NZ Media Has Lost the Public’s Trust After Becoming ‘Mouthpiece for the Government’: Former MP

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to media prior to a Labour Party caucus meeting in Wellington, New Zealand, on Aug. 23, 2022. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

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.

The Public Interest Journalism Fund (PIJF), a $55 million (US$32 million) government fund established in February 2021, is described as targeted, short-term support for public interest journalism through COVID-19.