Is it possible to save the media? Yes, if we have the will
The oft-repeated analysis that this is all too difficult because everything is changing so we do not know what to do is a cop-out.
Melissa Lee is telling the truth when she says “I don’t think I can actually save anything”, adding mysteriously, “I’m trying to be who I am, the Minister for Media and Communication”.
Minister Lee is unable to save anything because she and her Government are ideologically opposed to spending money on the media. If money were available, as I believe it should be, new possibilities emerge.
The media are being disrupted by challenges such as digital advertising, new media and changing audience preferences. Not just in Aoteraoa New Zealand — everywhere.
The key difference between our country and others of similar size (Finland, Ireland, Singapore) is that those governments have been prepared to act in support of their media. Our Government, in contrast, “feels” for the people losing their jobs, says a diverse media is essential for democracy, but laments that nothing can be done to assist because the problem is “global”.
This is what could be done. Television New Zealand (TVNZ) is a commercial broadcaster running a programme schedule that, with some exceptions, has little to do with public broadcasting. It should be sold.
Trying to merge it with Radio New Zealand (RNZ) is a fool’s errand because the two entities are from different worlds. One is oil, the other is water.
The cash raised from the TVNZ sale should then be put into a trust that would oversee the expansion of RNZ into a 21st-century media organisation covering everything from broadcasting to social media and print.
The new organisation should also receive funding from the Government via the trust.
It is vital the new organisation be independent of government. Any legislation should be free from the kind of instructions the previous Government loaded into its otherwise sensible and still-needed Public Interest Journalism policy.
Crucially, the new entity must not take advertising.
That money should flow to commercial media who will need to go through a major restructure. Ever since deregulation in the 1980s, New Zealand has had an awful lot of media. More than is seen in comparable countries.
A slimmed-down commercial media with more access to advertising dollars would make for a more viable model. It is possible that a government could help with this by limiting entry to the market.
A concerned government could also learn from what is going on in Europe and think about regulating social media platforms within its borders. There is much right with social media, and much that is wrong. It cannot be that the wrong bits of social media are allowed to continue while we wring our hands.
I suspect, in the years ahead, democracies across the world are going to work out how to ensure massive media giants like Alphabet and Meta are accountable for what they publish.
Any regulation would surely aim to create a level playing field so that media based in Aotearoa New Zealand are not disadvantaged. The aim should be to ensure our media have the resources to continue to innovate as they must. I fail to see why we should protect the interests of Facebook while not protecting ourselves.
Meanwhile, back at the new RNZ, the focus should be on being a public media organisation.
In a nutshell, public media are given money to make programmes while commercial media make programmes to make money. The market, advertisers specifically, decide if commercial media are doing its job. Public media are judged on whether they make a contribution to the health of the society and culture. I should stress this does not make public media better than commercial media, just different.
Amidst all of this, Māori media should continue to be supported as a reflection of our commitment to the Tiriti o Waitangi.
If we can visualise a future for our media, something Melissa Lee is unable to do, the problems we face are not so hard. The oft-repeated analysis that this is all too difficult because everything is changing so we do not know what to do is a cop-out. What is missing is the will to act. Change is going to continue, and we will need to respond when needed.
The media are a major topic of discussion in Aotearoa New Zealand, but seldom the focus of serious policy. That needs to change. Our media are collapsing. Not just news media and journalism, entertainment too.
Shortland Street, to take an example of a long-running programme now under threat, has not only entertained audiences, it is the breeding ground for amazing talent.
We need a media that informs, educates and entertains. A diverse media that is ours and contributes to our future.
It will cost us. But the alternative to not paying is staring us in the face. It does not look good.
A final thought.
I hope I am wrong, but I have a sneaking suspicion the Government is not unhappy with what is happening to our media.
It appears to want less not more scrutiny of their actions. Perhaps this is what Minister Lee means when she says she is trying to be “who I am, the Minister for Media and Communication” — she does not “actually” want to do anything.