The road ahead for NZ’s news media
It’s hard to deny that social media plays a major role in providing news to individuals, offering a wide range of sources and diverse content. This isn’t explicitly harmful, however there can be a number of possible implications, including the spreading of false information to name one.
Through the lens of a journalist however, the relationship between journalism and global tech giants can be complex.
In a new BWB Text media scholar ‘From Paper to Platform’, Dr Merja Myllylahti, co-director fo the Journalims, Media and Democracy research centre and senior lecturer in the screen, audio and journalism department at AUT explores the complex relationship between New Zealand’s journalism and global tech giants like Meta, Google and X.
At a turning point for the local media landscape, the book reveals a troubling trend: as established news outlets become less prominent on these platforms, public interest journalism faces unprecedented risks.
“One big thing is the visibility of the news. Quite rapidly, it’s disappearing from these platforms.”
Around 35% of New Zealander’s rely on social media as a way to find news stories, a figure Dr Myllylahti says is high.
“In Canada, Google agreed to pay for the news ... and in New Zealand Google has already made deals with 47 publishers. But Meta will not come to the table. They have not in Canada, either.”
With the unpredictability of Meta tweaking its algorithms for Facebook and Instagram in the past, this can come with dire consequences for the traffic of news organisations.
“That creates more clicks for them and more advertisements for them. The platforms are there for business - not for the news business.”
So, what are the next steps New Zealand media companies should take? Dr Myllylahti argues that our media companies need to make sure they’re not dependent on these platforms either for revenue or for audience. But that’s easier said than done.
“I think the habits aren’t changing. And I hope that people are finding the news more directly. I think that is happening, because the news visibility is sinking on these platforms."
As New Zealand contemplates similar legislation to mandate platform payments to news publishers, the book raises crucial questions about transparency, fairness and sovereignty.
“I think that’s what we need to see - support systems beyond the platforms and revenue models are critical. People should go and buy and subscribe to these news services.”