The world turns faster every day, and this year shows no signs of slowing down. With swiftly unfolding events seemingly the norm. In the world of media, tectonic shifts are underway too, as we grapple culturally with the long-held value of free speech and growing calls for censorship.
Elon Musk’s big play for free speech
This has been playing out very publicly with Elon Musk’s bid for Twitter. The billionaire and self-proclaimed free speech absolutist is in talks to take over the social media company with the goal of reclaiming its status as the global ‘town square’. Musk’s ownership could involve the return of controversial figures like Donald Trump and Alex Jones (although Trump has said he won’t be returning), but is likely to come with a user verification system, making anonymity impossible.
Musk has said Twitter’s current moderation policies are too restrictive. In an April tweet Musk said, “A social media platform’s policies are good if the most extreme 10% on left and right are equally unhappy.”
The US$44 billion deal has free speech advocates celebrating and others wringing their hands. There has been speculation Musk might pull out of the deal, since negotiations have been slow going – a claim he denies.
‘Covfefe’ and other adventures in Twitterland
Twitter has begun work on its anticipated ‘edit button’, which would allow it to alter existing tweets. For users prone to goofing up their tweets and posting them without realising, the button could be desirable – consider one of Donald Trump’s most famous viral tweets: “Despite the constant negative press covfefe”.
But Twitter has also noted the function could be misused to alter the public record. This week, US President Joe Biden had to can his plans for a Disinformation Governance Board after weeks of criticism from the right and left that it was akin to George Orwell’s fictional Ministry of Truth. The disinformation czar who had been tapped to head the board, Nina Jancowitz, has said publicly that pre-authorised, credible individuals should be able to edit Tweets to provide greater context – an idea Elon Musk said was “disconcerting”.
For light entertainment, The Guardian has compiled a list of famous tweets, including ‘Covfefe’, that would have benefited from the ‘edit button’.
Nothing new about disinformation
In this thought provoking piece, Paul Holmes takes a look at the role of disinformation in the ongoing war in Ukraine, taking readers through a number of moments in recent history in which the role of disinformation has played a part.
Taking the long view, Holmes also notes that there is “nothing new” about the use of propaganda by governments, to further their aims.
“It is interesting to note that almost exactly 100 years ago, in 1923, the Bolshevik Party Politburo approved the establishment of the “Disinformation Bureau” as a part of the Soviet security services.”
How many PR staff does it take to answer a journalist’s question?
Dominion Post editor Anna Fifield, a veteran journalist with broad experience overseas, spoke to The Spinoff about the issue of the ever increasing number of communications staff and the resulting culture of obstructive communications from the public sector. Fifield has taken up the cause in an effort to try and change the culture.
She explains how reporters often get a “flat no” in response to very reasonable questions from Government department communications staff, leading to a breakdown of trust. Fifield describes a ‘communications industrial complex’.
“It does seem to be set up to be as obstructive as possible to journalists.”
Fifield says the Official Information Act needs reform, so that journalists, communications staff and OIA teams processing requests can have a more constructive relationship.
Budget 2022 delivers media funding, reform
Talking of reforms, they’re coming for the media. In what are likely to be the biggest such reforms in decades, TVNZ and RNZ are set to merge to create a new media entity that will be the beneficiary of significant government funding.
Until now, NZ on Air has been the most important player for delivering funding for local television, radio and, latterly, digital media. RNZ currently gets just over $35million a year from the Government to support its operations, while TVNZ has been largely self-funded through commercial operations.
But Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi has earmarked $327m for the new media entity over three years, 2023 to 2026. This would be partially offset from an expected return of $306m in surplus revenues over this period.
Faafoi has said the support was aimed at ensuring Kiwis would “continue to access quality local content and trusted news”. This comes a time when the public is debating media bias and government funding of media, in the shape of the public interest journalism fund – as we looked at in the last issue of our newsletter.
The new entity will be multi-platform and designed to reach new and existing audiences, Faafoi said.
Veteran business columnist and investor Brian Gaynor dies
BusinessDesk managing editor Patrick Smellie wrote a moving and funny obituary for Brian Gaynor, the investor who backed BusinessDesk back in 2008 and got it off the ground. A regular columnist, Gaynor was also the founder of Milford Asset Management and served on the board of the New Zealand superannuation fund.
Gaynor died last week after a short illness and will be remembered for his commentary of New Zealand companies, financial markets and investment trends, which he did for more than 30 years. He was a strong supporter of local companies, the local sharemarket and investors.
Gaynor was an Irishman who arrived in New Zealand with a rucksack on his back and ran out of money, Smellie recalls.
“His columns on a Saturday morning were required reading for every investor and for anyone who wanted an investor’s money.”
He was also a critic of New Zealand’s financial markets regulators, and an advocate for small retail shareholders, and was awarded the Beacon Award by the NZ Shareholders’ Association for this work.
