As predicted, the crocodile tears about the falling trust in media have media commentators clutching their pearls. Apparently, words matter, and they really don’t like being called “mainstream media”:
When Twitter owner Elon Musk labels publicly funded independent broadcaster as ‘state-affiliated media’, we have a problem.
When the public believes that the news media is in the government’s pocket, we have an even bigger problem.
Newsroom
It’s not a problem to tell the truth about the propaganda press. We are sick of them shilling for the incumbent Labour Government.
When alternative media keeps labelling the news media as ‘mainstream media’ for political purposes, we have a problem that needs to be solved.
Newsroom
Changing the words won’t solve the problem. Being better at your job is how you solve the problem. Actually speaking truth to power rather than banking cheques from the power is how you solve the problem.
This peddling of false narratives about news media has to stop, and perhaps it will as news corporations fight back. It is refreshing to see that.
It’s not false, it’s true. See how they gaslight you? Here are facts about New Zealand…
The mainstream media are all bludgers, state beneficiaries, and their editorial independence is controlled by way of the funding agreements from the Public Interest Journalism Fund, which dropped the last lot of hooter for the bludgers just before Jacinda Ardern left Parliament.
In early April, Twitter removed the blue verification tick of the New York Times account. The news outlet is “Elon Musk’s most despised news organisation.” The NYT has said that it will not pay Musk for a blue badge which tells users that the account is authentic.
In response, Musk tweeted that the news outlet’s “propaganda isn’t even interesting” and that “their feed is the Twitter equivalent of diarrhoea.”
On Wednesday, NPR – an American public radio network – left Twitter after the platform labelled it first as ‘state-affiliated media’, indicating the nonprofit broadcaster is similar to propaganda media outlets affiliated with authoritarian governments.
After protests from NPR, Twitter changed the company’s label to ‘government-funded media’ which according to NPR, is misleading, because only 1 percent of its funding comes from the public purse.
A couple of days earlier, Twitter characterised the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as ‘government-funded media’, to which the BBC objected. It argued it is not government funded but ‘publicly funded’ as it collects a licence fee from the public.
Many argue that the BBC is in fact government funded, but the licence fee is paid by the public, not the government and there is a difference in how this is perceived by the public.
Newsroom
Whining and mewling like a cut cat about being labelled for what they are. The same labels should be applied to our own media if they are receiving substantial funds from government organisations. Those funds have corrupted and polluted our media. They should be labelled accordingly.
Labelling matters and how we talk about media funding has implications for trust in news and news media.
In 2022, JMAD’s Trust in News in Aotearoa New Zealand report, which I co-authored, showed that the trust in news has declined because a large number of New Zealanders believe the news media is just an extension of the government.
In 2022, one respondent to our survey said: “I am disgusted that we are unable to trust the mainstream media, who are now just the propaganda wing of the government” and another one that the “Public Interest Journalism Fund has made me trust the news media less”.
While in 2023 many respondents did not mention the PIJF, some narratives continued to appear in comments. “Mainstream media are losing credibility because they have become government puppets who no longer report the real truth. They’re not even interested in investigating real truth.”
Newsroom
How typical. Don’t like the message, that people think the media are venal, self-interested and corrupted? No matter, just gaslight them and abuse them; say, “they are wrong and so we need to stamp this sort of talk out”.
This brings me to the point of using the term ‘mainstream media’. In general, mainstream media refers to traditional or established news corporations which include print, television, radio and online news outlets.
In academia, we like to talk about journalistic institutions because it is in these organisations that journalism is practised and news is produced. In this context, news production refers to the practice of writing and producing stories that have verified data and sources and are fact-checked.
Alternative media may include newspapers, magazines, radio stations, websites and so on. Typically, alternative media outlets are owned by individuals rather than corporates and they have largely emerged because their owners feel that their and their audiences’ voices are not heard in traditional news media.
Alternative outlets often support a cause or have a political leaning and they position themselves as ‘us’ versus ‘them’, and as truth-tellers in contrast to ‘mainstream media’ which they frame as an enemy.
Newsroom
That’s because the mainstream media ARE the enemy of the people. We saw what you did during the pandemic. You were nothing other than handmaidens of the regime, the propaganda press, who attacked, othered, shamed and destroyed anyone who challenged the Labour Government’s propaganda. We learned not to trust you, because of your lies and your shilling, and now you are flummoxed as to why we hate you.
As Massey University academic Sean Phelan puts it, “this language is then normalised in far-right media channels, sometimes with considerable success that might leave one wondering about the precise location of the mainstream”.
On social media platforms and in news media outlets’ comment sections, the narrative of ‘mainstream media’ as corrupt and ‘woke’ continues to flourish. In reference to the appearance of Posie Parker in Auckland’s Albert Park and the related protests, one person commented on social media that the event exposed how “corrupt and biased” the mainstream media is and how it only pushes “politicians’ agenda”.
The term ‘mainstream media’ has been highly politicised and weaponised by those who don’t believe in a news media that values verified facts and information. I believe that it is time for that term to go.
Newsroom
There they go again, demonising people’s opinions as “far-right” when they don’t match their worldview. It’s got to the point when even Pol Pot would be described as far-right by these morons.
If you don’t like how you are described then change, be better news organisations, stop gaslighting us, stop lying to us, and stop forcing your woke agenda down our throats. Report the news. It isn’t that hard.
The reason I do what I do, and make a living out of it, is because our readers trust us more than the mainstream media. That’s why we have a growing membership base while their subscriptions are shrinking.
We are playing the best game we can with our meagre, reader-funded resources. We are belting home runs against other organisations that are funded to the tune of millions of dollars by the state. Both Newsroom and The Spinoff received $11 million of state funding. We received nothing – and our traffic numbers beat them all day long.
We can do so much more, but only if you become members. Right now we are running a promotion for 30% off our memberships. What is stopping you from going ahead today?
CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW AND USE THE DISCOUNT CODE 30OFF
YES, I WANT TO SAVE 30% OFF MY MEMBERSHIP
Of course, you can always just donate if you don’t want a regular membership. You can help fund the creation of our own NewsDesk so that we can show the mainstream media how journalism should be done.
While the mainstream media bleat and moan saying that “words matter”, we believe at The BFD that deeds matter more. Send the mainstream media a message by subscribing to us, not them. Put YOUR money where OUR mouth is.
Help Fund Our NewsDesk
We are building a NewsDesk, hiring journalists and taking the fight to the mainstream media. Will you help fund our NewsDesk?
- For security reasons, credit card donations require Javascript. Please enable Javascript in your browser before continuing.
Your Donation
Your Recurring Donation
Donation Period *
Your One-Time Donation
Details First Name * Last Name * Email * Address Address 2 City State Postcode Country Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belau Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo (Brazzaville) Congo (Kinshasa) Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba CuraÇao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Republic of Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Martin (Dutch part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia/Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom (UK) United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Western Samoa Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Phone Number Payment Name on Card * .StripeElement { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 1em; } #charitable_stripe_card_errors { color: #eb1c26; font-size: .8em; margin: .5em 0 0 0; } Credit/Debit Card Donate
Please share this article so others can discover The BFD.
![[The Good Oil] Stuff Up of the Day](/content/images/size/w1304/format/webp/2024/09/Stuff-up-image-1.webp)
