I’m part way through an online conversation with Dave, who I like, about hyperbolic opinion pieces masquerading as news (what I call the Glenn Beck/Fox News effect). We’re discussing Dave’s frustration with the “blur” between news and opinion. Dave said:

I wouldn’t mind if the media did genuinely report as an opinion piece. At least you’d know where you stood with them then. Now we have media hyping things up purely to suit their own promotional interests and if people aren’t alternatively informed about the issue in question, they have no idea what is really going on. News has become entertainment.

To which I say, you’re in danger of demonising a generalisation, Dave, like “they” should do something about that, “the gummint” should stamp out litter, or “this is a Christian country” …

“The media” is an indefinable entity made up of individuals chasing “success” (in my view) — motivated by myriad things, but mostly, in my observation, a desire for relevance (“notice me, listen to me, respect me!!”) There’s a commercial, competitive element too, which cannot be ignored.

From a background as a political journalist, I worked as part of a very small team that produced a top rating (i.e.#1) radio news show in Auckland for 5 years. It was #1 when I arrived and #1 when I left. (whew!)

I know the pressures we felt to “rate” — to keep our precarious position at the top of the greasy pole. I also know something of the efforts our competitors made to knock us off (in both senses: copy & displace) and their frustration at not being able to do so.

Our #1 spot (not the only one held by shows at the station, I hasten to add) was worth a great deal of money in advertising revenue to the station, actually to the network. In a quick decision world, it was easy for advertisers and agencies to decide to place their budgets with our station — being #1 in the ‘key demographics’ meant we had an attractive audience.

But we weren’t whores. Continue reading →