Media, Money and Trust

Abstract

Humans act based on the ideas they adopt and apply to circumstance with the intensity of action derived from the associated emotions. It follows that in any society the presentation of the ideas to citizens a major driver of citizen opinion and hence a major driver of social development.

After the global financial crash governance ethical failure is proved a significant economic factor in modern society. This paper shows by actual example that the exact same issue pervades governance of institutional media.

People seek truth but only offered bias and opinion without the ethical drive to find workable compromise and balance.

The paper closes with the question will people pay for balanced news they can trust? I suggest they will, but as yet there is no media institution in NZ even trying to offer professional level of journalism in service of citizens.

Note: The discussion is in relation to New Zealand, a country with sophisticated social infrastructure, the issues faced typical of those faced throughout the free world.