The State of Reporting in New Zealand

[Arnifix]

I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE! Reading Stuff is just depressing. The reporting is so exceedingly lackluster and many reports seem happy to just parrot an official line without passing even a mildly critical or analytical lens over the issue.

For example, this article about contactless payment technology stirs the hysteria around this technology still further. It complately fails to mention that this report has dramatically reduced levels of fraud (both in terms of number of fraudulent transactions and amounts) on stolen cards. This, along with the technologies ability to make transactions fasterand give a better customer experience, is one of the reason the card schemes are pushing for it. It fails to address the underlying cause of the criminality, nor give any consideration as to how this could be avoided. It's the barest of bones reporting, hardly even covering the who, where, when and what, let alone the how, why.

So to reiterate: I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!

[Codex]

>Reading stuff for news articles
>Reading stuff
>Stuff

lololol you fucking what

[Clin]

Yeah, don't bother.

As far as the contactless cards go, only shell service stations have them around here. The Warehouse too but they never work. They're so nice and easy.  I want them in our store so bad but everyone's terrified of them.

As for the report "Some convict was living in my house and stole some of our shit". Profound one, that.

[Arseynimz]

Such a gc.

I was literally having this same discussion today about the ongoing negativity of mainstream media reporting in NZ which is why I wanted you to bring it to the forums. The standard for what "news" is, in my view is effectively pre-qualified with "will it shock the audience" or "will it polarise people". I get that they are a business like anyone else, but how they make money should be investigated, not manipulation of the product they bring to market to then manipulate the views of their audience. In this respect they are producing content that is markedly different to a product on a shelf, or offered as a service, and yes I know I have the ability to choose my source of information, BUT, when all my information sources are producing the same style because they're all fighting in the same space and manipulating the same views, or course I'm going to turn to forums like this, or reddit, or others in order to get an unbiased piece of information/news.

I use the gaming example as my standard go to. I'm a gamer, and I work in an environment where some people game, and some don't, but I'm still a more visible gamer due to my time spent on this site, and related activities, as well as being known for my commentary and the events I do that are related to that. People at work will ask me, but 9 times out of 10 they will already have a pre-conceived idea of how I live my life, and what I do as a tagged "gamer". This view is 100% due to the mainstream media's portrayal of what a gamer is, and when I ask those who talk to me about it what they think my world would look like, they refer to the old school uber-geek style profiling: all spare time at home in gamecave with a room that is decorated with rashuns, twisties, coke, and a computer or multiple computers rocking a WoW sub and Call of Duty/Battlefield. So when I lost an amount of weight in the last year, the questions were asked by a few, "how did you do it?" and I told them of how I did from research and walking and the likes. Oft this is met by, but don't you play games...

Anyway, my point is, the mainstream media develops a view, takes that view, and ensures it is a shock profile. It seems that portraying a gamer as an uber-geek and then reporting him for mass-murder following the influences of Call of Duty is going to create more talk and views than some kid who has been teased and is just fed up to fuck with that. Just like contactless payment being a very solid, thoroughly tested, and extremely good convenience as a form of payment - you want to talk about fraud, then tell me how you can card skim on contactless payment Stuff? Just ask BurgerFuel how they'd see contactless payment following the shemozzle that was the EFTPOS machine scam last year. But no, reporting on positives, or on truths, or on the finer details that allow an opinion to be fully formed for a reader/consumer seem to have bypassed modern journalism in place of social media following, spam reporting, and generally lacking business development in the paper, broadcast, and online media.

I'm only just touching the mad that I have with this subject too.

[Clin]

The standard for what "news" is, in my view is effectively pre-qualified with "will it shock the audience" or "will it polarise people".

Hawkes Bay Today front Page last night. I should be relieved I suppose. No one got the bash on the way home from the pub.

[benlav]

Yeah it's all bullshit these days. Working in the finance sector, there is some utter scare mongering BS coming out of the news papers. I get all shitty when an article consists of a twitter post, then pasting pictures of what other people said about said twitter post. It rages me.

Unfortunately, scaring people sells, the quality of new zealand journalism is at an all time low in my opinion. Mark Reason anyone?

If anyone can find a well balanced news paper, please please let me know.

[Craigor]

I refuse to watch the news on TV, and I only check it online with extreme skepticism, for all the reasons above

They distort the truth so much it infuriates me.

[Clin]

Justin Bieber got arrested guys.

[prolax]

It's not just NZ, it's so hard to find a good honest media outlet these days for anything - news or reviews.

My go-to is the guardian. I'm appalled that Bieber gets his face posted everywhere overnight but no one batters an eye lid to the events going on in the Ukraine. Not even particularly because people don't care, people just aren't told anymore.

TV1/TV3/stuff/nzh - real journalism where you at?

[Bounty Hunter]

Quality unbiased news source: http://www.thecivilian.co.nz/

It's pretty small time, but he's kept his identity secret by employing methods used by super hero's such as Batman, Superman and not Ironman. This allows him to report on the truth without fear of rebuttal.

As someone who has been bought up in the media, they're just trying to make a buck. Start a fuckin' group.

[Lias]

Stuff went to the dogs years ago. The Herald was better for awhile but they are both as bad each other now.

[benlav]

http://www.3news.co.nz/Colin-Craig-threatens-satirical-website/tabid/1607/articleID/295333/Default.aspx

Quality unbiased news source: http://www.thecivilian.co.nz/

It's pretty small time, but he's kept his identity secret by employing methods used by super hero's such as Batman, Superman and not Ironman. This allows him to report on the truth without fear of rebuttal.

As someone who has been bought up in the media, they're just trying to make a buck. Start a fuckin' group.

Is this not the guy?

http://www.3news.co.nz/Colin-Craig-threatens-satirical-website/tabid/1607/articleID/295333/Default.aspx

[Bounty Hunter]

http://www.3news.co.nz/Colin-Craig-threatens-satirical-website/tabid/1607/articleID/295333/Default.aspx

Quality unbiased news source: http://www.thecivilian.co.nz/

It's pretty small time, but he's kept his identity secret by employing methods used by super hero's such as Batman, Superman and not Ironman. This allows him to report on the truth without fear of rebuttal.

As someone who has been bought up in the media, they're just trying to make a buck. Start a fuckin' group.

Is this not the guy?

http://www.3news.co.nz/Colin-Craig-threatens-satirical-website/tabid/1607/articleID/295333/Default.aspx

Yeah guys name is Ben Uffindell, he use to be the only contributor to the UC rag (Canta) who was worth reading.

[Arnifix]

Speaking of Justin Bieber.

Another interesting article on the different ways that people are speaking about Bieber vs Richard Sherman, the Seatle Seahawks cornerback who apparently made some unsporting comments following the win that put the Seahawks through to the Super Bowl.

[Tiwaking!]

I was literally having this same discussion today about the ongoing negativity of mainstream media reporting in NZ which is why I wanted you to bring it to the forums. The standard for what "news" is, in my view is effectively pre-qualified with "will it shock the audience" or "will it polarise people". I get that they are a business like anyone else, but how they make money should be investigated, not manipulation of the product they bring to market to then manipulate the views of their audience. In this respect they are producing content that is markedly different to a product on a shelf, or offered as a service, and yes I know I have the ability to choose my source of information, BUT, when all my information sources are producing the same style because they're all fighting in the same space and manipulating the same views, or course I'm going to turn to forums like this, or reddit, or others in order to get an unbiased piece of information/news.

This quote seems fairly relevant to you:

Responsible journalism is about reporting all the facts in an impartial manner, and therefore, accurately portrating the truth. It's sad to see the death of this kind of journalism, because it is exactly this kind of dilligent reporting that has kept governments, the police, and other authorities honest in the past. Nowadays, journalism is all too willing to be tainted by spin.

It shouldn't be about 'selling' stories - it should be about independently reporting the truth to the public.

edit:

Another interesting article on the different ways that people are speaking about Bieber vs Richard Sherman, the Seatle Seahawks cornerback who apparently made some unsporting comments following the win that put the Seahawks through to the Super Bowl.

I tried this out. I got all the answers correct, and I dont know who to hate more: The Journalists who report like this, or the Society that accepts it

[Pyromanik]

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.
 - We don't know what the facts are. All we have is a source.
Don't let the source get in the way of a good story.
 - Sources are irrelevant, so long as a story comes from somewhere, that's all that matters.

Modern Journalism: Don't good story.

[Craigor]

I was having a read around a few articles on 'neknominate' this morning

‘Neknominate’ is thought to have been born in Australia.
But now it is sweeping Britain in a series of viral videos.

The craze began in Australia early this month but has quickly become a global trend

#Neknominate, which has been dubbed "the social drinking game for social media", started as a chain-mail game in the UK in January 2013.

Hmm.. We don't know where this started, so let's just make it up?

[Arseynimz]

Can I take a twist on this thread and may be ask what people find good in a story/article/newspiece. Or maybe even what you watch or read to get your news

[Arnifix]

@youranonnews & @anonyops for general news links.
@official_ISCD & @profdavidnutt for drug & policy related news.

BoingBoing on the webs, The UK Guardian normally has some good reporting.

What I like to see is sources. An anonymous source is fine, but then I want to see enough supporting evidence (with verifiable sources) that I can then satisfy myself that the information being presented isn't unfairly biased.

[Pyromanik]

Can I take a twist on this thread and may be ask what people find good in a story/article/newspiece. Or maybe even what you watch or read to get your news

I use the bubble screening technique.
(It's not really a thing, I'm just putting a name to what I do to make it sound cooler. It also wasn't a concious decision, just what ended up happening.)

I don't check anything for news. Anything that is big enough manages to make it through to me without me having to break the bubble and actively seek news. Sometimes it means I'm a little behind, but also that there's less speculative shit about. And if there is still a load of it, then I'm free to paruse a plethora of varied resources, research and make my OWN mind up, not just swallow down what some shit derping social media junky modern 'journalist' thinks I should. Mind you on occasion this can be very difficult, as they tend to regurgitate what one another said, extrapolating the same crap from the original source (often a single tweet, meaning a sub 140 character out of context line from some CEO or other higher up).

What I like in a news article basically amounts to passing 5th form English (school C, none of this pansy 'oh yup, you're shit but you can carry on' NCEA crap).
I don't mind if there's an angle on the story, as all articles should have really, so long as it's well thought out and clearly presented with a balanced look at both sides, or at least show a consideration of the other side. Not some frothing fanboi crap or coprorate agenda pushed propaganda/hyperbole. There needs to be real facts, with actual sources (not a source that is basically someone else saying the same thing - cf. anything kotaku).

In general in today's world of fast one liners, news should be a large (not 2-3) collection of many sources extrapolated, but clearly conveyed as the author's voice, not as fact. And for real news, actual facts should be gathered and listed. Articles should be a report on what's happening (or has happened), not a bunch of "as good as we could get with some made up fillers portrayed as fact".

[mattnz]

I read stuff so that I can see the comments, and fully understand the number of idiots that I share this country with.

They seem to have embraced the ignorance of their readers by allowing comments on Waitangi stories. I'm sure that they didn't used to, but it seems like the monkeys are running the zoo these days, or maybe it's just more visible now that 'Stuff Nation' (read: writers that we don't pay) exists.

[Pyromanik]

Stuff'd nation, the day anyone takes heed of what one of those muppets has to say.

[Craigor]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11199647

Wood, who lives on Paritai Drive, did not see the flare but said people often set off fireworks in the early hours from the nearby coastline.

"I often sleep with my doors open

Tomorrows headline - Susan Wood Home Invasion?

[mattnz]

I like it how she got in a plug for her show.

[Scopey]

I read stuff so that I can see the comments, and fully understand the number of idiots that I share this country with.

I do the same. Except I usually also read the opinion section of The Dominion for even more fill on idiots.