Our vital role

So, you’ve picked up your copy of the Herald on Sunday ,or you’re reading this editorial online. You are clearly someone who not only values the role of the fourth estate — but is prepared to pay for it too. Thank you.

One of the cruellest ironies of the coronavirus pandemic is the number of New Zealanders accessing vital news and information from traditional and trusted media outlets has skyrocketed at a time when the major enabler of that content provision — advertising revenue — has virtually dried up overnight as businesses go into enforced hibernation and worse courtesy of the alert level 4 lockdown.

Media outlets are by no means the only businesses feeling the pinch, but the sector is facing an existential crisis exacerbated by Covid-19.

On Wednesday, Parliament’s Epidemic Response Committee, heard from several media companies — including NZME, publisher of the Herald on Sunday — about issues and possible solutions.

As well as immediate lockdownrelated matters around printing and distribution, they include more farreaching problems: asking the Government to rethink ownership models, tax policies, content charges and public advertising spend on the likes of Facebook and Google, who have soaked up much of the advertising dollar despite sometimes being used as platforms for fostering misinformation.

It is clear New Zealanders have never valued the media more. Yet that value is not always reflected in revenue.

This masthead, our associated titles, websites and radio stations all take our role and responsibilities seriously. We are fighting for our survival but remain committed to our purpose. We provide a vital role as a watchdog in a functioning democracy; will continue to strive to provide a variety of voices that reflect and challenge New Zealanders; will continue to provide avenues of quality news, support, information and entertainment for New Zealanders in these unsettling times. In doing so, we remain ever thankful for those who support us.