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MASSEY is published by Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, New Zealand

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MASSEY has a circulation of 75,000.

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What’s News?: Reclaiming Journalism in New Zealand

edited by Professor Judy McGregor and Dr Margie Comrie

When John Campbell and Carol Hirschfeld visited the University recently to talk to Media Studies students, they were on the defensive. On the way to Palmerston North, the 3 News presenters had read the opening chapter of What’s News? edited by Professor Judy McGregor and Dr Margie Comrie. The new book, subtitled Reclaiming Journalism in New Zealand, is a follow-up to their first, a take- no-prisoners examination of the media called Whose News?, written nearly 10 years ago.

Both books contain comment and analysis on aspects of the news media by journalists, academics and other informed commentators. In the latest book, Brian Edwards checks out his own earlier comment on the quality of television news and finds his conclusions wanting.

In 1992 he had analysed two weeks of One News, labelling its style and presentation, ‘cootchie coo news’. The reporting “was either coloured by the perceptions of the journalist, bureau chief, producer or newsreader who wrote the script… or overlaid with sentiment in an attempt to hook the viewer into an emotional response”. In 1992, 3 News was spared any such analysis and praised for offering the better news service, “largely free of uninvited editorialising and inane babble”.

That was then. This is now: After the appointment of a news reading duo (Hirschfeld and Campbell) on 3 News, Dr Edwards found that suddenly there was plenty of uninvited editorialising and “the infection of inane babble was allowed to spread”. Indeed, the survey of both news programmes for the new book “revealed a much greater propensity for editorial intrusion on the private channel”. Over seven days Dr Edwards found two examples of inappropriate comment on One News and nine on 3 News.

To their audience of students and academic staff, Campbell and Hirschfeld made no real attempt to deny the ‘cootchie-coo’ news culture but did argue that as presenters they are not to blame. They said they have only minimal influence on news selection, style and even reader scripts. They had the advantage over their audience, most of whom had not yet read What’s News?, which had only recently reached bookshops. It is essential reading for thoughtful news consumers who are living in a culture described by Professor McGregor as having a poor tradition of criticism and debate on the media. Other topics covered in the book’s 17 chapters include chequebook journalism (Jim Tucker), MMP and journalism (Sir Geoffrey Palmer), the parliamentary press gallery (Oliver Riddell), objectivity (Al Morrison) and news media ownership (Paul Norris). There is also an excellent analysis by Margie Comrie of the pervasion of PR practitioners.