We’ve been saying it for a very long time: the New Zealand mainstream media are utterly corrupted by government design, subsidies, grants and loans. There can be no denying the total and complete subjugation of our media by a government that is captured and beholden to Maori and Socialist influences.
The Platform has delved into the Public Interest Journalism Fund and found alarming details of the coercion of NZ media that readers of this site are all too aware of:
The Public Interest Journalism Fund has received a fair bit of attention since its inception due to the political nature of some of the criteria for funding.
The idea that media might be incentivised to adhere to the criteria in order to not miss out on funding has led to questions being asked by MPs in parliament, by commentators, and has no doubt contributed to the rapid decrease in trust the public have in media.
The perception has grown that funding is only available to media who consistently toe the line on political issues and in particular those related to the Treaty of Waitangi or co-governance. Those seeking to challenge these things need not apply.
Of course, it is possible that the New Zealand media simply have a completely homogeneous view on the highly contentious topic of the governance of the country. However, it is difficult to understand why no mainstream media have endeavoured to present the other side of the debate in terms other than denigration and accusations of racism.
The Platform
There is an undeniable bias in our mainstream media. All of them have partaken of the fund, and unsurprisingly all of them are in lock step in pushing a homogenised view that the Treaty of Waitangi created a co-governance model between the most powerful empire and ruler of the time, Queen Victoria, and a bunch of illiterate, stone-age disparate tribes loosely called Maori, more intent on warring against each other than actually enlightening themselves. If you believe the most powerful woman in the world, Queen Victoria – the Empress of India and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland – formed a co-governance treaty with a bunch of Maori tribes who scrawled their mark on some paper and parchment, then I have a bicycle bridge over the Waitemata Harbour I can sell you.
We decided to look closer at the fund and exactly what those receiving funding had to agree to. The information is all available publicly and in plain sight. A copy of the standard funding agreement is available on the NZ On Air website. Upon reading the documentation we were struck by two significant things:
1. The funding agreements are set up like loans.
2. In the first section of ‘General Eligibility Criteria’ a document is provided as a ‘resource’ called Te Tiriti Framework for News Media which references He Puapua as an authoritative document.
Those with mortgages will understand what a default event is and know that it ultimately can result in one losing their home.
Most of us understand that when we take out a loan of any kind we must sign up to terms and conditions that if we fail to adhere to will result in us defaulting and being required to pay the loan back, sometimes with penalties.
That is essentially how the Public Interest Journalism Fund is set up – like a loan. Not only do applicants have to thoroughly explain how they will adhere to the particular co-governance model of understanding the Treaty in order to get the funding in the first place, they have to agree that should they deviate from presenting this perspective NZ On Air can say that they have defaulted on the agreement and demand the funding be repaid.
Additionally, the agreement stipulates that in the event of a default:
“You indemnify us against all liability we may have to any third party as a result…”
Oh, and they can “takeover” the project too. In which case they would demand all of your resources be at their disposal and/or get another company to complete the project – adhering to the correct narrative of course. In the situation of a “takeover”, the agreement states:
“You hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint us as your attorney-in-fact with full power and authority…”
The Platform
That sounds exactly like the fund has been described as: editorial control of the news via funding arrangements. This is what total and utter subjugation of media looks like.
The kicker is that in order to receive funding from the Public Interest Journalism Fund the applicants must sign a confidentiality agreement. They cannot even talk about the terms they have agreed to.
The Platform
Add censorship to the list of charges laid at the government’s doorstep.
This is why you need to support independent media organisations like the BFD. We receive no tainted money from a government intent on total control of the narrative. While the NZ Herald, Newshub, Stuff and others are up to their trotters in the swill trough called the Public Interest Journalism Fund, we are only funded by generous donors, subscriptions and memberships.
We can only do what our resources allow us. We continually punch above our weight. We can only do that with your continued support.
For those of you who do donate and subscribe, we thank you profusely for your contribution. The BFD is answerable only those who support us with memberships, subscriptions and donations.
For those who do not, ask yourself why you are letting the mainstream media get away with bias and shilling, and ask yourself why you cannot find a few dollars to support independent media like the BFD.
To put it bluntly folks, we are in a war and our opponents are well-armed from government coffers. There is so much more we could do: we just need your backing. If you aren’t yet a member, then consider helping us continue in the war for the minds of New Zealanders.
We don’t have a large multi-millionaire backer like the Platform; we are funded by our members. We simply need more members, then we too could deliver content like the Platform does.
Think about it. Do you like what the media landscape looks like? Or do you want to see a vibrant contest of ideas in our media? If it’s the latter, then join us.
Please share this article so others can discover The BFD.