NZME
A lifeboat to keep news afloat?
Last week the great and good of New Zealand’s news media urged MPs to back a law change to make Google and Facebook pay them for their news. They say the income could be critical to the survival of… Audio
Does bad economic news make more headlines than good news?
Stories about surging inflation, successive food price rises and more Kiwis in arrears topped bulletins and filled front pages last year. But recent news about slowing inflation, cheaper food and… Audio
A new paid-platform for news and opinion
A new subscriber service offering "straight talking" reporting and opinion was launched this week by talk radio network Newstalk ZB. Owner NZME has several other services putting content behind a… Audio
Midweek Mediawatch - polling death spiral & sandwich slump
In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about a dire poll for Labour raising the spectre of a media-driven death spiral; a reorganisation at NZME; a plea… Audio
Stuff takes paywall plunge
After putting almost all its news online for free for a quarter of a century, Stuff launched subscription-based websites this weekend for its biggest daily papers - The Press, Waikato Times and The… Audio
Radio hosts fixate on schools closing as Gabrielle closes in
Cyclone Gabrielle buried homes and took lives, including those of rescuers, this week. But as it bore down on the country, front-rank hosts at Newstalk ZB played down the danger it posed… Audio
Newspaper deserts - and some green shoots - replace rivers of gold
American newspaper editor turned academic Kenton Bird traveled this country in 2010 to see if the ‘news deserts’ caused by newspaper closures in the US could happen here. 12 years on, he’s back - and… Audio
COP 27 climate coverage cop-outs
The latest global climate policy summit in Egypt failed to create binding agreements on emissions reduction. But COP 27 did pave the way for compensating countries bearing the brunt of climate change… Audio
Herald’s bid to short-circuit short-termism and tribalism
The Herald - and its publisher NZME - has embarked on a months-long series to push back at short-term thinking and political tribalism holding back the post-Covid recovery. Mediawatch asks the driving… Audio
Hard stats and new voices enter the 'youth crime spike' coverage
Two new pieces of reporting have added context and depth to the headlines blaring about a youth crime wave. Audio
14 Barry Soper | Breakfast with Mandela
Having joined the press gallery as its youngest member in 1980, Barry Soper is set to depart this year one of its veterans. Four decades and ten Prime Ministers on, he reflects on his career-shaping… Audio
Midweek Mediawatch with Colin Peacock
Scurrilous rumours hit NZME in the pocket; Mini-doco about gay cricketer sparks debate; TV News themes -- Bill Bailey's BBC apocalyptic rave; and MPs in harmony - literally. Audio
Media commentator Andrew Holden
Andrew reflects on the resignation of TVNZ head of news, Paul Yurisich, a casaulty of the Kamahl Santamaria debacle. He also touches on the New Zealand social media code of practice, why Facebook is… Audio
Midweek Mediawatch - Climate context & Hawaiian holidays
In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about a big resignation at TVNZ, media outlets getting it right on climate coverage, news stories vanishing without… Audio
Criticism of mini-doco funding hits a dead end
Why did criticism of a modest sum spent on a single mini-documentary made two years ago suddenly spring up in the news in two national networks this week - and then disappear? Video, Audio
NZME undermines collective bid to confront tech titans
Google and Facebook have distributed New Zealand media outlets' news online for years - for free. Local media companies joined forces last year in a bid to get them to pay for it. But one of the… Audio
Mediawatch for 3 April 2022
Pushback against the upswing of political nastiness; NZME undermines collective bid to confront tech titans; Today FM's Dallas Gurney . Audio
Today FM's Gurney: Dallas cowboy - or talk radio saviour?
Before its launch, the boss of new talk station Today FM promised a new approach eschewing anger and antagonism just for the sake of engagement. The first fortnight's been a mix of some of that - as… Audio
NZME exploring content deal with Google News
Media company NZME is looking to cut a deal with technology heavyweight Google about supplying news.
Pulling young Kiwis into the loop with news
Younger Kiwis have been turning away from traditional news media outlets and bulletins for years, and the media they’re using most heavily have little news. But podcast listening is growing fast among… Audio