Media leaders on how to save the media
We asked the experts, what’s your one best idea for ‘fixing’ the media? Here’s what they told us.
Mark Jennings, Newsroom co-editor
I think we all know that traditional advertising is no longer going be enough to support most of our private media companies. The key is getting consumers to pay (we were all used to paying for our newspapers but that habit has been broken) for local news.
Their needs to be an incentive to encourage this and I think a full tax rebate on subscriptions for corporates and individuals would be something the Government could do. It won’t help our free to air broadcasters who need to immediately move to online delivery of their content rather than the current means of transmission. The Government could accept that they need to do this and assist them.
The Government could also give New Zealand On Air some more money to support investigative journalism. It would be a small investment in the overall scheme of things – but a valuable one.
David Farrier, Webworm substack journalist and documentary maker
I've found it incredibly encouraging that over the last three years, Webworm has slowly but steadily grown a worldwide audience that appreciates journalism, deep dives and media criticism. But I know this is a small, rare niche in the middle of a truly chaotic, depressing time for the media and journalism.
I think it would be really great if members of the New Zealand Government didn't whip out childish attacks like “woke” when referencing the fourth estate doing their job. Of course none of this is surprising – New Zealand enjoys nothing more than to happily follow whatever America is doing.
The cries of “go woke, go broke” are boring ripples of Donald Trump's mindless cries of “fake news” from years back. In many ways I think the media mainly needs rescuing from people's brain worms, as boomers struggle to tell if a giant statue of Jesus made from shrimp is real or not. Education and media literacy has a lot to do with this – and so I think more resources poured into education is a pretty good start.
Paul Thompson, RNZ chief executive and editor-in-chief
If we want to continue to see our communities reflected in our media, to see and hear what makes us uniquely New Zealand, and receive trusted information, then we need to look at ways to help the industry thrive. And it’s hard to see that happening without existing policy and rules changing.
Not all options have been exhausted or examined. Tax is an example. Such as permitting a charity status on certain publications and outlets or allowing subscriptions to be tax deductible. And increasingly there are calls for a levy on digital advertising for redirection to local news content providers, something we would support.
Public media also has a role to play. RNZ believes the case for public media was strong in the past, and arguably stronger now. We can continue to play a constructive role as a cornerstone provider. For example, we have over 60 editorial content sharing agreements and run the Local Democracy Reporting scheme. And we remain open to fresh initiatives which help the media sector and serve the public interest.
There are likely to be many different opinions across all quarters, but it is vital for our democracy that we have a thriving media sector.
James Hollings, associate Professor of journalism at Massey University and author
Lots of ideas, but in brief:
1. Information law reform. Access to public information is being slowly strangled. This is making it harder for journalists to be useful to the public. If doctors could no longer get medicínes they would lose clients too.
2. Media education in schools.
3. People have to pay to use songs, so why should Google etc not pay when they use journalism and books etc?
Despite the devastating news from TVNZ and Three, events of the past week have made it clear that the media crisis goes beyond news, with iconic and important shows like Shortland Street now imperilled. Given the current Government's antipathy toward the Digital News Bargaining bill, there's an opportunity to replace it with something broader and more durable. All week on The Spinoff I've been asking two questions of media leaders (including Stuff's Laura Maxwell) from news, to broadcast, to screen production, to advertising, to public media.
There is a striking level of consensus around a levy, which could then be distributed amongst media organisations both in the news and content business. It’s not uncomplicated, but has the distinct advantage of allowing for platforms to rise and fall, while also costing the government and taxpayer nothing. So long as it's administered mechanically with a minimum of interference, this seems to be the best method we have to ensure New Zealand retains news and productions which speak to this land and its peoples, and prevent us becoming a client state of big tech companies which barely know we exist.
Duncan Greive, founder of The Spinoff
Andrew Holden, public affairs director at News Publishers’ Association
Introduce tax relief that supports journalism. This might be tax deductibility for news subscriptions (businesses can claim it, why not individuals if quality information is considered important?); tax relief for property leasing costs in regional centres (to encourage news companies to keep journalists in the regions); or a tax credit for employing journalists, as happens in Canada.
Peter Thompson, associate Professor, Victoria University’s media and communications programme
If the problem is providing adequate funding for the news media and local content sector, a levy model applied to different commercial revenue streams offers a workable solution. Such models exist in various forms in many other countries: The UK, France and Italy already have a digital services tax, Austria has a 5% levy on digital advertising, while Denmark has a 6% levy on streaming services.
There are several permutations to be considered here, including:
Scope: Which services are subject to the levy and which are exempt? For example, this might include digital services (including search engines and social media), online advertising spend, SVOD subscriptions, mobile and broadband services, or even retail sales of audio-visual hardware. Exclusions could apply to companies with lower turnovers or invest significantly in local content.
Level: How much should the liable services have to pay? The levels might be incremental so that the biggest media companies pay a higher rates, or there might be a pre-set quantum of revenue to collect spread proportionally across all the liable services (that’s how the existing telecommunication development levy works). If we adopted Austria’s 5% levy on digital advertising, that would generate around $85-$90m per year. Denmark’s 6% levy on SVOD services would generate around $24m here in NZ. A 3% levy on telecommunications services would provide roughly $150m. A 2% levy on audiovisual retail goods would generate around $140m.
Eligibility: Who benefits from the revenue collected? The value of the proposed news bargaining bill has been estimated at around $50-60m. Just a 3% levy on digital advertising alone would match that and triple the much-maligned Public Interest Journalism Fund which cost about $18m per year. If local content is the priority, NZ On Air’s funding costs about $137m which equates to a 2% levy on audiovisual retail. If we want public service media, the abandoned ANZPM public media entity was due to cost $109m.
Levies are transparent and the cost to media companies is proportional to the commercial revenues they generate in the NZ market. Where they are passed onto the consumer this is likewise proportionate to their media consumption. One can argue over the amounts but these are game-changing figures: Even a small levy across a wide range of commercial media revenues could save our news sector and leave spare change for a lot more local content and public media.
“All my kids learn in manuals and it makes them better drivers, makes you better aware, and just a safer driver all up by learning to drive in a manual because you are more focused on the task of driving.”
Greg Murphy Professional racing driver
Grinding gears and bunny hops used to be a right of passage for anyone sitting their driver’s licence, but those days are dwindling.
Figures show that within the last decade the number of people opting to sit the test in automatic vehicles has doubled.
But one of the country’s top race car drivers believes if more people drove manuals there would be fewer crashes.
In 2014, 47,812 people opted to sit their restricted licence in a manual car, with 28,892 in an automatic vehicle.
By 2018, it more than doubled, with 66,299 sitting the test in an automatic, and manual had dropped to just over 16,500.
The trend continued last year, with 10,661 driving a manual, and over 74,000 getting behind the wheel of an automatic for the big test.
Professional racing driver Greg Murphy, who owns four manual cars, said there’s an ongoing decline in manual vehicles, but he doesn’t think it’s the death of them.
He believes the lack of manual cars on the road contributes to the “terrifyingly increased rate” of those distracted while driving.
“The majority of cars are automatic, and so people have got the spare hand and don’t need to concentrate anywhere near as much to drive these days as if you had a manual car.”
His daughter is about to start learning to drive and Murphy said that will be in a manual , like his two sons.
“All my kids learn in manuals and it makes them better drivers, makes you better aware, and just a safer driver all up by learning to drive in a manual because you are more focused on the task of driving.”
Murphy said like many generations all over the world he learnt to drive a manual at a pretty young age despite it being daunting at first “I think for everybody, it’s the first time you start to get your head around the engagement of a clutch and handbrake starts and being able to do it all nice and smoothly and make it all work. There’s a real accomplishment and that's been taken away now.”
He acknowledges the choice of cars available is dictated by the manufacturers, with fewer and fewer manuals for sale in car yards. “It would be nice if there was a bit of a turnaround and a swing. There's just not the vehicles available that cover the widespread needs and uses that the population requires any more.”
However, Waikato District road policing manager Inspector Jeff Penno said the majority of fatal and serious crashes occur on open roads where changing gears is not a factor. “Our major risk is our undivided roads which are 80 kilometres and above, speed limits and people aren't changing gears at the time,” Penno said.
Distraction is one of the four major drivers of road trauma in New Zealand, Penno said, “and phones are certainly one of those factors, which is why it is illegal”.
“If you choose to use your phone while you're driving, you really don't care about the people driving towards you or the people in your vehicle.”
The police do have some manual utes for the likes of search and rescue, but it’s not a requirement that police officers need to know how to drive a manual because most of the fleet is automatic.
Simon Bradwell, from the Motor Trade Association, said it was too early to write the death notice for the manual.
“The rise of the automatic probably dates back to the mid-80s when used Japanese imports started arriving in big numbers – before that, you used to pay a premium for an automatic.”
And while there are a lot more automatics on the roads these days, most manufacturers still have a manual model or two on their books. “Mostly, these would be commercial, off-road or sports vehicles. So, for example, a ute might come in a manual model.
“Interestingly, some employers do still ask job applicants if they can drive a manual – it does come in handy, so learning to drive in a manual does still have its uses,” Bradwell said.
Marc Jumawid at Vanz Motors on Hamilton’s Avalon Drive said there is a definite interest in manual cars from young adults.
“People who buy manuals are teenagers, who love to modify their cars, and who love to race, especially in Hamilton.
“Because in manual cars, they can play with the gears, make it louder...The louder the car, the faster the car; they love it.”
He said a regular manual car is quite hard to find in New Zealand, so prices can often be hiked up.
Jumawid has a 2008 Mazda Axela in their yard – a six-speed manual that would retail for about $20,000.
People on Commerce St, Frankton, who spoke to the Stuff yesterday morning all drove automatics.
Dave Goodall’s everyday car is an automatic but he does drive manual trucks as well. “I’m bloody lazy. I drive an automatic.”
The 53-year-old learnt to drive in a manual. “I think the automatics are easy, convenient. There’s no actual thought to gears and movement. It’s just a driving attitude.”
Krystal Nahu, 24, who was browsing the shops, doesn’t know how to drive a manual.
“I sat it [driving test] in an automatic. It is a bit boring to drive so I would like to drive a manual.”
Edward Kaye, strolling the street with his wife, also drives an automatic for ease. At 79 years old, he used to drive manuals but he finds “automatics best for around town.”
Grabbing a bite to eat, Eli Martin, 33, said he sat his drivers test in an automatic but can also drive a manual.
Lesley, who didn’t want her surname used, 64, learnt in a manual but has also shifted to an automatic these days.
An artificial hip means she doesn’t like driving manuals any more and is happy enough in her Toyota Harrier.