Journalists Union fears proposed merger will cost jobs and stifle debate

The journalists union, E tū says it has grave concerns about the proposed merger of the New Zealand assets of NZME and Fairfax Media.

E tū’s National Media Organiser, Paul Tolich says there are serious implications for journalists’ jobs and the quality of local journalism “because this means the content of diverse major news publications will be pared back to just one key generator of comment.

“This would seriously affect the future of newsgathering by journalists because these assets are key sources of hard news.”

He says the continued loss of journalists’ jobs alongside the merger proposal has brought into sharp focus the jeopardy facing the future of newsgathering.

He says the proposed merger is predicated on the argument that it won’t create a monopoly and can win regulatory approval because of so-called news sources such as Google and Facebook. But he says “these outlets aggregate content, they don’t create it as local news sources do.

“Another serious concern is the impact on the Fourth Estate and its role to investigate in the interests of the public good without fear or favour of major institutions and power brokers.”

He says E tū will be making submissions to the Commerce Commission on the merger, stressing its concerns about potential job losses and the decline in the diversity of local media.

ENDS

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