Govt injects $55m more into public interest journalism

Friday, 12 February 2021

Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi announces a new media funding package. Video first published February 2021.

The Government is putting another $55 million into public interest journalism in the next three years to ensure communities are kept informed on issues that affect them.

The Minister for Broadcasting and Media Kris Faafoi, launched the fund on Friday to support democracy and ensure New Zealanders had access to trusted information.

It would also support media organisations going through a transition as the sector looks to ways of ensuring its longer term survival.

“Grassroots public interest journalism, such as community reporting and investigative media enterprises, have been in decline or struggled for support in the past decade or more,” Faafoi said.

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Broadcasting and Media minister Kris Faafoi says the money will help support grassroots and investigating reporting which might otherwise not be funded.

“Given its importance, and the Government’s manifesto commitment to support public interest journalism, we are investing $55m over the next three years to provide on-going support for public interest journalism to be produced and shared through New Zealand media outlets.’’

He confirmed that money was sourced from the Covid Recovery Fund.

Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi announced the media package in Dunedin.

The minister said public journalism was important not only to keep the public abreast of information that affected them, but also to support ''a healthy democracy by holding voices of influence to account.”

“Covid-19 and the lockdowns last year highlighted the important role our media plays in providing up-to-dated, independent and trusted information to the public,’’ he said.

''We want to ensure that kind of coverage, is supported and developed across all community levels, where media operations have often cutback resources to reduce their costs.”

The funding builds on a $50m media support package announced at the height of the pandemic last year, which provided short-term cash flow relief to media firms facing big drops in advertising revenue during lockdown.

NZ On Air will administer the contestable fund, which will be for projects that media outlets can demonstrate fill a public interest service and which would otherwise be at risk or not produced.

The fund will be open to all media entities, from large organisations, through to small, local entities, Māori, Pacific and ethnic media.

Faafoi, who was in Dunedin for the announcement, confirmed state broadcasters, such as TVNZ and RNZ, could apply but rejected any suggestion that was double-dipping.

He stressed those broadcasters would have to offer content they were not currently funded for.

Details such as sharing agreements, exclusivities what defined 'public interest journalism' and final approval would be up to NZ on Air.

Faafoi, a former journalist, rejected any suggested the Government was trying to buy favours, given other sectors were also struggling.

He stressed the importance of a ‘’healthy fourth estate’’ in holding people, including politicians, to account.

'’If we didn't do it, it would be to the detriment to the country.'’

It will initially make $10m available in the current 2020-2021 financial year, followed by $25m and $20 million in the following two years.

Work was also underway to get feedback from across the sector on how to deliver the fund, the minister said. Details would be available in late March and applications should open in late April.