The Dominion Post has failed to explain why it campaigned for 2-3 years for a supercity, against the wishes of up to 80% of its readers.
In a June editorial, the Dominion Post said Fran Wilde’s “political antennae deserted her”. But the DomPost’s public antennae had deserted it, in its zeal for a supercity.
The DomPost would probably justify its bias on the basis of simply promoting an idea. But we think the Dominion Post went too far.
We hear stories that it in the early days it willfully gave coverage to those promoting the concept and ignored those opposing the concept. It wasn’t until this year that the paper’s coverage reflected the shape of the debate. Rather than being revolutionary, the paper was being reactionary. It was standing against the public, against its readership.
The paper was not part of the public uprising against an idea being promoted by the city’s elite. The only media which gave the issue, and both sides, a good airing was radio, and Tim Fookes and Newstalk ZB in particular. Community newspapers were mixed. The Hutt News was fair and interested. Most others were disinterested, and one was obstructive.
So, we had to fight the city’s elite largely on our own, without the support of the region’s daily newspaper, and with low interest from most other media.
The uprising was truly natural – via face to face, social media-driven, neighbour to neighbour sharing of information and opinions.
If media want to learn from Fran’s mistake, and avoid her fate, they need to stop trying to create news, and instead listen to and reflect the will of their audience.
