NZME chief content officer Murray Kirkness. Photo / Michael Craig
NZME chief content officer Murray Kirkness. Photo / Michael Craig
From the moment the internet changed the rules of information distribution, media has been in a constant state of flux.
The way we read, watch and listen to the news is constantly evolving and news companies need to respond or risk becoming obsolete.
Add to this equation misinformation, declining trust,news fatigue, paywalls and clickbait and you have a complicated cocktail of challenges all begging for a solution.
Given the speed at which stories are published these days, news companies also face criticism for being biased in their reporting. This happens regularly at the Herald, with the publication sometimes being accused of leaning to the right and other times leaning to the left. Sometimes the same story can even provoke contrasting views on its perceived bias. There are also frequent accusations that the Herald takes a stance on certain issues, without offering a counter view. So how are these decisions made? And is there any truth to the perceptions?
Standing at the coalface of these challenges for the Herald are NZME chief content officer Murray Kirkness and Herald premium content editor Miriyana Alexander, whose decisions play a major role in determining the strategy and direction of the 160-year-old publication.
They recently joined The Front Page podcast for a frank discussion about some of the biggest issues in media in 2023.
So where does the truth lie about bias?
Does the Herald take a deliberate stance on certain issues?
What does the future hold for print media in New Zealand?
Could we see more consolidation in the future?
Should stories of public interest be restricted behind the paywall?
Has the news become too negative?
And what will the next 10 years of news media look like?
Listen to the full episode of The Front Page for this exclusive chat with the leaders behind the masthead.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. It is presented by Damien Venuto, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in business reporting who joined the Herald in 2017.
