48 CAMBRIDGE HOMES HOUSE OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong>
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, JULY/AUGUST <strong>2023</strong> 49 Is the news really news and should you care? Last month, it was revealed that the Government paid TVNZ to develop news content to promote its political agenda on the topic of climate change. The Government’s sponsorship, through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, included the guarantee of several news items covered on Breakfast and Seven Sharp as well as the development of an hour-long documentary. Sponsored content – news stories that are paid for by a company, organisation or government body to promote their views – is nothing new. However, what was controversial about this sponsorship, was the lack of transparency on the part of TVNZ. Then, when you throw in the fact that TVNZ is 100% government-owned, this situation becomes quite murky quite quickly. Most of us watching these news items and the documentary or reading other content created by TVNZ under this sponsorship arrangement would likely not have spotted it was paid for by the Government and, thus, contained messages it wanted proliferated. If and when media outlets fail to be 100% overtly transparent about sponsored content, this will only serve to erode our trust in the media in general. Each year, international public relations firm, Edelman, releases what they call their Trust Barometer. Quoting from the <strong>2023</strong> Acumen Edelman Trust Barometer: “In terms of sources of trusted information, traditional media is still the most trusted in New Zealand closely followed by search engines. [However], worryingly, media is seen as a source of false or misleading information more than a reliable source of trustworthy information...” Sponsored content absolutely has a place in media. However, it’s important that sponsorship is disclosed ethically, with honesty and transparency. Adjacent to the topic of non-disclosure to sponsored content, what should be equally worrying to you and I is the rise in media bias. Traditionally, the news media has played the key role in society of shaping public opinion and driving discourse. We rely on good journalism to report facts, as well as diverse opinions, that allow the public to make informed decisions while holding community, corporate and political leaders to account. While media bias is nothing new, the proliferation of social and digital media, has amplified media bias around the world. Additionally, the PR AND COMMUNICATIONS BY HEATHER CLAYCOMB Heather Claycomb is director of HMC, a Hamilton-based, award-winning public relations agency. changing face of media has seen the rise of corporate ownership, a drive to sensationalise to gain ‘clicks,’ shrinking newsrooms and technological advancements that have impacted bias. So, how do we know if what we are seeing is paid or unpaid, biased or unbiased, true or inaccurate? The short answer is that it is becoming increasingly difficult. If you work in or around the media, then you are hyper aware of when a story is paid by its source. But even when the word ‘sponsored’ sits alongside a story, many people would not know what that means or would disregard it. The reality is that every one of us needs to take responsibility to uncover biased opinions and get to the truth behind the news. Here are five ways you can do that: 1. Fact-check. This is increasingly important as brands and some media start to rely on generative AI, which is inaccurate at best. A great fact-checking site I consult is Snopes. com, but there are many free fact-checkers available online. 2. Be a sceptic. Cultivate a healthy scepticism toward the information you encounter in the media and online. Consult different sources to get closer to the unbiased truth. 3. Diversify your media diet. Get in the habit of reading several different news sources. Don’t rely on just one. If you’re reading an international news story, check out what National Public Radio in the US, Associated Press or Reuters are saying about it. These three outlets have been shown to be the least biased and most accurate worldwide by Ad Fontes Media. Check out the ‘interactive media bias chart’ on their website. 4. Spot sponsored content. Again, sponsored content isn’t ‘bad.’ There are a lot of great stories in the media that are paid. However, it’s important to consume these items with the understanding that it is biased toward what the funder wants you to know. Paid content will normally indicate such with the word ‘sponsored.’ Paid posts on social media indicate it’s paid with the words, ‘sponsored post,’ or with the hashtags #ad, #gift or #spon. 5. Demand transparency. Call it out when you know there’s a bias, inaccuracy or a sponsor behind news stories that hasn’t been disclosed properly. Inaugural Xero Beautiful <strong>Business</strong> Fund a boost for small business Over $750,000 NZD in funding up for grabs for small businesses globally Coinciding with Xero Day <strong>2023</strong> - the day of Xero’s founding 17 years ago - Xero, the global small business platform, announced a new global small business fund with more than NZ$750,000 in funding, to support the future aspirations of small businesses globally. Designed to celebrate small businesses, empower success and accelerate their growth, the Xero Beautiful <strong>Business</strong> Fund Xero is open to small business customers in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Customers in each country will be eligible to apply for the following funding categories that best suit their needs. • Innovating for sustainability: For small businesses who want to take the next step on their sustainability journey. It could be to move to sustainable packaging, implement energy-efficient equipment or carbon neutral transport. • Trailblazing with technology: For small businesses seeking to take the next step to supercharge their business by digitalising parts of their operations or integrating new emerging technologies. • Strengthening community connection: For small businesses or non-profits striving towards community connection. It could be to contribute to philanthropy, social good, or make an impact on the community in a meaningful way. • Upskilling for the future: For small businesses seeking to support upskilling for themselves or their employees so they can access training and development to further grow. For each category, there will be seven regional winners identified by a regional judging panel. The pool of regional winners in each category will then be evaluated by a global judging panel and the winner of each category will receive an additional global prize. Xero CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy says the Xero Beautiful <strong>Business</strong> Fund is an opportunity to allocate funds to back small businesses to help them achieve whatever success means to them. “We believe small businesses run the world and as champions of small business, Xero is providing an opportunity for customers to apply for funding to take their next step. Whether that be to support a passion to become a more sustainable business, upskill employees, philanthropic work in the community, or integrating the latest AI into their business, the fund is here to help small businesses meet their dreams.” The application, inclusive of a written form and a short video submission, will be available until 6 October <strong>2023</strong>. Information on the Xero Beautiful <strong>Business</strong> Fund can be found at xero.com/ beautiful-business-fund.
Change language