Compared with most countries we do rather well in New Zealand with our varied and differentiated public media. National Radio, certainly, is outstanding and on the whole newspapers present a fair range of views on contested matters. The exception seems to be anything to do with religion. The churches appear to be regarded as a Read more
Before 2017, Jimmy Fallon dominated Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel in the late night talk show ratings wars. But Colbert has since emerged as the victor, besting his rivals in overall viewership for the recently concluded 2016-2017 season. Colbert ended the September-to-May season with an average of 3.19 million nightly viewers, compared to Fallon’s 3.17 million and Read more
South Sudan may have a love-hate relationship with the media, banning it one minute, calling it back the next – but it is desperate for help and needs media attention right now. Sister Yudith Pereira-Rico, associate executive director of Solidarity with South Sudan says her organization is promoting the hashtag #SouthSudanWeCare on social media. Their Read more
The media need to get their terminology right and stop perpetuating negative stereotypes about immigrants says Pope Francis. Negative names for immigrants, like calling them “illegal” are not on, Francis says. The media is guilty of this. They should stop perpetuating negative stereotypes and find out why people migrate, he says. Francis offered a number Read more
Photos of Pope Francis shape the way we see him. We believe what we see. Consider the way Francis was presented in his diplomatic visit to Cuba. Then consider his upcoming trip to Egypt. How will the media portray him? Which images will they choose – and why? Read more
Social networks do best when they tap into one of the seven deadly sins. Facebook is ego. Zynga is sloth. LinkedIn is greed. ~ Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn (2011) The Atlantic’s Robinson Meyer suggests that Hoffman’s tongue-in-cheek comment from five years ago may contain more than a kernel of truth. Using Dante’s Inferno as Read more
Seventh-day Adventist-owned Hope Channel has become the most popular Christian broadcaster in New Zealand after only a year on the air. New data from market researcher Nielsen indicate that Hope Channel New Zealand has an average monthly viewership of 200,000 people, more than local Christian broadcasters SonLife, Firstlight, and even Shine TV (Rhema Media), which Read more
Biased coverage of Syria’s six-year conflict has been criticised by a religious sister working with Christian families in Aleppo. Sister Annie Demerjian, a member of the Sisters of Jesus and Mary, questioned why Western journalists focused on the plight of people in areas held by rebels and jihadis but seldom those in regions controlled by Read more
Seventh-day Adventist congregations across New Zealand have gathered to watch the debut of the local affiliate of church-owned Hope Channel on free-to-air television. Hope Channel New Zealand, as it is known, had been broadcasting via satellite on Freeview Satellite since September 2015. As of April 30, its broadcast was extended to the free-to-air platform. “This Read more
Francesca Chaouqui, a public relations expert and former consultant to the Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See, strongly denied that he leaked confidential Vatican documents to journalists. “I can assure you that no reserved documents ever passed from my hands,” Chaouqui said. “Never, never,” she during her testimony at Read more