pn820. A Media Obsessed with Covid. Reports on other matters squeezed out.

[This is a little dated and overtaken by one event, Chris Luxon becoming the National Party leader, but the information and main points raised remain valid. -- ACW]

 
Bryce Edwards and VUW Democracy Project publish NZ Politics Daily which anyone may subscribe to free. (https://mailchi.mp/democracyproject/nz-politics-daily-23-november-2021?e=1d93717e49) 23 November 2012. 

It is extremely useful in providing links to all (or almost all) significant media and some blog articles arranged under topic headings.

NZPD does not make the news. It records what's in the media. The media makes the news. 

Let's see what sort of topic balance there was today (23 Nov.) with headings and the number of media articles:

• Newshub poll, parliament, parties 8
• Three Waters. local government 8
• Housing 8

• Government management of Covid.. .30
• Auckland border 5
• Mandatory vaccines 12
• Cases, demographics, Delta spreads 8
• Vaccine rollout 3
• Home isolation 5
• MIQ, NZ Border 6
• Vaccine misinformation, protests, rule breaches 5

• Economy, Business, Wage subsidy 12
• Primary industries, Groundswell protests 8
• Environment, Climate Change, Conservation 4
• Foreign Affairs and Trade 2
• ACC,  Health 5
• Media 2
• Education 6
• Immigration 3
• Justice, Law 3
• Police 2

• Other 12

In summary, 74 Covid-related articles (47.1%) under 8 headings, 71 general articles  (45.2%) under 13 heading, and 12 Others (7.6%) under one heading. 

Today's postings were not untypical. On most days Covid articles comprise close to half —and sometimes more than half— of all news articles.  The media is obsessed with Covid.  Most other matters are not given as much prominence or are not as fully reported. And TV, probably watched by more people than read the print media,  is worse!

We need to know about Covid but we also need to know about the many other things that affect our lives, influence what we think and how we vote.

-- ACW