Wayne Ryburn: The Rising Anarchy in New Zealand's Democracy. The Saga of TV1 News at Six and the BSA.

Part One; The BSA and historical misconceptions. The rise of “Insider History” resulting in a lack of accuracy and balance in New Zealand's History.

It came as no surprise that complaints concerning TV1 News at 6’s news story, regarding the ‘gifting of land’ for Auckland, were dismissed. The composition of the members of the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) would have led to this. Its members were appointed, over the past six years, by the former Labour Minister for Broadcasting, Willy Jackson. The following were appointed: Susie Stacey (2018); Pulotu Tupu (2021); Aroha Beck (2022) and John Gillespie, former head of news and current affairs TVNZ (2021). Jackson, a keen advocate for Labour’s ‘Hepuapua’ co-governance policies, has widely proclaimed that democracy has to evolve to place Māori at the centre of decision-making. Therefore, it is unlikely he would select anyone opposed to these policies to the Broadcasting Standards Authority.

David Farrar: A good solution, but too late

Steve Maharey writes:

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.

Chris Trotter: Debating Debating.

That Television New Zealand saw fit to run a news item on the subject of political debate tells us something. Unfortunately, it is that we have a very big problem on our hands.

A generation has grown to adulthood for whom the idea that all important issues have at least two sides has acquired a counterintuitive aspect. It is a generation raised to believe that all the great questions that formerly divided society have been resolved.