That Newshub’s erasure is seen by some as good news speaks to the thankless job journalists do in Aotearoa, says Matt Burrows.
As news of the imminent closure of Newshub filtered through last week, a predictable wave of merciless critics took their chance to stick the boot in.
‘Go woke go broke’ was the sentiment expressed by many on social media, as others celebrated the demise of “radical activists parading as journalists”.
Newshub’s own announcement of the shutdown on Facebook was inundated with hundreds of ‘laugh’ emoji reactions, and the outlet was forced to turn comments off the post amid a volley of criticism.
Having worked at Newshub for seven years, and regularly coming into contact with journalists across the industry through my work with Media Chaplaincy NZ, I’m saddened to see some revelling in the news of its downfall.
We are losing one of our legacy news companies, which will have dampening effects on our democracy, access to information and quality of journalism in this country. A narrowing of voices is not healthy, nor is the dominance of the wild west that is social media and its algorithms, accountable to no standards of conduct and truth-telling.
But, more importantly, it’s the approximately 300 Newshub staffers who will lose their livelihoods at the end of June – each with families to sustain and career goals unrealised – that makes the celebratory comments so hard to read.
These 300 people, talented and ambitious, will all at once be thrust onto the job market at the end of June, forced to compete with their colleagues for the same few job openings available at an ever-shrinking number of news organisations.
On the day of the announcement, a couple of media chaplains went to the pub where Newshub staff were taking stock after that shock 11am meeting. It was a sobering experience.
Some were in shock, unable to consider their future prospects. Others were already casting their mind towards July, wondering if New Zealand media will still have a place for them, or if they’ll have to exit the industry or head overseas to earn a living.
The uncertainty of it all is painful, destabilising, anxiety-inducing.
One staffer I spoke to was just about to head on honeymoon when he got the news, and now has to figure out how he and his new wife are going to raise their daughter on a single income. Another, who was promised a full-time contract but is yet to receive it, is now wondering whether he’s eligible for a redundancy payout.
Who would celebrate this?
The fact some see Newshub’s erasure as a good thing, even as they watch the footage of staff leaving the meeting room where they learned their fate in tears, speaks to the thankless job journalists do in a highly polarised society given to violent rhetoric across sharp divides.
During my time at Newshub, I never grew used to the constant influx of noxious emails to our newsroom inbox – racist, misogynistic, threatening, unsettling messages that would make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
I can only imagine the dumpster fire the inbox would have been last week, clogged with emails gleefully mocking those who’ve poured their hearts into the company over the last 35 years.
A survey of 128 New Zealand journalists last year found every single one of them had experienced abuse, threats or violence related to their job – usually via work email on a daily or weekly basis.
What many of the people sending abuse fail to realise is that media companies are made up of real people doing their best to tell the stories that matter, all while dealing with dwindling resources, time, and staff.
At Media Chaplaincy, the journalists we support regularly tell us about the very real fear they feel at the reaction to their work, which too often goes beyond valid and civil criticism. They are left shaken by a threat or personal attack and question whether the industry is really for them.
These are people drawn to journalism because they have a desire to hold the powerful to account, to give a voice to the voiceless, to advocate for those marginalised by society. They are deeply good people doing crucial work.
The impending closure of Newshub is a tragedy but I hope, at the very least, it can be a catalyst for acknowledging those who push through daily vitriol to deliver us the news – and seeing them once more as human beings.
Matt Burrows is Newshub’s former Digital Features Editor. He currently works with Media Chaplaincy NZ.
