Peter Thompson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The Public Interest Journalism Fund became a lightning rod for disinformation well before Winston Peters likened it to ‘bribery’. Policy making has already been compromised as a result.
Journalism has been fodder for politicians’ contempt for generations. A huge percentage of the public doesn’t trust the news media either. That mistrust isn’t a bad thing in a democracy.
By linking different issues together, organisations show the importance of approaching information disorder as a complex problem requiring various responses.
Tighter controls are not the answer; the opportunity should be used to think differently about trust and journalism. It is critical to enable audiences to distinguish reliable, verified information.
Public relations and journalism have always existed in an uneasy balance. Social media and low revenues are shifting that balance in favour of PR, creating a lack of trust in the news.