Public trust in New Zealand media has fallen to a record low after the government’s funding of media organisations came “with strings attached” which caused people to view the media as a mouthpiece of the central government.
“However, the fine print showed the funding came with strings attached,” Muriel Newman, founder of the New Zealand Centre for Political Research and former New Zealand MP, told The Epoch Times.
Newman was referring to the condition included in the funding that all recipients actively promote and acknowledge the Maori as a partner under the Treaty of Waitangi.
“This requirement promotes a radical re-interpretation of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi as a ‘partnership’ between Maori and the Crown,” Newman said. “[The media] are nevertheless going along with it in order to access the money.”
“The media is no longer acting as the Fourth Estate, holding power to account,” Newman said. “Instead of being fiercely independent, they have now morphed into a public relations mouthpiece for the government.”
Trust in Media at Record Low
In New Zealand, people’s general trust in the news has fallen significantly, from 53 percent in 2020 to 45 percent in 2022—the lowest on record—according to a study by Auckland University of Technology.“Paradoxically, one of the main reasons for distrust in news media appears to be the government’s funding of it. A large number of respondents now perceive media as an extension of the government, hence it is seen as untrustworthy,” co-author Merja Myllylahti said.
Co-author Greg Treadwell added that in its role as the primary disseminator of vital COVID-19 information, it became seen as a government mouthpiece.
“In one sense, it has quite rightly been,” he said.
Former Nationals MP Alfred Ngaro questioned why and how the government had been allowed to dictate editorial conditions to the media.
“I think it creates huge conflicts of interest,” he told The Epoch Times. “I think what it does, it then creates opportunities for hidden agendas from political parties.”
“We no longer have trust in national media. No longer is there trust in what’s happening at a national media level,” he said on Sept. 28.
He later told parliament that there was always a risk that future governments would direct the new public broadcaster for political purposes.
“We'll be very, very clear. It will be very clear about editorial control [rules],” Jackson said on Sept. 29.
People Sick of Agenda Pushing
Bob McCoskrie, the founder of Family First NZ, told The Epoch Times that he believes trust in the media will continue to decline.“Part of that is earned because people are sick of the media for, rather than reporting the news, trying to push an agenda,” he said.
Family First NZ analysed media reporting in recent major debates and found overwhelming media bias towards one side of the argument.
“Two to one in favour of supporting legalizing cannabis for recreational use,” he said. “And then when we got to the Roe v. Wade decision—82 percent bias in favour of abortion and 18 percent for pro-life.”
McCoskrie said rather than reporting on the debates, the media were leading it.
“Eventually, everybody gets sick of it because they don’t want to be told what to think they just want to read what the debate is about,” he said.
Funding under the PIJF has been available for over three years, with $10 million (US$5.8 million) for the 2020/21 financial year, $25 million in 2021/22, and $20 million in 2022/23.
When the funding ends in June 2023, it will likely be in the middle or ahead of the election campaign to determine the next central government, which has yet to be scheduled.
Newman believes the Ardern government will extend the funding to maintain some level of influence over the media during the general election.
The Epoch Times reached out to Media Minister Willie Jackson’s office for comment but did not receive a response.
