NZ On Air welcomes the Government’s acknowledgement of sustainability difficulties in the news media sector, with the increase in funding to the sector via the public media funding agency.
The Government has today announced $6.4m additional funding to NZ On Air, or $1.6m a year for the next four years, to support journalism.
“It’s been an incredibly tough time for all in the media sector due to declining revenues, and we have been under increasing pressure to increase funding into journalism, but without the means to do so unless we took funding from other equally pressured areas,” said NZ On Air Chief Executive Cameron Harland.
“The nature of the Broadcasting Act, which prohibits our involvement in editorial content, means we are in a unique position to provide funds at arm’s length. This is important due to the vital role of the fourth estate in upholding democracy,” he continued.
In line with the Government’s intentions, the funding will be directed into support for local journalism with a particular focus on reporting on local democracy and justice matters.