with samizdat is a good one and we can see it in operation now in NZ. Ten or so years ago we used to get two daily papers and watch TV news. Now we don't get any papers and my husband records the news and flicks through it. The guts in what you say is: "The moment editorial decision-making appears to be based on ideology, political consequence or an outmoded gatekeeping mentality, trust is eroded." This was already happening ten years ago but gathered pace over the covid times. Traditional media, with all their bleating, have only themselves to blame for falling circulation and diminishing trust.
Thanks once again. Shared with attribution to 'Fake News and the NZ Media' on FB.
I believe you have accurately described an industry that has simply not yet changed with the times.
Here (NZ) - mainly because of protection levels by our slow moving and often unobservant Government.
Going forward - there needs to be a level of acceptable regulation on NZ based media (truth biased) and an active defunding plan to ensure NZ Taxpayers are getting a leaner product that actually fits their needs.
The TVNZ weather is a prime example.
Its a soft MS media target that in my industry has the nickname - “Defensive Weather Reporting.”
There are already far better world weather models that deliver more timely and vastly more accurate weather for anyone to see.
Yet NZ Taxpayers are all expected to pay good old Dan and crew - to “spin” often substandard weather reporting as Govt funded truth!
Which - like much other MSM is then used by all sorts of taxpayer funded departments to interfere with real commerce and unpleasantly impact on Kiwis lives.
Therefore retaining relevance by virtue signalling their so called “use to us all”.
Taxpayer contribution should be based on the quality of the product a supplier delivers.
Media should be first to be scrutinised.
As a left-wing politician, I disagree with your summary I could regale you with how I was unnecessarily slaughtered by the supposed biased towards my sort media on many occasions. I feel the current media challenge is that it is being strangled by being owned by wealthy often nasty self-satisfied individuals who want to promote homes rising in prices, and how Māori should stop grumbling about losing their land, or ignoring the loss of the democratic side bars put in place in the USA etc. The great challenge in this country is the media so often ignores the link between ACT, NZ Institute, Hobson's Choice, multinational companies using our country and paying little tax, and people like the 19.9% shareholder in NZME. These outfits wish to promote a neo-liberal economic model discredited around the world. Look at the useless delegation Trump took to China who were there to act in their own interests instead of the USA, where they also avoid paying tax. All these supposed clever people got eaten up by a very tactically smart President Xi.
I think you mean Hobson's Pledge don't you?
yes sorry
Isn't it interesting how you Philip, "like" a comment where the writer agrees with you rather than my challenge. Well, here's another challenge about the government and the media which goes into greater depth than my comments above : https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/05/16/anne-salmond-democracy-for-sale/?utm_source=Newsroom&utm_campaign=dd04d1c33b-Week+In+Review+16.05.2026&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_71de5c4b35-dd04d1c33b-97862399&mc_cid=dd04d1c33b&mc_eid=bbfbb34ad5.
Hi Garry, I was really only trying to make a point about the different incentives that mainstream media and independant writers work under when evaluating stories rather than suggesting that there is bias one way or the other with regard to politics. I don’t that you got a few unfair calls in your time but although they are not above criticism I don’t really think that media in NZ are promoting neoliberal policies …
Just consider Luke Malpass, politics, business and economics editor of Stuff. Look who he worked for in USA. He is straight out of the neoliberal school of writers. I spent 9 years as Mayor of Christchurch successfully fighting neoliberal greed trying to buy our cities assets. This economic system has created the massive divides in our society which did not exist in yours and my childhood. I am committed to spend as many of the years I have left working with those who are searching for a more justified system of finance which joins people together for a better society. I think this is something anyone with a drop of decency in their body would be committed to achieving?
Here is precisely I worry about the media being in too concentrated hands in this article in the Guardian today https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/may/17/frances-top-film-producer-says-it-will-blacklist-figures-who-petitioned-against-rightwing-billionaire.
You protest much. There will always be "exceptions", but across a huge swathe of media formats, your personal issues are a tiny vortex.
Most people on the street see for instance, the lack of incisive questions from the media - ( one of many instances the current government love affair with India). We are truly kept in the dark about many things, and substack really only gives us the tip of the iceberg of how the media does not represent honesty, and when it does come, it comes in skeletal form, with lots of "excuses" long after the horse has bolted.
Most of the media are regime media, and those who continue to watch journopaining are just contributing to their own intellectual menticide.
There is ZERO of worth to be had in the media, which has got to the point where most (sane) people believe nothing in it.
I agree with you. NZME and Stuff read like promoters of press releases written by former journalists pushing the interests of whoever pays them. That is a terrible generalization as some really good jounos survive and they write good stuff. However, they are the exception. I subscribe to several NZ on-line publications which promote decent debate and alternative ideas. I mainly scan most of the mainstream efforts. Where decent media has ended up is sad. However, part of the answer is in taxing the mostly American IT giants who strip the advertising revenue out of NZ and pay little, if any, tax as they pass the boundaries of this country. Why aren't they charged tax? Because our political class are too gutless to tell the tarts who are their voices in the courts, or in the media, or in the halls of parliament, to get stuffed.