Journalism you can trust
Earlier this year, I attended a conference where a video was shown of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was giving an incredibly compelling address. Everything about it conveyed immense power and passion – his voice, his mannerisms, his gestures. It completely pulled you in.
Only, Netanyahu never actually gave the speech – it was a deepfake.
Advanced technology had matched every facial movement and vocal attribute to a T. It was completely fictitious, but if you didn’t know any better, you’d swear it was real.
In a world where distinguishing between fact and fiction is increasingly difficult – and disinformation spreads like wildfire thanks to platforms like Facebook and Google – trust is paramount. And when everything now happens in real-time, and we’re bombarded with information, there’s an even bigger challenge at hand. If we want to take part in the conversation, we have to digest the available information and adopt a point of view straight
away – otherwise the moment will pass us by.
That’s where quality journalism plays a critical role. It’s a trusted source of information that creates transparency, and offers in-depth insights into what’s going on in the world – so we, in turn, can offer up an informed perspective.
Like others, I’m occasionally guilty of being tempted to turn to overseas news outlets to build my viewpoint. And while international titles have a part to play, when our opinions are being formed solely based on a global perspective, there’s a big risk (in time) it’ll start to detract from our sense of identity as New Zealanders.
Beyond maintaining accountability for what’s going on in our society, local journalism has a significant role to play in shaping and influencing our narrative as Kiwis, bringing to life our sense of identity and what’s important to us. Rather than divide, it can help us discover the things that bind us
together – whether it’s business, social issues, or celebrating our achievements on the world stage.
There’s no doubt journalists have it tough right now – here in New Zealand, and around the world. The unique challenge Kiwi journalists are facing, though – a result of our small size, growing demand for real-time news, and ever-shrinking newsrooms – is having to be a jack of all trades. That can mean covering anything and everything from retail, to hi-tech business, to IPOs, dipping in and out of different industries, and never truly being able to dedicate themselves to a singular area of focus.
Whether it be big or small business, politics, health – whatever industry it may be – journalists should be allowed the resource and time to focus on one area in depth and build key relationships. That’s the sort of journalism which best uncovers insights that would otherwise not see the light of day – the sort of journalism you know you can trust.
Because we’re not just looking for perspectives and biases reinforced, but to be informed and stimulated; for transparency to be brought to areas that were otherwise opaque – and to be shown why we can celebrate all the great things that make up Aotearoa.
If we want quality journalism like this to grow, everyone must play their part: the government, media owners and shareholders, and individuals too.
We need to act on the fact that local journalism really is worth investing in, engage with it as our trusted source, and keep it thriving to maintain our sense of identity as Kiwis.