Distrust of the Media

It is obvious with little checking that the mainstream media in New Zealand are finding that the general public are turning away from them due to a belief that the media has been captured by government funding (e.g. Public Interest Journalism Fund) and are censoring articles and reports to ensure that anything critical of the government does not get reported in the mainstream media.

Even when confronted with reasonable evidence of their bias, it doesn’t seem to concern them that they are no longer believed?  While the infamous fifty-five million dollar media bribe (Public Interest Journalism Fund) maybe goes some way to explaining this, it is not as simple as that alone.  People were moving away from trusting the mainstream media long before the fifty-five million dollar bribe. 

While alternative social media platforms are filling the void for many of the public, the mainstream media still dominate, at least for now. 

So how do those in search of balanced news detect mainstream media misinformation?  How do we know fake news? 

Here are some simple indicators.   On any given topic:

• Can you guess who they are likely to interview? 
• Can you guess what the questions will be? 
• Can you guess what the answers will be?   
• Can you guess the interviewer’s opinion? 

The answers are usually YES. 

• Are alternative views being sought? 
• Are they digging when things don’t make sense? 

Unfortunately, the answer to these questions is usually NO. 

And for confirmation, check the various mainstream media platforms.  

• Can you guess which news item will be covered and which will not be covered?  
• Are the stories the same? 
• Does anybody, anywhere, challenge the approved narrative?

If a majority holds a view, and the minority a dissenting view, are the former automatically purveyors of truth, and the latter purveyors of misinformation? 

Almost every advancement in thought has been advanced by a minority (sometimes courageously so) while the majority, jealous of their own interests, opposed it at every opportunity.  It’s amazing how quickly things can change, and how different things look with the benefit of perspective and hindsight.

Government and the mainstream media claim that social media platforms are promoting mis- and disinformation. The increase in use of social media has vastly increased the ability for people to express their views to the world whether they are correct or true.

So, why do the people depend upon social media for their information? Two main reasons: Because it’s easy and because they have lost all respect for, and confidence in, mainstream government-dominated media.

It has got to a situation where people believe that they cannot rely upon the validity and truthfulness of the more traditional mainstream sources of information?

Rather than getting full, unbiased factual reporting of evolving news it seems that most major news organisations have bought into or have been bought off by, the government’s $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund and that editors are being influenced to ensure that articles critical of the government, are not published.

People are asking; how much power do editorial managers now exercise in what eventually gets published? How can we judge the honesty and reliability of the news we do get? And, most important of all, what information is our government and its various agencies, including mainstream editors, NOT providing us?

So does the Ardern government engage in deliberately promoting dis- or misinformation, by withholding or otherwise manipulating information, through the government’s $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund to ensure that articles critical of the government, are not published?

You can make up your own mind as to the answer but I believe this is the reason that people have come to distrust the mainstream media!!!!