What's happened to Wellington's media?
When I was first elected to Wellington City Council
meetings were covered by a minimun of three
reporters, but often there were more.
The main two papers were the Evening Post and
the Dominion. The Post would send one of two
regular reporters and the Dominion would send a
reporter. Sometimes both Evening Post reporters
would attend Council. Back then City Voice was also a
regular at Council and more often than not a local
reporter from one of the Community Papers would also
attend. Added to this was radio and from time to time
television would also cover Council meetings.
To spice all this up and keep the main media honest,
I launched, along with K.A. Simpson and Jim Delahunty,
the fortnightly four page Rumble, which drove the Evening
Post to distraction. It was a lampooning satirical little rag
with a level of popularity that amazed us. After three years we
parted company but we are now collaborating again.
We are doing this because the media have now almost
completely walked away from covering local government.
Often there is no reporter at Council meetings. We wonder
what influence Council's weekly full page ads are having
on the restructured Dompost and note the absence of detailed
reporting of civic affairs now that there is no longer a Wellington
focused daily. Reporting the burning issues of the day and how
the elected representative voted used to be a pre-occupation of
the dailies but not any longer.
Doing a sterling job with limited space is the wonderful weekly
Capital Times, but always a little nervous and trailing behind is
the Wellingtonian, which appears to have been a sop for the
removal of Wellington's premier paper, The Evening Post.
Community newspapers have also undergone a tabloid type
restructuring and seem confused about their identity.
meetings were covered by a minimun of three
reporters, but often there were more.
The main two papers were the Evening Post and
the Dominion. The Post would send one of two
regular reporters and the Dominion would send a
reporter. Sometimes both Evening Post reporters
would attend Council. Back then City Voice was also a
regular at Council and more often than not a local
reporter from one of the Community Papers would also
attend. Added to this was radio and from time to time
television would also cover Council meetings.
To spice all this up and keep the main media honest,
I launched, along with K.A. Simpson and Jim Delahunty,
the fortnightly four page Rumble, which drove the Evening
Post to distraction. It was a lampooning satirical little rag
with a level of popularity that amazed us. After three years we
parted company but we are now collaborating again.
We are doing this because the media have now almost
completely walked away from covering local government.
Often there is no reporter at Council meetings. We wonder
what influence Council's weekly full page ads are having
on the restructured Dompost and note the absence of detailed
reporting of civic affairs now that there is no longer a Wellington
focused daily. Reporting the burning issues of the day and how
the elected representative voted used to be a pre-occupation of
the dailies but not any longer.
Doing a sterling job with limited space is the wonderful weekly
Capital Times, but always a little nervous and trailing behind is
the Wellingtonian, which appears to have been a sop for the
removal of Wellington's premier paper, The Evening Post.
Community newspapers have also undergone a tabloid type
restructuring and seem confused about their identity.
To visit my website click on www.pepptalk.net
posted by pepptalk at 5:53 PM
3 Comments:
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From: Jack Ruben [mailto:jack.ruben@xtra.co.nz]
Sent: Monday, 7 August 2006 11:01 a.m.
To: Bryan Pepperell
Subject:
Bryan,
DEMOCRACY & THE MEDIA.
You excellent article expressing concerns about the lack of media coverage of Wellington City Council affairs, emphasises that two of the pillars of Democracy are Transparency and Accountability are not being upheld.
WCC meetings are seldom covered by the media these days, so unacceptable actions and decisions by councillors pass without comment. If only the public knew!
In the good old days of two main dailies, - The Dominion and The Evening Post, their reporters were present at all meetings. Today....the press seats are almost always empty, whilst the mayor and council enjoy a vast P.R. organisation.
Capital Times does a good job, but does not have the coverage of the DomPost. Sadly City Voice and Rumble have now disappeared, and the Community Newspapers are still struggling to find their new image.
All Ratepayers should exert whatever pressure they can to ensure The DomPost regularly attends Council and Committee meetings, and reports issues and which way councillors voted. Unless this is done, the public may be hoodwinked into voting for those individuals who can afford the largest advertisements - like last time!
The next election is only 14 months away, and we desperately need a change of faces round the council table, so act now! We need a prudent, socially conscious council, not one dominated by property speculators and their friends, and Waterfront destroyers.
83 Wilson Street
Newtown
Wellington
Saturday 5 August 2006
Dear Editor
Your paper on Tuesday 18 July quotes Kerry Prendergast as saying that Government moves will cost Wellington City Council $2.5 miillon. She stated further that additional compliance costs would have a huge impact on residential rates. This covers up the more significant causes of rate rises for residential ratepqyers in Wellington City.
Firstly, the shift in the rating burden from the commercial sector to the residential sector will cost residential ratepayers (I believe) $4.3 million this year.
Secondly, in 10 years time the Council's debt is projected to be over $420 million. My estimate is that this will cost ratepayers $32 million a year in interest payments alone.
Yours faithfully
Warwick Taylor
Secretary
Wellington Residents' Coalition
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