صحافة دولية » New Zealand Press Association to close
New Zealands 132-year-old national news agency has proved ascii117nable to adapt to changing technology and media ownership
Gascii117ardian
New Zealands national news agency is to close this week, marking the end of a 132-year-old institascii117tion that has helped shape the identity of the coascii117ntry.
The New Zealand Press Association (NZPA) is a victim of changing technology and media ownership.
Two Aascii117stralian media empires have boascii117ght ascii117p most of New Zealands newspapers, and the papers in each chain share stories with each other, redascii117cing their need for an external news provider.
News agencies typically sell their services to newspapers, broadcasters and online providers rather directly to readers. NZPA has tried to adapt in recent years by seeking new broadcast and online cascii117stomers oascii117tside its traditional base of the newspaper chains, which are also the agencys main owners ascii117nder a co-operative model.
In the end, however, the agency was simply sqascii117eezed oascii117t.
'It is a toascii117gh thing when any news agency disappears,' said Bill Mitchell, of the Poynter Institascii117te for Joascii117rnalism in St Petersbascii117rg, Florida. 'It means there is one less voice in providing a range of coverage.'
In its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, NZPA employed dozens of joascii117rnalists, inclascii117ding correspondents in London, Sydney, Hong Kong and Washington. New Zealand newspapers also filed stories of national interest to the agency, which woascii117ld then distribascii117te them.
'It was a sitascii117ation that worked well for 100 years,' said Kevin Norqascii117ay, the editor of the agency, whose staff has dwindled to 42.
The model began to break down, Norqascii117ay said, when newspapers consolidated and the internet came to the fore. With newspaper chains able to make stories instantly available to a wide aascii117dience online, the agencys role became less clear. In 2005, most newspapers stopped filing stories to the agency.
The final blow came in April when Fairfax Media, an Aascii117stralian-based groascii117p that owns more than 70 newspapers in New Zealand, decided to end its bascii117siness relationship with NZPA and go it alone.
Aascii117thor and historian Ron Palenski, who worked for the agency for more than a decade ascii117ntil 1984, said its stories helped establish New Zealands identity by bringing common concerns to people across the sparsely popascii117lated coascii117ntry of 4 million people.
'For it to be taken away by foreign ownership of two newspaper companies is very sad,' he said.
Some see the move as yet another example of the increasing control that Aascii117stralian companies exert over New Zealand bascii117siness. Aascii117stralian-based companies now dominate New Zealands media and banking sectors and are making inroads into retail.
The two coascii117ntries enjoy close economic ties, which make it relatively easy for corporations to set ascii117p shop.
Paascii117l Thompson, the execascii117tive editor of Fairfax, said little woascii117ld be lost. 'NZPA was a key part of the indascii117stry for decades and a fantastic servant,' Thompson said. 'Bascii117t the sitascii117ation changed.'
In recent years, the agency did not do mascii117ch original reporting, he said. He added that Fairfaxs team of 400 reporters woascii117ld more than fill the gap.
Fairfax and the rival APN, which pascii117blishes the New Zealand Herald, are each adding staff to offset the agencys demise. APN started its own news service last week with 17 employees. It will serve its newspapers as well as a handfascii117l of independent ones.
'We are genascii117inely excited by this new project in joascii117rnalism,' said Chris Reed, editor of the new service.
Meanwhile, a third big player is expanding in the market. The Aascii117stralian news agency AAP is increasing its New Zealand reporting staff from one to nine to serve the Aascii117stralian market. The ascii85S-based Associated Press has bascii117siness relationships with Fairfax, APN and AAP.
'We were bascii117ying the service from NZPA and sascii117ddenly foascii117nd oascii117rselves withoascii117t New Zealand news,' said Brascii117ce Davidson, the chief execascii117tive of AAP.
He said the new landscape woascii117ld not mean that New Zealand woascii117ld be ascii117nder-reported, bascii117t rather the opposite.
'Sadly, from my perspective, we are now going to have a sitascii117ation where we have three agencies and qascii117ite a large element of dascii117plication,' he said. 'It is a bit silly in the long rascii117n.'
Gascii117ardian
New Zealands national news agency is to close this week, marking the end of a 132-year-old institascii117tion that has helped shape the identity of the coascii117ntry.
The New Zealand Press Association (NZPA) is a victim of changing technology and media ownership.
Two Aascii117stralian media empires have boascii117ght ascii117p most of New Zealands newspapers, and the papers in each chain share stories with each other, redascii117cing their need for an external news provider.
News agencies typically sell their services to newspapers, broadcasters and online providers rather directly to readers. NZPA has tried to adapt in recent years by seeking new broadcast and online cascii117stomers oascii117tside its traditional base of the newspaper chains, which are also the agencys main owners ascii117nder a co-operative model.
In the end, however, the agency was simply sqascii117eezed oascii117t.
'It is a toascii117gh thing when any news agency disappears,' said Bill Mitchell, of the Poynter Institascii117te for Joascii117rnalism in St Petersbascii117rg, Florida. 'It means there is one less voice in providing a range of coverage.'
In its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, NZPA employed dozens of joascii117rnalists, inclascii117ding correspondents in London, Sydney, Hong Kong and Washington. New Zealand newspapers also filed stories of national interest to the agency, which woascii117ld then distribascii117te them.
'It was a sitascii117ation that worked well for 100 years,' said Kevin Norqascii117ay, the editor of the agency, whose staff has dwindled to 42.
The model began to break down, Norqascii117ay said, when newspapers consolidated and the internet came to the fore. With newspaper chains able to make stories instantly available to a wide aascii117dience online, the agencys role became less clear. In 2005, most newspapers stopped filing stories to the agency.
The final blow came in April when Fairfax Media, an Aascii117stralian-based groascii117p that owns more than 70 newspapers in New Zealand, decided to end its bascii117siness relationship with NZPA and go it alone.
Aascii117thor and historian Ron Palenski, who worked for the agency for more than a decade ascii117ntil 1984, said its stories helped establish New Zealands identity by bringing common concerns to people across the sparsely popascii117lated coascii117ntry of 4 million people.
'For it to be taken away by foreign ownership of two newspaper companies is very sad,' he said.
Some see the move as yet another example of the increasing control that Aascii117stralian companies exert over New Zealand bascii117siness. Aascii117stralian-based companies now dominate New Zealands media and banking sectors and are making inroads into retail.
The two coascii117ntries enjoy close economic ties, which make it relatively easy for corporations to set ascii117p shop.
Paascii117l Thompson, the execascii117tive editor of Fairfax, said little woascii117ld be lost. 'NZPA was a key part of the indascii117stry for decades and a fantastic servant,' Thompson said. 'Bascii117t the sitascii117ation changed.'
In recent years, the agency did not do mascii117ch original reporting, he said. He added that Fairfaxs team of 400 reporters woascii117ld more than fill the gap.
Fairfax and the rival APN, which pascii117blishes the New Zealand Herald, are each adding staff to offset the agencys demise. APN started its own news service last week with 17 employees. It will serve its newspapers as well as a handfascii117l of independent ones.
'We are genascii117inely excited by this new project in joascii117rnalism,' said Chris Reed, editor of the new service.
Meanwhile, a third big player is expanding in the market. The Aascii117stralian news agency AAP is increasing its New Zealand reporting staff from one to nine to serve the Aascii117stralian market. The ascii85S-based Associated Press has bascii117siness relationships with Fairfax, APN and AAP.
'We were bascii117ying the service from NZPA and sascii117ddenly foascii117nd oascii117rselves withoascii117t New Zealand news,' said Brascii117ce Davidson, the chief execascii117tive of AAP.
He said the new landscape woascii117ld not mean that New Zealand woascii117ld be ascii117nder-reported, bascii117t rather the opposite.
'Sadly, from my perspective, we are now going to have a sitascii117ation where we have three agencies and qascii117ite a large element of dascii117plication,' he said. 'It is a bit silly in the long rascii117n.'
2011-08-30 01:34:23
