I've heard a lot of people saying lately that they are sick of the media endlessly reporting recession stories and all the negativity and doom and gloom that comes with that. Some folks go so far as to say if we journalists all just shut up about it, everyone would carry on as normal and everything would be a lot better. While there may be some truth in that, journalists can't really ignore something that is a global reality. It isn't the media's role to protect us from bad things that are happening in the world. And people do want to know what is happening and to get advice from those who are, hopefully, in the know.
But because of the "self-fulfilling prophecy" aspect of recession it is incredibly important that our media outlets act responsibly and get the balance right. Over the quiet news period of the past few holiday weeks we have definitely had rather more daily news stories about falling house prices and desperate times in retail than was perhaps really necessary. Overall, house prices haven't actually fallen by a huge amount yet, and Christmas retailing wasn't nearly as bad as so many column inches predicted.
I'm not saying things are great out there, but as Bob Jones said the other day, for people who can keep their jobs and pay their mortgages things won't really change all that much. And there are always those who actually do well out of recession. All sides of the recession story need to be reported. A balanced picture is important to us all, and our journalists must rise to this challenge.
I'm not suggesting all our newspapers suddenly start running "good news" columns - but a bit of positivity here and there would be welcomed by many readers I think. This weekend's Herald on Sunday ran a feature piece by reporter Leah Haines called "Upside to the Downturn" - looking at ways to make the recession work for you. Good on Haines and the HOS for doing that. It was refreshing. More please.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
CONGRATS TO NORTH AND SOUTH AND MIKE WHITE FOR MARK LUNDY STORY
The February issue of North and South magazine features a piece on the Lundy Murders, by senior writer Mike White. It is a 12,000-word feature, and the level of in-depth research work and the clarity of writing about complex court evidence is really impressive. Congratulations to White for what must have been a mammoth effort.
The great thing about the story is that it goes straight down the middle. It is not an emotional piece playing up on the fact that a man who has lost his family may also have been wrongly convicted of murdering them. It doesn't prominently feature interviews with Lundy supporters. It just lays out and analyses a whole lot of evidence - some of which was presented to the jury and some of which was not.
The story doesn't overtly criticise Lundy's defence team, but the implication is that they were rather weak. Neither does the piece overtly criticise the Police - but once again you get the feeling that the cops picked their man and then picked and chose their evidence to fit.
We all form our own opinions on these high profile court cases that are not cut and dried - based on what we read and what we hear. I've always sensed that Lundy was guilty as charged. But the North and South story made me think again. Even if the man is guilty, it certainly doesn't seem that this was proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Mark White's feature story is a long read but it's a very good read and well worth the effort. Grab a copy of North and South and have a look for yourself.
The great thing about the story is that it goes straight down the middle. It is not an emotional piece playing up on the fact that a man who has lost his family may also have been wrongly convicted of murdering them. It doesn't prominently feature interviews with Lundy supporters. It just lays out and analyses a whole lot of evidence - some of which was presented to the jury and some of which was not.
The story doesn't overtly criticise Lundy's defence team, but the implication is that they were rather weak. Neither does the piece overtly criticise the Police - but once again you get the feeling that the cops picked their man and then picked and chose their evidence to fit.
We all form our own opinions on these high profile court cases that are not cut and dried - based on what we read and what we hear. I've always sensed that Lundy was guilty as charged. But the North and South story made me think again. Even if the man is guilty, it certainly doesn't seem that this was proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Mark White's feature story is a long read but it's a very good read and well worth the effort. Grab a copy of North and South and have a look for yourself.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
HAVE YOU HAD YOUR THREE HOURS AND EIGHT MINUTES TODAY?
Nielsen research figures released by the NZ Television Broadcasters' Council say that New Zealanders watched an average of three hours and eight minutes of television in 2008 - the highest level of TV viewership in this country since records began.
Many would have predicted that the arrival on the scene of new media, in particular the internet, would have hurt the traditional old media of television. But it seems the reverse has happened. As Television Broadcasters' Council Chief Executive Rick Friesen says - "it seems that content from these newer media outlets is helping grow interest in traditional television programming." I think another part of this same equation is that when viewers are deciding whether or not they will commit to a long-running series, the fact that they can now access missing episodes on the internet perhaps means they are more willing to make a commitment to the series.
The tightening economy may also have contributed to the rise in viewership. There is certainly a TV industry theory that television is something that does well in tough times because people are staying home with their cheap entertainment option. And with the technology we have these days - wide-screen, flat-screen, high definition, etc - perhaps the home viewing experience is getting closer to that of the cinema.
It was also a big year for television in New Zealand - we've got a lot of channels now and most of them did what they do reasonably well. Pay operator SKY TV had a particularly good year in 2008. It was also a year with a lot of special event television - the Olympics, the New Zealand General Election, the American Election, and big stunt-type local series like Dancing with the Stars and Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
Health experts and educationalists may not think NZers watching over three hours of tele a day each is a great thing, but it is certainly very good news for the television industry.
Many would have predicted that the arrival on the scene of new media, in particular the internet, would have hurt the traditional old media of television. But it seems the reverse has happened. As Television Broadcasters' Council Chief Executive Rick Friesen says - "it seems that content from these newer media outlets is helping grow interest in traditional television programming." I think another part of this same equation is that when viewers are deciding whether or not they will commit to a long-running series, the fact that they can now access missing episodes on the internet perhaps means they are more willing to make a commitment to the series.
The tightening economy may also have contributed to the rise in viewership. There is certainly a TV industry theory that television is something that does well in tough times because people are staying home with their cheap entertainment option. And with the technology we have these days - wide-screen, flat-screen, high definition, etc - perhaps the home viewing experience is getting closer to that of the cinema.
It was also a big year for television in New Zealand - we've got a lot of channels now and most of them did what they do reasonably well. Pay operator SKY TV had a particularly good year in 2008. It was also a year with a lot of special event television - the Olympics, the New Zealand General Election, the American Election, and big stunt-type local series like Dancing with the Stars and Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
Health experts and educationalists may not think NZers watching over three hours of tele a day each is a great thing, but it is certainly very good news for the television industry.
Monday, December 22, 2008
TOP 10 PEOPLE OF 2008
As part of my media commentating and magazine reviewing work for TV ONE Breakfast, the team asked me to compile a list of my top 10 people of 2008. Here it is, from number one on down:
Barack Obama - for inspiring America and the world at a time when inspiration was in short supply.
Helen Clark - for being one of the best PMs we've ever had, for her incredibly hard work for NZ, and for her dignified and gracious exit.
John Key - for a great start.
Murray Burton (Elim College Principal) - for extraordinary dignity at an appallingly difficult time.
Rob Fyfe (Air NZ CEO) - for the same kind of grace under pressure with the Air NZ crash.
Valerie Villi - for her Olympic win and her modesty and grace.
Mahe Drysdale - for battling on at the Olympics when he was terribly ill, and for not using it as an excuse for not winning gold.
Tina Fey - for being a better Sarah Palin then the real Sarah Palin. And for giving us all a laugh in a year when we really needed it.
Prince Harry - for being the only even slightly interesting Royal since the loss of Princess Diana, and for stopping falling out of nightclubs for a moment and becoming a minor war hero.
Rob James-Collier who plays Liam Connor on Coronation Street - for being the first genuine spunk in 48 years of the show. Beats all the Hollywood hunks hands down.
Barack Obama - for inspiring America and the world at a time when inspiration was in short supply.
Helen Clark - for being one of the best PMs we've ever had, for her incredibly hard work for NZ, and for her dignified and gracious exit.
John Key - for a great start.
Murray Burton (Elim College Principal) - for extraordinary dignity at an appallingly difficult time.
Rob Fyfe (Air NZ CEO) - for the same kind of grace under pressure with the Air NZ crash.
Valerie Villi - for her Olympic win and her modesty and grace.
Mahe Drysdale - for battling on at the Olympics when he was terribly ill, and for not using it as an excuse for not winning gold.
Tina Fey - for being a better Sarah Palin then the real Sarah Palin. And for giving us all a laugh in a year when we really needed it.
Prince Harry - for being the only even slightly interesting Royal since the loss of Princess Diana, and for stopping falling out of nightclubs for a moment and becoming a minor war hero.
Rob James-Collier who plays Liam Connor on Coronation Street - for being the first genuine spunk in 48 years of the show. Beats all the Hollywood hunks hands down.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
TOP NZ WOMEN'S MAGAZINE COVER STARS
So who has featured on the most covers of our three weekly women's magazines this year? It's a tie between the two Kates - Middleton and Holmes.
As of this past week, Kate Middleton has featured on 17 covers - 10 for Woman's Day, four for New Idea and three for Woman's Weekly. She is the Day's favourite cover girl by far.
Katie Holmes has also been on a total of 17 covers, but more evenly spread between the three mags - WD 7, NI 6, WW 4.
Angelina Jolie is in a close second place with 16 covers -NI 8, WD 6, WW 2.
Woman's Weekly and New Idea both had 30 different cover stars for the year. Woman's Day was more repetitive with 15 different stars - Victoria Beckham and and Jennifer Aniston were two big favourites for the Day with eight and seven covers respectively.
In terms of local covers, Woman's Weekly had 17, New Idea had 16, and Woman's Day just five. The Day definitely seems to have decided that it sells just as well by using the regular overseas celebrity favourites as its cover stars.
As of this past week, Kate Middleton has featured on 17 covers - 10 for Woman's Day, four for New Idea and three for Woman's Weekly. She is the Day's favourite cover girl by far.
Katie Holmes has also been on a total of 17 covers, but more evenly spread between the three mags - WD 7, NI 6, WW 4.
Angelina Jolie is in a close second place with 16 covers -NI 8, WD 6, WW 2.
Woman's Weekly and New Idea both had 30 different cover stars for the year. Woman's Day was more repetitive with 15 different stars - Victoria Beckham and and Jennifer Aniston were two big favourites for the Day with eight and seven covers respectively.
In terms of local covers, Woman's Weekly had 17, New Idea had 16, and Woman's Day just five. The Day definitely seems to have decided that it sells just as well by using the regular overseas celebrity favourites as its cover stars.
THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON NEWSPAPERS
Much has been written and said about the impact of the rise of the internet on the newspaper industry. Rupert Murdoch recently came out and said some people are over-reacting in their cries of doom - that there will always be a place for good journalism and that readers will always trust newspapers more than the net. Johann Hari is a columnist for the Independent in London. The NZ Herald runs some of his work, and it is always impressive. This past week there was an excellent Hari piece about the most over-rated and under-rated things of 2008. Here's what he wrote for "Most Under-rated Phenomenon:"
"Newspapers. Here's a weird paradox. If you include the internet, more people are reading quality newspapers than ever before. Yet newspapers are - as the bankruptcy of the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune shows - dying. We don't just want it all, we want it free. Does it matter? As good as some bloggers are, they don't have the army of foreign correspondents or in-depth investigative teams that are necessary to make sense of the world. If print newspapers - for all their manifest flaws and corporate biases - die, there will be an aching hole where news-gathering used to be. Newspapers: buy them or lose them."
"Newspapers. Here's a weird paradox. If you include the internet, more people are reading quality newspapers than ever before. Yet newspapers are - as the bankruptcy of the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune shows - dying. We don't just want it all, we want it free. Does it matter? As good as some bloggers are, they don't have the army of foreign correspondents or in-depth investigative teams that are necessary to make sense of the world. If print newspapers - for all their manifest flaws and corporate biases - die, there will be an aching hole where news-gathering used to be. Newspapers: buy them or lose them."
Sunday, December 14, 2008
FAREWELL TO PAUL HOLMES
Love him or hate him, and these days there seems to be much more love than hate, you can't deny that Paul Holmes has been an extraordinary contributor to New Zealand broadcasting. Paul will do his last breakfast shift at Newstalk ZB this Friday (December 19). His show has been number one in the the Auckland market for most of its 22 years of existence, and this year it hit number one in Wellington for the first time as well. Forty-three successive ratings surveys have had Paul at number one in the tough Auckland market. In his last survey, he had 20.9 per cent of the market. The second highest rating station had six per cent. That's all pretty incredible.
Paul also had 15 years of television success with his nightly current affairs show Holmes. Yes he's had his ups and downs with both his television and radio careers, not to mention his colourful personal life, but there is really no-one else to rival him in his NZ broadcasting success. He's been a pioneer of a certain style of populist current affairs that he does so well and with such heart that you can't help but be captivated.
Newstalk ZB boss Bill Francis has handled Paul's departure from Breakfast brilliantly. He has an excellent successor in Mike Hosking; the succession plan was announced a long time ago to give listeners a chance to get used to the idea; and Paul will still have a role with ZB, contributing some words of wisdom to Breakfast every morning, and taking over the Saturday morning show that Hosking does now. TVNZ could learn from Francis and ZB in how to manage dignified exits for veteran broadcasters.
Good luck in your new life, Paul. You will be missed, and your legend will live on.
Paul also had 15 years of television success with his nightly current affairs show Holmes. Yes he's had his ups and downs with both his television and radio careers, not to mention his colourful personal life, but there is really no-one else to rival him in his NZ broadcasting success. He's been a pioneer of a certain style of populist current affairs that he does so well and with such heart that you can't help but be captivated.
Newstalk ZB boss Bill Francis has handled Paul's departure from Breakfast brilliantly. He has an excellent successor in Mike Hosking; the succession plan was announced a long time ago to give listeners a chance to get used to the idea; and Paul will still have a role with ZB, contributing some words of wisdom to Breakfast every morning, and taking over the Saturday morning show that Hosking does now. TVNZ could learn from Francis and ZB in how to manage dignified exits for veteran broadcasters.
Good luck in your new life, Paul. You will be missed, and your legend will live on.
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