Just look at what’s happened this week alone. And this is only a sample—this has been building for some time.
In one week, TVNZ political editor Maiki Sherman has lost her job over poor behaviour in a minister’s office. David Seymour, the ACT Party leader, has taken a significant swipe at RNZ for hiring John Campbell, who is well known for voting left—something he’s said himself. Seymour has even gone so far as to suggest the head of RNZ should lose his job over it.
Then there’s the BSA, effectively the head girl telling everyone off for bad jokes at the party, being abolished.
The politicians are coming for the media and Sherman’s case is an example of that. The National Party lined her up. They complained about her allegedly door-knocking Stuart Smith for 10 minutes at night. They confirmed that she had sworn at Nicola Willis’ event in the office—which was unusual, given that Nicola effectively broke Chatham House rules that MPs normally guard jealously.
Now, look—I feel sorry for Maiki losing her job. That’s a very high price to pay. But I don’t feel sorry for the media in general for what’s coming. We’ve had this coming.
For years, we’ve collectively pushed a certain world view through the framing of our stories. We decide who the victim is, who the bad guy is and what language we use—labelling things as “controversial” to signal to the audience that something is bad, like the “controversial Treaty Principles Bill”.
We flip angles too—turning a positive government crime stats story into a negative gang-focused story for the same government.
And when Radio New Zealand, which is supposed to be more impartial and balanced than any other outlet in this country, chooses someone to front its flagship programme who has explicitly said he votes for left-wing parties—well, that matters.
We deserve what’s coming to us in this election. We can’t shove the scrum for years and not expect to become part of the on-field play.
And I, for one, am not unhappy about what’s about to happen. I think it’s time for this to be sorted out. If this election brings media bias into sharper focus and forces all of us in the media to stop, reflect and think hard about what we’ve been doing, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and radio broadcaster who hosts Newstalk ZB's weekday Drive-Time Show – where this article was sourced.
11 comments:
Seymour is exactly right about John Campbell and Radio New Zealand. Campbell is a poor choice for morning report.
He’s an unapologetic lefty activist who has consistently criticised the government.
As for Maiki, she got what she deserved, and I don’t feel one bit sorry for her. She is the main reason I quit watching TV1. Her behaviour had been appalling for quite some time, and has been covered up by the media.
No wonder public trust in the media is so low.
For a start, these media reforms are the thick end of three years late (two years to be fair)
If this had been undertaken at time of coalition formation we could have had a dynamic media working to hold these same folk to the their promises.
The Luxon does not understand the media have a goal and that is to destroy him, and it looks to be working.
The issue with Campbell and many others is that they take their personal views into their professional work.
And that is why he should not have the job.
Past, respected media people would turn in their grave if they saw the rabble that is the media today
I recall when John Hawkesby left TV1 news, he was replaced by what we saw as a bumbling incompetent junior. Guess who ?
What are the odds that Maiki Sherman (like other left wing Maori reporters) will reappear as a candidate for the Greens or the Maori Party? That is the true state of the media today.
Hmm, what did Lloyd say to Maiki? Ani didn’t report in that. Curious.
Amazing how easy it is to surface the leftist shenanigans so protectively covered up out there!
And indeed there will be more now that the gloves are off.
The New Zealand media landscape today is the product of a culture of dependency the left spent years cultivating.
How?
The Ardern Government’s $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund blurred the line between independent journalism and state-sponsored narrative management. Introduced during Covid under the banner of “public interest journalism,” it funnelled taxpayer money into struggling media organisations already financially vulnerable and increasingly reliant on government support.
The result was predictable: a media class conditioned to expect subsidies, grants and ideological alignment in exchange for survival. What should have been an adversarial fourth estate became, too often, a taxpayer-funded echo chamber reluctant to seriously challenge the very government underwriting it.
This wasn’t merely economic support for journalism — it institutionalised a culture where political favour and public funding became intertwined.
Once media organisations become dependent on government largesse, genuine independence inevitably comes into question. Critics were right to ask whether watchdogs can remain fearless when the hand that feeds them sits in Cabinet.
I agree with anonymous at 8:59 am. It would be nice to know what Lloyn Burr said to Sherman.
I trust Ani to give us the full story, when she thinks the time is right. She wouldn’t mislead the public. She didn’t do it with trans rights and she won’t do it with Maiki / Lloyd rights.
The media problem should have been fixed the Coalition in 2023 - voters expected this. The gravity of the problem was clear.
(But after Ms Lee's short period ) ... Luxon put Goldsmith in charge of media. The rot festered.)_
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