Kim Hill is voicing which prominent Kiwi Brand's ad? And Kiwi news bosses weigh in on US papers' election endorsement saga.
Kiwi news bosses weigh in on top US papers’ not endorsing presidential candidates; Kim Hill’s new gig; NZME parenting podcast ends; Top Stuff exec jumps to MediaWorks.
The Washington Post has had a colossally bad week.
At the time of writing, US outlets are reporting at least 250,000 readers have cancelled subscriptions to the paper and three editorial board members have reportedly stepped down after the Post ended its decades-long tradition of endorsing a presidential candidate.
The announcement, occurring just 11 days before Vice-President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump square up on election day, copped swift criticism.
Similarly, the Los Angeles Times has been criticised for forgoing a presidential endorsement this election cycle.
The editorial boards of both papers reportedly planned to endorse Harris, but it’s alleged their billionaire owners – Jeff Bezos for The Post and Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong for the LA Times – had other plans.
Of his decision, Bezos wrote in an October 28 opinion piece that most people believe media is biased and presidential endorsements create a perception of bias.
“By itself, declining to endorse presidential candidates is not enough to move us very far up the trust scale, but it’s a meaningful step in the right direction,” he said.
“I wish we had made the change earlier than we did, in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it. That was inadequate planning and not some intentional strategy.”
In some parts of the world, a news organisation endorsing a political party or top office hopeful is a standard part of election fare.
In Aotearoa, mainstream news publications endorsing a political party or candidate would be – at the least – unusual.
This week, Media Insider asked Kiwi journalism leaders what they made of the papers’ decisions not to offer an endorsement and more broadly the practice of backing candidates.
Spinoff founder and host of The Fold podcast Duncan Greive:
“In general, I think endorsements are a relic from an earlier time when newspapers had more power and a much greater hold on information and attention. Bezos’ piece justifying abandoning the practice was well-argued, and I don’t dispute the thesis that endorsing candidates contributes in a small way to trust decay in media. The bigger problem is that they’re entirely predictable and unlikely to sway a single vote.
“All that said: the time to make the decision and publish the piece was two years out from the election, not two weeks out. It was a colossal and very foreseeable error to do it so close to any election, let alone one with stakes this high (and with Bezos’ other business interests so apparent in the background).
“Both Bezos and the Post should have been able to see this moment coming a mile off. In terms of the reaction, I think it’s disproportionate, and in general I really dislike boycotts as a method of conveying displeasure at a publication. It’s hard to imagine why taking an already embattled institution and depriving it of millions of dollars in revenue is likely to improve it.
“It makes me sad for journalism that it’s happened and that the consequences look to be so profound for all parties involved.”
Stuff owner and publisher Sinead Boucher:
“New Zealand media organisations do not have a practice of endorsing candidates or parties for election and we can see how in other countries this has led to a sometimes partisan media environment which can undermine trust in journalism. However this year’s US election is an extreme case, with a candidate who is openly challenging democracy, who acts like a dictator (and) talks of calling out the military against his own people.
“What is the role of a journalist or a newsroom or an editorial board if not to speak truth to that kind of power, and to not hold that power to account? Donald Trump is, I think, a special case and having billionaire owners preventing editorial boards such as the Washington Post’s from their long-held practice of endorsing a Presidential candidate reeks much more of financial self-interest than any proclaimed interest in improving trust.”
Newsroom founder and co-editor Mark Jennings:
“Looking at the mess that the Washington Post has got itself into I am glad we [Newsroom] and the New Zealand media generally don’t endorse political candidates. Prior to the 1930s, when politicians and wealthy individuals owned newspapers, it did happen here in New Zealand. Since then, our media has been largely independent and most media organisations don’t endorse candidates or parties.
“I agree with the reasons Jeff Bezos gave for not endorsing either Trump or Harris but ditching a long-standing policy a week out looks very suspect. If he had done it a couple of months ago it might have been ok. Now his timing looks bad.
“Personally, I still believe in the old-fashioned approach – that you shouldn’t be able to tell which way a journalist has voted and they should never disclose it.”
TVNZ executive editor Phil O’Sullivan and journalist Jack Tame (who is on the ground in the US):
O’Sullivan: “For Mr Bezos to say he made the change at this time due to ‘inadequate planning’ manages to turn a message about exercising editorial independence into one of editorial interference, which is not good for journalism, nor is it good for business.”
Tame: “Political tribalism and declining trust in institutions are huge problems in the US, and in my view, media outlets making presidential endorsements only make things worse. That being said, if newspaper publishers wanted to change their strategy and stop endorsing candidates, it’s probably a good idea to signal that decision at the very start of a political cycle rather than waiting until a few weeks before an election!”
NZ Herald editor-in-chief Murray Kirkness:
“The endorsement by a media outlet of any political candidate is not something New Zealand audiences are used to, although it is quite common in many countries around the world.
“Editorial independence, including from one’s owners or shareholders, is one of the cornerstone tenets of any genuinely impartial and trusted newsroom. Choosing to endorse a candidate – or not – isn’t controversial in my view but the timing makes it so.”
Radio New Zealand declined to comment.
After hanging up her radio boots at RNZ, veteran broadcaster Kim Hill has picked up her hiking pair as the voice for Kathmandu’s new advertising campaign, titled “Come find us. We’re out there”.
The campaign is a collaboration between Kathmandu and creative agency Motion Sickness.
Kathmandu chief marketing officer Jo O’Sullivan said in the campaign’s film (shot on Aotea Great Barrier Island) Hill’s “unmistakable” voice carries audiences on a journey into nature, pondering and unpacking how being outside changes us.
“Accompanying Hill’s voice-over is bespoke sound design constructed from live recordings on the island, by talented Auckland-based music producers,” O’Sullivan said.
“Kathmandu, Great Barrier Island and Kim Hill all have a special place in many Kiwi hearts. The combination felt like a magic formula for resetting our brand ... The north star for this campaign was making nature, and the experience of it, our hero. It’s about being out there, getting mud between your toes, and knowing you have a good pair of Kathmandu socks to warm them up in.”
A member of Stuff’s executive team is jumping ship.
MediaWorks announced yesterday Stuff’s brand connections managing director Matt Headland would return to the media company in 2025.
Headland will take on the role as chief digital officer at MediaWorks, where he was previously national direct sales (radio, TV and digital) director in 2016.
“Matt will use his 25+ years of experience in digital media, e-commerce, marketing and commercial to drive our digital strategy and support the growth and expansion of our entertainment platform rova,” the company said on LinkedIn.
Headland told Media Insider he was proud of his time at Stuff including “the brilliant commercial team we’ve built, the strategic commercial relationships and partnerships we’ve delivered and the market-leading position we’ve cemented”.
“An independent, locally-owned media company is so important for New Zealand, playing a critical role in our democracy and our culture. That’s what’s got me out of bed each morning, and it’s been such a privilege to contribute to Stuff’s transformation and success over the past two years.”
He said the decision to move was bittersweet for him as he is leaving a “great company full of great people doing great stuff”.
“But it’s no secret to those who know me that music and talent are my first love, so I’m very lucky to return to that and also return to MediaWorks and rova.”
I’m addicted to podcasts, particularly the news and crime variety, and average about four or five a day. The latest addition to my weekly listening has been BusinessDesk’s Murray Jones’s podcast Heaven’s Helpline. The investigative project reveals how credible reports of child sexual abuse and domestic violence vanish into a system of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) leaders, lawyers and secret courts. We caught up on Thursday, just after his latest episode dropped.
Sports radio and audio platform SENZ is getting a facelift.
From November 19, the station will rebrand as Sport Nation.
Entain Australia and New Zealand’s chief media officer Christopher Haigh said the name Sport Nation better captures “who we are” – a nation of sports lovers who “live and breathe the game”.
The mics are turning off on Aotearoa’s #1 parenting podcast.
Listeners of The Parenting Hangover, hosted by “How to Dad” Jordan Watson and ZM’s Clint Roberts, were told yesterday the podcast was ending.
Watson said they were tired of the podcast game and becoming busy with other projects.
“It’s kind of been something we’ve discussed for a while and we’ve just decided let’s push play on it,” he told listeners.
Roberts said he felt nervous about sharing plans to shut the show down given its loyal audience.
“The reason that we’re shutting it down is because, man it’s time-consuming running a podcast when it’s just the two of you ... we have both decided to re-focus our energies into our families and our other work.
“Both of us have young families and mortgages and any extra time that we have at the moment, I don’t want to work more at the moment. I want to work less and spend time with my kids,” Roberts said.
The podcast ran for about 18 months, released 72 episodes and had more than 350,000 downloads.
This column has been edited since it was first published.
Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers social issues including sexual assault, workplace misconduct, media, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.
'I can imagine people being outraged that TVNZ signed a deal with me.'