I read with alarm the revelation that TVNZ, a place I have worked for a couple of times over the years, including starting the countries first TV breakfast show about a life time ago, has taken money from the Government. In this case, the money came from a Government energy agency and in return TVNZ produced so-called news stories about climate and climate change.
The agency is the EECA, the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority. They spent $300,000 and, in return, got a prime time climate special, a bunch of online content on the TV1 news page, five specific articles on the TV1 website and five social media posts.
The breakfast show I once started and hosted gave out five interviews with a series of so-called experts and, indeed, they got an interview on Seven Sharp, another show I once hosted.
So, a Government agency can hand over money and get on the news by doing so. If that isn't a scam and a scandal I don’t know what is.
The defence was that in the corner of the screen was some sort of recognition that the EECA was involved.
In my 42 years in this industry, that does not even come close to covering your badly exposed @*$e.
Part of the trouble here is that the media has never been more under scrutiny and it is this very sort of thing that gives the critics all the material they need.
Of course, it's made worse that it's a Government department handing over taxpayers money to a Government run media outlet, the same outlet that the same Government was desperate to merge with its Government radio station.
That was the same merger that in its rules of engagement, as pointed out by the former TVNZ CEO no less, had editorial independence further down the list of priorities than it already was.
You can't claim editorial independence, you can't defend and get exercised about editorial independence as so much of the media have these past handful of tumultuous years, if you are for sale to the Government who get to buy your content for $300,000.
Yes, money is tight. The media are in the gun financially, sponsorship and partnerships are real and well established and, to be blunt, most welcome.
But that’s not what we are talking about here. No one buys an interview on this show. Never have, never will.
I would have said the same thing when I was at TVNZ and when I was at TVNZ the thought would have horrified us. I can hand on heart say I would not have touched it with a barge pole.
So yes, it would not have happened in my day.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
The breakfast show I once started and hosted gave out five interviews with a series of so-called experts and, indeed, they got an interview on Seven Sharp, another show I once hosted.
So, a Government agency can hand over money and get on the news by doing so. If that isn't a scam and a scandal I don’t know what is.
The defence was that in the corner of the screen was some sort of recognition that the EECA was involved.
In my 42 years in this industry, that does not even come close to covering your badly exposed @*$e.
Part of the trouble here is that the media has never been more under scrutiny and it is this very sort of thing that gives the critics all the material they need.
Of course, it's made worse that it's a Government department handing over taxpayers money to a Government run media outlet, the same outlet that the same Government was desperate to merge with its Government radio station.
That was the same merger that in its rules of engagement, as pointed out by the former TVNZ CEO no less, had editorial independence further down the list of priorities than it already was.
You can't claim editorial independence, you can't defend and get exercised about editorial independence as so much of the media have these past handful of tumultuous years, if you are for sale to the Government who get to buy your content for $300,000.
Yes, money is tight. The media are in the gun financially, sponsorship and partnerships are real and well established and, to be blunt, most welcome.
But that’s not what we are talking about here. No one buys an interview on this show. Never have, never will.
I would have said the same thing when I was at TVNZ and when I was at TVNZ the thought would have horrified us. I can hand on heart say I would not have touched it with a barge pole.
So yes, it would not have happened in my day.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
6 comments:
TVNZ's One News seems to devote a segment most evenings to various calamities around the world which can be attributed to 'climate change', whether fires, floods, migration, penguins with 'problems' in Antarctica etc, etc. (The polar bear scam having been revealed years ago). Most such segments feel pre-canned, perhaps by well-funded climate alarmist types. Hilariously, TVNZ even managed to squeeze images of cyclone damage on the tail of Green's fanciful campaign announcement for light rail, blatantly stating that we need light rail to avoid cyclones! All hilariously juxtaposed with a lengthy item on Ruapehu's 20-year record snow this winter! How anyone could take seriously such utter tripe each evening completely eludes me.
I sometimes watch 1 news if I'm in the right mood as a sort of cringe/hate watch. A test to myself to see how long I can stand it. I usually last 5 minutes or so, then scream and yell at the tv and have to quickly turn it off. There must be lots of kiwis like me. So without viewers what will they do? Hopefully go off air.
Disgraceful and corrupt. But while punters get excited about climate change, it gives the Government breathing space over its lack of assistance to those recently affected by those weather events, while also promoting buy-in to the relentless carbon-zero goals that are designed to keep us poor and reliant on big brother. Hopefully, this won't be the end of this matter and thanks Mike for exposing it.
Yes,I know how you feel.I have not turned that poor excuse for a channel on for 2 years now and probably never will.
In the 19500s my uncle-in -law used to repeat this corny joke: Why do you grow onions at the base of the radio aerial ? Answer : to go with the tripe you hear on the radio.
I would conclude there is a portion of the population who have always been skeptical about the quality of the news. They listen to it in order to dispute it. Now youth, from my experience don't watch TVNZ, at all but are addicted to social media. I believe this dropping off in interest is the govt's justification for the journalist fund when actually it is about control.
It is nothing short of corrupt practice and it is absolutely appalling. This issue needs to be highlighted strongly so that it never happens again and some people should face the consequences for accepting these pay outs which some of us would call bribes.
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