Journalism's Nosedive: a NZ Herald Example

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Don't expect fair and balanced reporting from much of  the NZ media anymore. Now there's little reporting. It's too boring. 

Instead, we have "opinion" or "comment" pieces where once-reporters tell us what they think of the news— and everything else on which they hold an opinion.  

They might, of course, be well qualified to tell us what they think, though we've not informed of their qualifications or political beliefs.  But I'd still prefer them to state the facts and allow readers to form our own opinions.  


There's a place for opinions, of course. Editorials  and Columns are examples. But they should not displace or pretend to be news. That's where the problem lies.

We know the media is struggling to make a profit due to the falling number of readers, falling advertising revenue and increased competition, especially from the social media. 

Unfortunately, the chosen way out seems to be more opinion pieces, more attacks, both personal, group and general, more emotive language, less reference to sources, and almost no supporting evidence.  More  weak opinions written by journalists wanting to hold down their jobs.

This sort of journalism frequently breaches journalism's code of ethics which comprise "the principles of truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability"(Wikipedia).

Let us  take one example published this week as a "Comment" in the NZ Herald.  

The writer is Barry Soper, political editor on NewstalkZB of  Mike Hosking fame, one of several radio stations owned by NZME, NZ Media and Entertainment, that also owns the Herald, and much more. (I'll publish a post on NZ media ownership tomorrow, pn185).

As you read, see if you can spot the bias, the assumptions, the evidence or lack of evidence,  the hyperbole, and the use of patronising, condescending, demeaning and insulting words and phrases. 

Note also how Soper includes you to make his opinions seem ones you share. 

And then ask yourself: When I read or listen to other "news" and opinion pieces, am I as conscious of these tricks of persuasion, or do I just absorb them without really thinking?  

Soper writes that  the PM is in a state of shock at the reaction to Capital Gains Tax plan

"If you thought the Government (well more correctly the Labour Party) is hell-bent on committing political suicide you'd be wrong. 

"The Beehive is reeling and sitting in the top office of the ever diminishing building Jacinda Ardern's in a state of shock at the reaction to the Taxation Working Group's report.

"Ardern will be regretting ever making the "captain's call" during the last election campaign with her insistence there'll be a capital gains tax in the first term of her Government. There was almost a mutiny, with her lieutenant Grant Robertson taking charge by reining in the political novice and getting taxation off the political agenda for the time being.

"Tax had been talked about so much they decided to hand it over to the Tax Working Group, led by Sir Michael Cullen, who knew better than to ever suggest a capital gains tax, correctly appreciating the political danger of it.

"Ardern must have been having a nap  during the two campaigns Labour fought and lost because of it.

Now she's wide awake to the political damage it's doing to Labour, spending the first six minutes of her post-Cabinet press conference yesterday giving us a lesson on how  to report it accurately. 

"Ardern was at pains to ensure the students understood her lecture. The debate should be about a fairer and more balanced taxation system and is most certainly not an attack on the Kiwi way of life as some have claimed.

"And besides, have a look across the ditch, she implored and see how few Aussies pay a capital gains tax.

"To ensure we knew what she was banging on about she reminded us that she grew up in Morrinsville, in a small town rural community. All of her jobs were mostly with small businesses and she knows the debate going on in rural New Zealand and their views will be heard, she insisted.

"In her set piece lecture she told us small business and farming are crucial to the economy and she wanted to be clear, she said referring to her notes on the lectern, that the effects on them will be at the top of her mind when the options are assessed. Surely that, coming from the captain, leaves room for a sigh of relief.

"As the lesson was drawing to a close she told us the bleedingly obvious: that the tax would be paid only when a capital gain is realised, or when an asset gets sold, so there won't be an ongoing impost. Until you've sold your next asset that is - and the capital gain on any asset won't be assessed until after the law takes effect, most likely in April 2021. So the nest egg you've realised up until then won't attract the captain's call.

"By and large, Ardern declared, the tax system was working well. Yeah well if it ain't broke - don't fix it.  ("By and large" does not mean that everything is working well.--ACW)

"What would you pay? Use the Herald’s capital gains tax calculator to find out what you would pay on the sale of an investment property ...

(Assuming, of course, "you" own one — or more. --ACW)...