Kiwi journalists migrating from traditional media - a loss or a win for journalism?
• September 3, 2024
Caption: Should we worry about where our country’s print/broadcast/digital journalists are heading during the media crisis? Photo: Grace Symmans
Kiwi journalists are finding new opportunities away from traditional newsrooms, with the popularity boom of alternative platforms such as Substack.
These publishing sites enable journalists to have more freedom with their content, but should Aotearoa be concerned that alternative media is taking journalists away from traditional newsrooms?
Stuff senior journalist Laura Frykberg said that with the challenges facing newsrooms today, it's more important than ever that we have good journalists in New Zealand.
She said the more quality media outlets and journalists in this country, the better the media is at doing its job in informing the public.
“Others might turn to different forms of media, and that’s a good thing, but my biggest fear is that we are going to lose more experienced journalists to communications or internationally,” she said.
With the recent closure and transformation of Newshub and the cuts at TVNZ, the traditional media of Aotearoa is struggling to keep journalists’ jobs secure.
Mediums like Substack are keeping journalists in the industry, while allowing them creative control of their content, attracting some of our own local journalists.
Kiwi Hamish McKenzie co-founded Substack, an online publishing platform, in 2017 - it now has more than 20 million active subscribers to its sites (2023).
The site allows writers to publish their content with support from paid subscribers, who help fund it.
Along with similar sites such as Ghost and Beehiiv, this media is further evolving the ever-changing landscape of journalism.
Kiwi journalist David Farrier started his Substack newsletter Webworm in 2020, after he had to pause filming his documentary because of the pandemic.
He was bored and lacked creative outlets, so when McKenzie asked him to create a Substack, he said “yeah, I will give newsletter writing a try”.
He hasn’t looked back. Now living in LA, Farrier is still putting out webworm stories multiple times a week.
Caption: David Farrier’s Substack, which he says is focused on storytelling rather than traditional news. Sourced from https://www.webworm.co
Webworm is his “main thing”, with a variety of content from “more serious” news to light-hearted stories.
“People want stories. The demand for stories has always existed and I think it's just a matter of finding out where is the best place to put things”.
Farrier keeps stories free that he deems of public interest, but others are accessed through the paid subscription.
When asked for reader feedback on Webworm, subscribers shared why they pay.
One commenter said “With the increasingly grim dimming of the light of journalism in NZ and everywhere else, it just seemed like I needed to put some money where at least one mouth, still doing decent reporting, is”.
Farrier said he loves the community interaction from the platform.
“That’s an aspect to newsletter writing that I think is really powerful and engaging, for me as a writer and people engaging as well.”
Frykberg said that having more quality news sources is a good thing.
“You’re reaching a whole new level of viewership and readers who might not necessarily want to consume traditional forms of media or might question traditional forms of media,” she said.
Farrier said it’s him "facing the consequences” of the difficulties of going out on his own, including legal fees – which he has had to fork out for since covering difficult stories independently.
Farrier previously worked in the newsroom at TV3 for about nine years.
“There’s no better place to be than in the middle of a newsroom, working with people who love what they do, they genuinely want to make the world a better place, and they want to hold power to account,” he said.
With no editor, and a limited structure around newsletters or social media accounts, it's important that straight news is presented accurately and ethically.
“I just try to stick to the truth. That’s the key thing,” Farrier said.
Frykberg said the more accurate media outlets, the better, as long as the stories are well-researched and balanced.
In these uncertain times, journalist transitioning from traditional news to Substack can secure our industry in new ways, offering them more freedom, and the public more options for their news sources.
Frykberg said the more accurate media outlets, the better, as long as they’re well-researched and balanced.
In these uncertain times, journalist transitioning from traditional news to Substack can secure our industry in new ways, offering them more freedom, and the public more options for their news sources.
