We need to talk about Clare
We need to talk about Clare. Six months out from her appointment as the minister of broadcasting, communications and digital media, Clare Curran has some explaining to do.
‘‘I am, and always have been, a firm believer in the value of independent public media — both as a means of holding our institutions to account, and for its contribution to our national identity,’’ she says.
But she has yet to explain what she means by ‘‘public media’’, how it differs from ‘‘public broadcasting’’, and how it can remain independent when it is publicly funded but privately owned.
We know what a public broadcaster is and what it does. It is fully funded by the taxpayer to broadcast television and radio programmes that are not offered by commercial TV channels and radio networks. In New Zealand, only RNZ matches that description.
Funding for a new non-commercial channel was expected to consume most of the $38 million ‘‘boost’’ the minister forecast would be in the Government’s first Budget. Now prevented by the usual secrecy surrounding the Budget before its presentation in Parliament, Curran is unable to say how much will be available for meeting Labour’s election pledge to increase funding for RNZ and New Zealand on Air.
‘‘Is the figure of $38m still on the table?’’ she asked rhetorically when addressing the annual meeting of the Better Public Media Trust in Auckland last month. ‘‘I wish I could answer that
. . . While the process goes on, I am sworn to secrecy.’’
While that might be frustrating for a minister for open government, another of Curran’s ministerial responsibilities, she is no stranger to the black arts of redaction. Her decision to withhold some of the terms of reference for the advisory group she set up on funding of RNZ and NZ on Air is already under investigation by the Ombudsman.
‘‘My focus right now,’’ Curran told members of the Better Public Media Trust, ‘‘is on transforming RNZ into RNZ+, a truly multi-platform provider dedicated to quality New Zealand programming and journalism.’’
Sitting beside the minister, RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson said it was really refreshing to see a political party (Labour, presumably) emphasise the importance of strong public service media in building a stronger democracy and a clearer sense of national identity.
Thompson followed his endorsement of Labour’s policy by explaining that RNZ was being transformed into a multimedia organisation. ‘‘That’s about being strong on air with live broadcasts, and strong online; you can listen, watch, read us, you can share our content; and we strike up partnerships with commercial media so that our great and unique content gets on to their platforms and on to more people in that way.’’
As well as taking taxpayer-funded content from RNZ, commercial media, now including the two big newspaper chains, NZME and Stuff, and Spark, already access taxpayer subsidies directly through NZ on Air. They will be in line for a share of the extra money not allocated to RNZ that will go to the government’s broadcast funding agency.
There is one difference between public broadcasting and public media. RNZ is bulk-funded, the annual amount set by the Cabinet; TVNZ and other commercial television channels are subsidised with taxpayer funding programme by programme.
Programmes on public media will be funded the same way – each one ticked off by someone appointed by the government. So, how will public media be independent?