This is edition 2025/13 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Welcome back. It's 2025 and 20 years since I started writing about politics and anything else that took my fancy. Thank to my VIP members for making this site what it is today. In July we will be having a 20th birthday celebration. Stay tuned for more announcements.
This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
Enjoy!
1. Media Mutterings - Part 2
David Harvey
- 📰 Media landscape shifts: Shayne Currie discusses the state of New Zealand media in 2024 and the need for regulation, not just for MSM but also digital platforms and PR agencies.
- ⚖️ Duncan Grieve's call for regulation: Grieve argues for a level playing field between MSM and big tech platforms, suggesting government regulation akin to Australia's scrutiny of digital platforms.
- 💸 Subscription model struggles: Grieve's Spinoff campaign highlights the difficulty of sustaining journalism without support, emphasizing the need for regulatory change.
- 🎥 Broadcasting vs. new media: Grieve contrasts the regulation of TVNZ+ with unregulated platforms like YouTube, pushing for equal standards in the media sector.
- 🛑 Regulatory debate: While Grieve calls for stricter regulation, there are concerns about too much state interference harming press freedom.
- 🏛️ David Cormack's collectivist view: Cormack advocates for state intervention and collaboration between media entities, with a bias towards collectivization as a solution.
- 💼 Advertising shift: Cormack identifies the loss of advertising dollars to offshore companies as a key problem, but doesn't explore the role of PR and advertising firms in this.
- 🏚️ Dangers of collectivization: The historical failures of collectivization, from Soviet agricultural disasters to stifled innovation, are raised as cautionary examples for Cormack’s proposals.
- ⚠️ Personal initiative vs. state control: The article warns against the suppression of individual entrepreneurship and freedom that can result from collectivization and heavy state control.
- 🔄 Cautionary advice: Both Grieve and Cormack are urged to consider the potential downsides of their proposed solutions—especially the risks of over-regulation and collectivization.
