Federated Farmers celebrates journalism

Federated Farmers celebrates photojournalism and broadcast journalism

The best of New Zealand’s rural journalism was celebrated Friday evening with the Dominion Post and Radio NZ taking the two awards sponsored by Federated Farmers.

“It will be obvious to many that our rural story is best told with pictures,” said Dr William Rolleston, President of Federated Farmers, at the Awards evening on Friday evening.

“In the 1970s my cousin and friend David Innes was the subject matter of the photo book “David – Boy of the High Country”.

“It captured a moment in time when the great dams of the Mackenzie basin were being built and it told the story, through its photographs, of the amazing life and opportunity one small boy had in that vast landscape.

“This was a great example of the power of photojournalism.

“Farmers are the stewards of our rural landscape which more than anything else epitomises who we see ourselves as a country.

“In 2014, I was delighted to say that the winner of the Federated Farmers Rural Photography Award is the Dominion Post’s Kent Blechynden, for his brilliant photo of an older shearer in a not so PC moment.

“Yet journalism is not just about telling the story in a captivating way because they have a responsibility to be honest, balanced and to provide a fair representation of the facts and opinions.

“The most dangerous thing for Federated Farmers, for the media or indeed any individual, is to only see the data which supports a preconceived opinion.

“Journalists have a responsibility to challenge and to ask for verification because this helps to better inform the public you serve.

“Journalism is not a game especially for those being reported on. Dishonesty to yourselves or to your readers does not stand the test of time.

“In this respect broadcast journalism plays an important role as does all journalism.

“It was with genuine pleasure and not without a hint of irony, that I announced RadioNZ’s Benedict Collins as the winner of the 2014 Federated Farmers Broadcast Journalism Award,” Dr Rolleston concluded.

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