Response To Govt Announcement Of New Media Regulation System

The Better Public Media Trust welcomes the government's announcement to review New Zealand's media regulatory system. This is desirable after years of reviews and recommendations from the Law Commission established a need for a single statutory regulator.

As the Minister of Internal Affairs Jan Tinetti announced yesterday, New Zealand's press, television and online regulations are out-dated and fail to uphold standards equally across the converged media sector. As it stands, the system is complicated for consumers who might want to make a complaint. Content creators need certainty and clarity rather than a labyrinth of regulation which has been made redundant by technology.

"Better Public Media is generally supportive of an approach which is consistent across platforms," said BPM Trustee, Peter Thompson. "However the regulatory issues concerning digital and online platforms are not limited to concerns over harmful content. There is also a need to consider the wider media landscape and needs of the public as citizens not just consumers. This includes matters such as the platforms and means of content discovery and the institutional arrangements for public media services.

"It is also important that the progression of initiatives such as Strong Public Media and future deliberations over the Public Interest Journalism Fund align with regulatory developments across different ministries and government departments."

BPM would welcome the opportunity to tak part in the consultation process, which should not be rushed.

Link to the Minster's announcement - https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/govt-acts-protect-nzers-harmful-content

Link to the Law Commission review - http://r128.publications.lawcom.govt.nz/

© Scoop Media