A veteran Māori journalist says Stuff’s deal with Warner Brothers-Discovery to take supply news bulletins for TV3 is a band-aid that fails to address wider problems exposed by the closing down of Newshub.
Jason Ake said over its 30 years TV3-Newshup has developed an impressive list of Māori talent both in front of and behind the camera – although like all mainstream organisations, its commitment to te reo content has been minimal.
While Stuff has 400 reporters around the country, its commitment to Māori journalism has been almost non-existent.
“I would like to see a bit of commitment from Stuff in how they populate that newsroom with a Māori voice or with somebody who can accurately reflect the Māori voice heading forward,” said Ake.
He said the job losses at Newshub’s rival TVNZ show how the failure to complete a merger between TVNZ and Radio New Zealand was an enormous missed opportunity.
- Waatea News