“Fine in theory ... but if you’re then getting into stories which are from completely different regions, then of course the region’s going to say, ‘well this doesn’t impact me at all’.”
Currie points to research by Devonport Flagstaff editor Rob Drent, who tracked Stuff’s North Shore Times in its final months.
“He actually studied the North Shore Times ... and found for a long period there were hardly any local faces in the paper.”
That lack of scrutiny has serious consequences. Without robust local coverage, Currie warns, local boards, councils and politicians are left unchecked.
“What that means is that local councils, local politicians, if you take it to the nth degree, can almost get away with anything around the council table because they’re not being scrutinised. The community doesn’t know necessarily what’s going on ... whether that’s local roading, rates or the library.”
Corporate publishers have shut around 40 community titles in recent years. Currie says that makes the upcoming elections a particular flashpoint.
“It’s important that audiences and communities hear from these people who expect to be elected to the councils and [to be] paid for [their work] over the next three years.”
Some parts of the country remain served by resilient independents, often operating on low margins and personal passion rather than commercial strength.
Bucking the trend is the Devonport Flagstaff, which continues to publish up to 40 pages each week that Currie says are “chock full of ads” and strong on original reporting.
Times Media in East Auckland took a break from publishing print versions of Eastern Times, but is now back producing 72-page editions of the community paper.
“They all talk about the purpose of the job serving their communities, being really closely connected ... they know what’s going on. The editors themselves are driving the roads that they’re writing about every day.
“There will always be that opportunity but it’s just getting that business model right to ensure that the newsrooms can stay as well-resourced as possible.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more on:
- Why community newspapers are being shut down
- The global fight with tech giants
- Whether public broadcasters are heading for a “merger by stealth”
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
