14 June 2016
In late May, a couple of titans of the New Zealand media scene, Tim Murphy and Mark Jennings, announced that they were forming a new media consultancy called “Jennings Murphy”.
Predictably, there was debate as to whether they were selling their souls and forming a business that would be public relations in drag.
As a communications practitioner, I welcome the move that Mark and Tim are making. Clearly the old media model has crumbled and it’s really difficult to make money out of quality investigative journalism.
While we may all mumble into our long blacks and lattes about the appalling material that routinely makes the most popular viewing at the top of our online news sites, it’s hard to argue with the data which shows that celebrity infotainment out-ranks current affairs.
A new way has to be found to win back interest in subjects that actually do have a material impact on our ability to live in freedom and to build sustainability. If these two talented individuals can find a way to reinstate some quality domestic editorial by a model that helps businesses communicate in an authentic, upfront and honest way and presents well rounded and highly informative news stories, then bring it on.
While media offerings seem hell bent on the cult of celebrities and fluffy human interest, audiences are highly literate and can usually spot propaganda a mile off. The inherent scepticism people have of self-promotion and manipulation will act as a strong moderating influence, in the unlikely event that “Jennings Murphy” start to erode their own sense of journalistic values.
The dynamic duo aspires to produce content of a quality found on sites such as the UK’s Guardian. If they come close, we will all owe them a debt of gratitude, not to mention being eager followers of their news site.