Trust in media same issue facing all 'institutions' - Media Minister

Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith says issues of trust with the media are ones for it to address - but ones all institutions - including government are facing.

He also rejected the notion that the Government is taking a "hands off" approach to the struggling sector, and said the fourth estate was still "robust" with politicians swiftly held to account when they erred.

Goldsmith took on the role at the end of April after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon sacked Melissa Lee from the portfolio saying it required a senior minister.

Goldsmith said while he knows there is some impatience for the Government to make decisions to help the industry, announcements will only come once those decisions have been made.

His comments came in the Social Services and Community Select Committee today, as part of Parliament's Scrutiny Week.

The week allows select committees to grill ministers on their priorities, decisions and direction following the Budget.

Goldsmith was speaking to the committee on Budget 2024 estimates for Arts, Culture and Heritage in his capacity as Media and Communications Minister. He is also the Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister.

He told the committee media companies were increasingly competing with overseas giants such as Amazon and Netflix and the Government was still considering the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill.

The bill is aimed at enabling fair bargaining between New Zealand news media entities and operators of digital platforms to support commercial arrangements for news content.

He said one of the main issues for the media sector was a sharp decline in advertising revenue, which he said was partly due to new competitors and changing audience habits but also potentially related to the recession.

However, Goldsmith said the media was also facing issues of trust, but he said it was not unique to that industry but all "institutions", including government, and trust in the media was a worldwide issue.

He added the previous government's funding of the media - through the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund had created "real challenges around that sense of independence and trust" in the "minds of many". He said the "unique circumstances" of the pandemic also contributed.

"Direct government funding of elements of [the media] is complicated when it comes to trust.

"When you think about government support, you've got to be very mindful of that part of the equation as well, so that people can be robust and independent."

He said some parts of the Public Interest Journalism Fund - Open Justice and Local Democracy Reporting - were examples of the scheme's success.

The former provides court reporting and the latter local government-focused reporting.

He said the Government was keen to extend them and "trying to figure out" how to ensure they continued, saying he believed the reason for their success was they were focused on reporting - rather than opinion - and covered important elements of democracy.

Goldsmith said Open Justice was performing "a very valuable service" and that it was important there was also coverage of council decisions which had a "huge impact on people's lives".

"That fund has been significant as well.

"Where there has been relatively straight reporting, whether it's local government or the courts, that's been a useful model that we're looking to continue to explore. Where it gets more difficult is if there is funds and there is a list of criteria around how you get those funds - that's where you get yourself potentially into a perception issue and that's what we'll be mindful of in the future."

He said issues of trust were primarily for the industry itself to address and the NZ On Air model - which administered the Public Interest Journalism Fund - was a "good one" and that was why it had been supported by successive governments.

Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni asked if Goldsmith had received any advice on further potential job losses in the sector, following the impending closure of Newshub and the cancellation of TVNZ shows such as Sunday and Fair Go.

He said he did not recall any official advice "around speculations on that" but noted there were "ongoing pressure" in the industry, with each company addressing it in their own way.

"There's an enormous amount of innovation going on in terms of what we're seeing with Stuff and how they're going to work away with a 6 o'clock bulletin, that will be interesting to see how that unfolds, and who knows how it's going to work."

Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March suggested the Government was taking a "hands off approach" regarding emerging technologies - such as AI - to media organisations, asking if there was a risk of job losses as a result of them.

Goldsmith rejected the suggestion.

"We don't take a hands off approach. Nobody's taking a hands off approach. The Government is investing more than a hundred million dollars in NZ On Air and continuing to do so."

He said RNZ also continued to receive funding.

"We're actively considering options at the moment that we may do in this broader media sector as well.

"We're not hands off, we're engaged. We're talking to the sector and where there are things that help, we're open to considering those.

Menéndez March also asked if comments from the deputy prime minister Winston Peters impacted the trust in the media.

"Do you think there is a role for you as a minister and your Cabinet colleagues to support and enhance trust in media?

"If so, do you think the deputy prime minister's comments in relationship to, for example, accusing the media of misrepresentation, and all the spats in the media around denying that he compared co-governance to Nazi Germany support the role that you play in building trust in the media?"

Goldsmith said: "Look, the deputy prime minister can respond to his own comments and he is a unique individual and he says what he says, and that's fine."

"They're part and parcel of a robust media environment."

He said democracy was "noisy" and people made "all sorts of comments", defended them, and people could criticise them.

"That's how it sort of rolls."

He said the group fundamentally responsible for trust in the media was the sector itself.

Goldsmith said the media environment was evolving but in New Zealand ideas could be contested, governments and business could be held to account.

"I've got every confidence that continues to be the case - as we've all experienced in politics, you do something wrong, you're pretty quickly held to account in our country, and that's the way it should be.

"I think we still have a pretty robust fourth estate in New Zealand."

At this point, at about 9:50am - the meeting having started at 9.05am - Labour's media and communications spokesperson Willie Jackson entered the select committee.

"Too late Willie, we're all finished," Goldsmith said as he entered.

After the meeting, after initially responding "what do you want to know for?" to the question of why he was late to the meeting, Jackson said there would be another media-focused session in the afternoon.

It was put to Jackson it was a significant opportunity for him to ask questions of his counterpart.

"I got 4.30[pm], he's coming in and we're doing - I mean you're absolutely right - the information I got was, I don't know what information I got, it was all mixed up, but 4.30 is when we're meant to be doing it," Jackson said.

"I've got a whole list of questions for the minister.

"I don't know what happened, there was some mix up and that was meant to be just culture and heritage.

"I don't know who mixed it up, it was an administrative muck up, do you think I would be nervous to front Goldie or something? I love spending every second and every minute for him.

"It's somebody's fault."

He said he did not want to name names.

Jackson attended the 4.40pm scheduled select committee, which was focused on communications, not the media.

The point was clarified by chairperson Parmjeet Parmar in the meeting, following a question to Goldsmith about the media from Green MP Scott Willis.