Yesterday was a new low from the NZ Herald with that publication carrying a full page advertisement and a front page banner from Hobson’s Pledge a group opposed to fairer treatment for Maori.
As a kid I loved the news, still do. Back in those days before the Internet, before 24 hour news channels there was the 6pm news, although I have memories of it being at 6:30, and the Auckland Herald.
You knew where you were with dear old Granny. Sure she was a bit centre right and her breath smelled a bit of tinned fish when you went in for a stubbly kiss on the cheek. These days she’d slip you the tongue without even putting her dentures in, sell crack to your kids, and charge you for reposted articles from the Daily Mail without blushing.
The once veritable institution, now 159 years old, served Auckland and New Zealand well for many decades before sliding further and further right, becoming more and more a tabloid until we have the publication today. Barely distinguishable from their stablemate Newstalk ZB, they even share many of the same jockeys.
Many of us will have memories intertwined with the paper. We remember events that have occurred by the covers and headlines that communicated them.
My first job was delivering the Herald in Rotorua. We had to be at the office before six each morning, six days a week, to collect our papers. If the truck bringing them from Auckland was late we had to unload the truck before we could do our deliveries.
50-60 Saturday Heralds back in the days of full classifieds were a pretty weighty load – and it was bloody cold in winter.
One morning it was so cold I was wearing a balaclava. Coming up the rise of Pukuatua St opposite the Anglican Church the balaclava fell down over my eyes and I crashed at pace straight into the rear of a parked car. But the news had to get through.
There was a sense that you were bringing the news to people, again this is before the internet so to find out what happened overnight in world events or sports the first thing you did in the morning was read the Herald.
I recall the 1987 America’s cup and opening the sporting section first thing each day to check the results from the night before. Back when that competition seemed like an actual sailing event with similar boats, not a pissing contest for billionaires.
The Herald was the source if you wanted to buy or sell second hand goods, a house, a car, look for a job or travel sales, or check who had died. It also told the news well.
Readers today would not recognize in particular the level of International reporting that was available. It was real actual news without the sensationalism, with out the gotcha tabloid reporting without the gutter headlines.
Readers from back then seeing the offering today would feel as if they had turned the TV on expecting BBC World but had gotten Fox News instead
I completely stuffed up my first day on the job. My route had four main streets to cover and I got them mixed up delivering to the numbered houses in one street what should have gone to another street. By the time I realized my mistake I didn’t have enough papers to complete the round and was quite upset.
An elderly gentleman took pity on me and hearing my story drove me into town, to Dianne dairy for those who know Rotorua, and bought a bunch of newspapers so I could finish the round.
There were still some complaints the next day, but enough people were delivered their daily news that I got to keep the job. There were other kind people on the route, some that would leave sweets or a $10 note at Christmas, in return you’d get off your bike and put the paper on their front doorstep rather than in the letterbox out on the road.
I was proud a few years later to appear on page three of the paper. A group of us from Auckland Uni had travelled by bus up to Wellsford in protest at the then Education Minister Lockwood Smith increasing course fees. There we were grinning away with an effigy of Dr Smith we brought to hold a mock trial in the main street.
I doubt such a protest would get coverage these days. Not the fact that there were only one busload of us, and it wasn’t a big bus, they’re quite ok with giving small protests coverage as we’ve seen during Covid. More with the subject matter, at the very least it would need sensationalizing.
The Herald has of course faced the same issues as other traditional media with content online, an expectation of free access to that content, and falling numbers of people buying a physical daily newspaper.
There is now very little in the way of investigative journalism, most of what we see is the repackaging of press releases rather than actual work under taken by a journalist. They have guest writers as diverse as Rodney Hide, Steven Joyce and Richard Prebble – subtle guys.
During the Key years they essentially became a fanzine for the National Party. If it wasn’t bad enough already for democracy that that party always had so much more to spend on advertising from wealthy donors.
They now also had the preeminent newspaper of the country essentially issuing party political broadcasts on their behalf, which didn’t even come from their election-spending budget. Leading up to the 2014 election the Herald website looked like the sky city convention centre ready for election night, every inch blue and promoting National.
Sadly the writers who pointed out reality and were quite critical of the Key government soon found their column discontinued for “financial reasons”. Do you remember how good Dita de Boni was, and no doubt still is? Apparently the dirty politics manoeuvres from the likes of Rachel Glucina were more what they wanted their readership to consume.
I cancelled my subscription at the time when John Armstrong wrote more than ten viciously one-sided attack pieces on David Cunliffe in a row leading up to the election. This wasn’t journalism anymore this was just propaganda and not something that I cared to continue spending money on or reading any longer.
Of course papers take different editorial stances. If you live like somewhere like the UK you could buy the Telegraph if you were conservative or the Guardian if you were a leftie, or if you’re a mentally deficient moron with white supremacist sympathies you could select the Daily Mail. The issue here is that the Herald was the only game in town – there were no alternatives.
There are good alternatives online, the Spinoff for woke millennials or those of us who identify as such for example, but for the most part for a non pro-National voice in the media you have to turn to comedy and satire. Reality is White Man Behind a Desk will far better inform you on issues than the Herald these days.
If there are still editors I can only assume they are in fact Account Managers for the vested interests because they don’t seem to be highlighting the shortcomings of their political journalists. They could read G News for excellent, free, analysis of this.
Would the last decent reporter please turn out the lights? That would be you Simon Wilson.
This article is for Maureen who reminded me that the Herald used to be a really good newspaper. That Saturday Herald, much maligned when I had to carry so many of the buggers, was the best NZ paper of the week. It was like newspapers overseas in that there was so much in it you could spend all weekend reading it.
They’re not the first publication more than sympathetic to big business and the party of big business.
They aren’t the first publication to dumb down their offering in order to appeal to the lowest common crayon chewer.
But they used to be so much better back in Granny’s glory days before she started taking money to do things she must know are wrong.
Fond memories of Granny.
Agree entirely - Excellent viewpoint. It's not just the Herald, it is most Mainstream Media, TVNZ and even RNZ I find disappoint more often than not. Indeed White Man Behind A Desk and G News ( unknown by most ) are where critical and honest reporting is at these days. It's a National disgrace ( pun intended ).
Agree. NZHerald New owners ( Murdoch&Australian media, same owners as ZB) do not allow journalists. Only , like Fox news and Sky news, pro right distorted news. What ordinary kiwis unfortunately don't know this caused Trump, Boris, Scott Morrison to Be elected. The relentless attacks on Jacinda trusthfulness( she "lies", spin, never answers a question) looks like character assasination . We've seen the results in latest poll and comments on Newshub. I was in Auckland visiting and two of my friends who don't have time to read real news told me the same. If Labour loose the election it will Be the end of progressive modern NZ and back to Key times: all our media are foreign owned by pro right . Even tv1 has Simon Powell now as CEO. Jacinda is admired all over t h e world and our economic success( media saying economy is failing ) is well documented. To hear that 2mil kiwis listen to Hosking got me worried : another Murdoch man, pro Luxon&Key. Key has done so much damage to our country and continues to do it thru his foreign friends : he got the Order of Australia for services to that country , he undermined our Delta fight spreading lies about Pfizer contract ( he was rebuffed by Pfizer but damage was done). I will not out it past him ! Destabilising our country to Be sold to American prepers as he has done before: Peter Thiel got citizenship in 2 weeks !