CTU Backs Workers' Stand In Favour Of Quality

Friday, 13 April 2007, 2:20 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Council of Trade Unions

13 April 2007

CTU Backs Workers' Stand In Favour Of Quality, Well Resourced Journalism

"The wider union movement backs the stand being taken by staff in the newsrooms of two large media outlets to halt current threats to quality and well resourced journalism in New Zealand," CTU president Ross Wilson said today.

"The CTU has serious concerns about the ability of major media organisations to comprehensively report on the full range of New Zealand news in an environment where they are contracting out or removing essential aspects of news delivery."

"Television New Zealand, as a crown entity, has additional responsibilities within its charter that will be threatened by their planned cuts to news and current affairs," Ross Wilson said.

"A healthy democracy relies on high quality news journalism in reporting and analysing the issues of the day," he said. "There has already been a worrying move from serious and balanced analysis to partisan and trivialised infotainment."

"The two current proposals represent a direct threat to quality journalism, and the CTU offers its full support to the EPMU members at APN, and the PSA and EPMU members at TVNZ, in their campaign to not only avert the job losses, but safeguard the public interest," Ross Wilson said.

ENDS

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New Zealand Council of Trade Unions

Te Kauae Kaimahi

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi brings together over 350,000 New Zealand union members in 40 affiliated unions. We are the united voice for working people and their families in New Zealand.

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