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LoginClearing heads on challenging issues facing NZ’s ethnic media
Three Ethiopian and Zimbabwean students taking part in the weekend ethnic media forum in Christchurch. Photo: Del Abcede/PMC
Pacific Scoop:
Opinion – By Lloyd Burr in Christchurch
I walked out the doors of the Ethnic Media Forum in Christchurch at the weekend feeling somewhat ignorant. As a student in my fifth year of tertiary education, I thought that “ethnic ignorance” was something of my past … and it would no longer trouble me.
But I was wrong. In my years at the University of Otago – before I came to the New Zealand Broadcasting School – I was submerged with a critical studies approach to the media: it was corrupt, it enforced state ideology and was majority focussed; mainstream media was a bulldozer that powered through minority views and shunted them to the sideline.
All this time, in my liberal, idealistic student mind, I genuinely believed New Zealand was exempt from this type of issue.
Sandy Ghazall of Indonesia at the forum. Photo: Del Abcede/PMC
Now, as I learn to become a part of this mainstream media that I once questioned so much, I am learning that the case is relatively true.
Four weeks ago, my tutor assigned me my main portfolio for the next two years – “ethnic and migrant issues” in New Zealand, focussing on Christchurch.
Since then, I have tried to immerse myself with these issues and follow them around in local and national media in order to gain an understanding.
What has surprised me is that articles relating to this topic are fairly non-existent; I have three articles in my news-clippings folder and my peers, with more generic portfolios – like “environment” and “education” – have dozens of articles.
Improving things
Convinced it was not my poor work ethic that had resulted in such a shortage of articles, I was introduced to Deborah Lam and Candy Wu Zhang at the Office of Ethnic Affairs. This pair invited me to the Ethnic Media Forum (EMF), held at Mancan House, Christchurch, last Saturday.
Claire Phillips and Candy Wu Zhang of NZ's Office of Ethnic Affairs. Photo: Del Abcede/PMC
This is where my ignorance comes in. And it is ignorance at my lack of depth about how the mainstream media is that bulldozer I was taught about at Otago. The question now is how do we improve things?
Is it a slow process like issues such as gay or black rights entering the social acceptance circle after constant rejection? Or is there a quick fix?
Quite simply, I don’t know and I won’t know until I have been in this industry for some time.
The forum presented some interesting arguments. Jim Tully, head of the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Canterbury, opened with a summary of how the mainstream system works.
He emphasised that mainstream media ignores minority groups because it is “uneconomical”.
Current structures are also problematic because a given ethnic reporter is stretched between the demands of their community and the demands of their editor.
Pulling in punters
In order to integrate “ethnic issues” (an umbrella term covering our diverse and different ethnic communities) into the mainstream media, it must be cost effective.
Canterbury University's Jim Tully and Dr David Robie of AUT's Pacific Media Centre. Photo: Del Abcede/PMC
And this is where my first question comes up: why is current ethnic media not cost effective? Does it not pull in the punters?
Is demand so small that it cannot be justified? How do we go about making it economical?
Dr David Robie, director of the Pacific Media Centre at Auckland University of Technology, provided an insight into how ethnic issues in the mainstream media can grow: education and journalistic acculturation by developing independent media like the Pacific Scoop project.
I agree with him, we have talked the political correctness and all-inclusive talk for a while now and it’s time to get on our feet and walk the walk.
And his solution to this is acculturing training journalists with a news and current affairs approach that encompasses ethnic issues. In my mind, this type of training is already happening, especially given that I am being trained to go out into the ethnic community here in Christchurch, understand the realm and find stories.
For me, I think the integration is inevitable.
Status quo
But what about the status quo? How is today’s media finding stories on ethnic issues? The Press deputy editor Coen Lammers says you can’t just call up the Korean Association, for example, and ask: “Is there anything happening in the Korean community this week”.
He also says local ethnic papers are not a source for stories because he can’t read them – papers in a native tongue are a major barrier.
How then, do we overcome this when there are ethnic communities that only know the most basic English? Do we wait for a wave of new age journalists to integrate more with Chinese communities? With Nepalese or Bhutanese communities?
Or do we just allow these niche media to run parallel with the mainstream? It’s the same segregation vs assimilation debate.
There was no black or white outcome at the EMF, but it helped an educated audience understand the problems with the way things are done. And at least I’m no longer ignorant.
Lloyd Burr is a first year journalism student at the New Zealand Broadcasting School and a first time contributor to Pacific Scoop.
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Great insight. I’ve been to a similar forum about diversity media in New Zealand, and it’s like, ok, we know the dilemma — but what to do about it? I think part of the issue is that when we say “ethnic”, it means “something different” or “something for other people not like myself/us”….. meaning there is a cultural hegemony about what IS “us” (“us” meaning what’s included as mainstream average Kiwi — i’m technically “ethnic” though lol).
Maybe we need to make “ethnic” more a normal part of mainstream identity — by making mainstream more ethnic. i.e. promoting the idea of “diversity” in the Kiwi identity.
But yes, I think it is one of those slow processes and you just keep chipping away at it… changes will come apparent in retrospect — like they have Bro-Town on mainstream now, but not profitable five years ago…
HI Lloyd
All the best with your journalism career – a challenging and rewarding choice. Give it your best and keep a good strong heart.
Easy on the booze and ciggies : P
Not sure if this will help you, you may have covered it in class.
Looking at migrant experience from a cultural perspective in Australia some years ago, it appears that when the first gen arrives on new soil there may be the language barrier and cultural estrangement, and that “ghettos” can arise to create a degree of comfort and self help. Those fleeing a bad time at home may not want to ghettoise and will locate into the culture more invisibly.
Skin colour, language and accents can make this more difficult.
Some never join them others leave after a time, and others stay.
The next gen tend to be more likely to move out into the wider community, there is more intermarriage, and more of a sense of being able to choose more easily between the parental culture and the birth culture, with the third gen being more at home in the new land but still attached to ancestral culture more or less whilst being rooted in the native culture. There is also that phenomenon of the first gen taking a time capsule snapshot of their land with them to the new place and being shocked over time to realise that home has changed so much, and not just the new place. (Internet has changed this no doubt)
The development of SBS TV and radio was a move in the right direction in Oz in my opinion. There are many radio programs creating opportunities to communicate across language groups, and they tend to have news and views that are linked to the areas/suburbs where the “ghettos” are as well as individual stories and stories and news from the old country. Maori TV in NZ is great. CAAMA in Australia and SBS programs for/by indigenous groups are great. ‘Bush Mechanics” showing Aboriginal talent in keeping old bomb cars on the road outback, even if they might be missing all their windows or door handles, but a flat tire can be fixed by ripping out the tube then a good packing of dry grass, are a hoot. The Deadlies, when our indigenous people get to take over Sydney’s iconic Opera House to celebrate their achievements.
I am the daughter of migrants from Europe who trained as a filmmaker and worked in film and tv production. I was aware of debates in local industry organisations about the enrichment that the mainstream could gain if the press and media were able to show the rich diverse nature of the culture and to present the cultural differences in a human interest light that would aid mutual understanding and assist with the eradication of ignorance and suspicion that can exist (and be exploited), and replace it with an appreciation and affection (such as BroTown produces in its backhanded hilarious way) that can be the bedrock of a solid diverse harmonious peoples living with one another.
So many of our key mainstream stories these days seem to be the result of predominantly old white men with their hands on the steering wheel behaving badly. often on a massive scale and with insufficient interest in the well-being of the population at large, and the peddling of fear and division – of others not like ourselve. or a handful of others who are held out to be pariahs of the system and therefore a reason to break the system that helps all people in need often on a meagre scale, whilst having little to say about handouts to pariahs at the other end of the scale being given handouts and favouritism in contracts etc on a massive scale .
I have faith that the mainstream people are actually a lot smarter than the main stream media give them credit for.
In Australia our two major local mainstream megamedia owners were both rich and powerful, one used his wealth to gamble and the other’s life is ruled by the love of the political power it has given him.
A story of interest in the Nelson region at the moment is the influx of Pacific Island peoples into the seasonal worker mix in recent years and what their experience is like. The pros and cons for them, for growers and packers, and for the other people who do this work – locals and travellers, who are being impacted by this move to tightly contracted labour.
Would be good to know the facts but you never see stories like this in the local press. Scoop would be a more likely source for such stories.
Scoop has been a great find for me who is trying to decide whether or not to become a Kiwi – again all the best with your new direction Lloyd