1842: State vs Media
January 28, 2021
By AHNZ
The State has been meddling with New Zealand media since the beginning of history. The New Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette, Auckland’s first newspaper, was shut down on April 6th, 1842, because it offended Governor Hobson. This only happened after strong attempts to infiltrate and control what that paper had to say.
“…the colonial administration…made up at least half the company shareholders. By August 1841, the majority of the trustees who managed the newspaper were also government officials….In March 1842, after a number of editorials criticising government officials, the trustees told Moore that he was not to print any more of Martin’s work without their permission. The following month the trustees closed the newspaper down, dissolved the company, and sold the printing plant to the government.” – Papers Past
Since then, print media and politicians have been incestuously linked. Premiers like Fitzgerald, Stafford, Ballance, Vogel were all newspaper men. Many either owned or ran newspapers, controlling the narrative. But at least back then they had to compete with each other.
As part of the COVID-19 Contrivance, Labour 6.0 was able to extend its grip by dolling out cash to it’s chosen media outlets. By deciding who is media and who is not, who is favoured by government subscriptions and subsidisations, it is the State that is deciding whose voices will and will not be heard…
“The Government will provide $11.1m for “specific targeted assistance to companies as and when needed”.”
“New Zealand Herald owner NZME and Stuff could be among the main beneficiaries of that element of the package, which is tipped to see government agencies given more cash to buy more print and digital advertising, or at least to bring forward their purchases.”
“Faafoi also announced government departments would get $1.3m to buy subscriptions to news services…”- Coronavirus: $50m government package to help media through crisis; Stuff (2020)
Some other landmark interventions to control broadcasting alone..
Wireless Telegraphy Act (1903)
Regulation 79 (1923)
Radio Broadcasting Company (1925)
National Broadcasting Service (1936)
Radio New Zealand (1975)
TVNZ (1980)
“Deregulation” (1989)
TVNZ Charter (2003)
TVNZ un-Charter (2008)
Clare Curran was supposed to have something on the go for Labour 6.0 in 2018 but it blew up. It is “on ice” until some political operator can manage to pull it off. Doubtless it will be Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi who will come up with the next media reset in the near future.
Remember, if it’s not Libertarian News then you’re just consuming propaganda. This message not brought to you by ‘New Zealand on Air’.
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