Have news media
organisations really become online real estate promoters that are in the business
of driving up market values? Several factors feed into this issue which impact the media reporting. For starters, the internet has played a major role in changing Journalism.
Online news media has shifted to become 24/7 operations with fewer reporters.
It seems that mainstream media outlets are more focused creating articles that increase financial gains. Trashy clickable items now commonly link to
advertising which has become the norm. Furthermore, public relations messages and
media releases disguised as news have become part of the non-stop online news
experience.
Jeff Sorensen states in his article 24 Hour News Has Killed Journalism, “serious stories and reporting has been
purposefully desensitized to the average viewer. It’s why a massacre of
thousands in Syria is a secondary story to the girl from Twilight cheating
on the guy from Twilight. Serious journalism doesn’t get the
viewers anymore. Loud music over a waving U.S. flag and flickering lights bring
in the audiences. Journalism is now clipped to a sentence that scrolls at the
bottom of the screen”.
Further to this, being the first to publish big news
events means big profits and British journalist Rob Orchard sheds light on this issue
along with several others in his TED Talk. Orchard believes that the
fundamental nature of news “journalism had changed for the worse over the past
20 years”. Mr Orchard stated, “that accuracy, impartiality, context and depth
were under threat from the desire to be first”. What does this mean for us and why should it matter?
Well, lets take a look at what's taking place in NZ regarding the housing market and who's really influencing our beliefs, thinking, behaviours and percieved values around housing. If you've been bothered to watch Freeview TV lately, you'll know that programmes pertaining to homes and houses rein supreme. There's The Block NZ, Old House New Home, My Dream Home, Renovation Realities, The Block Australia, Waterfront House Hunting, Grand Designs NZ, Buying Blind, Grand Designs UK, Inside Out Homes, Zombie House Flipping, Unlivable, Celebrity House Hunting, Tiny House Hunters, American Restoration, Location Location Location, Show House, Building Alaska, Better Homes and Gardens, Tiny House-Buying Living, Tiny Luxury, Interiors Inc, Renovation Raiders, Extreme Homes, Big Beach Builds, Beachfront Bargan Hunt, Rehab Addict, Tiny House Nation, The Tree House Guys, Luxury Homes Revealed, House Rules, Flipping Out, Fixer Upper and Flip or Flop.
Photo: The Block NZ, TV3 NZ.
Media owned real
estate news site Oneroof personifies aspects of a
corrupt media culture which seeks to produce ‘news’ in the form of public
relations messages. Or is it PR camouflaged as news? Either way you look at it,
the whole thing reeks of self-interest. The money focus of mainstream media has
no limits and operates in cunning ways. Who will stand up to these media giants
and become the new media watchdog? Radio NZ’s mentions this type of journalism
regression during an interview with Media commentator Gavin Ellis . Mr Ellis introduced an
article titled “NZ celebrity house sales masquerading as news” and said that
there was a growing number of such real estate news items claiming to be news.
Is this proof enough to show that journalism from mainstream outlets has died a
savage death?
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