Media as Allies invites media to work together towards a more inclusive media landscape

Media as Allies is working with media outlets and communities across Aotearoa NZ to facilitate a more inclusive news mediascape. The group is supported by Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono.

The Media as Allies group wants to bridge the gap between the reality of what society looks like and what has been depicted through the media.

The project began by gathering community perspectives on how different people and groups are represented in the media, and how these representations impact them. The research found community groups experienced negative impacts when media generated:

• – Sensational stories – “clickbait” provoking division instead of cohesion
• – False and reckless representation of communities, furthering stereotypes and bias
• – A large gap where community voices were simply ignored.

Speaking on behalf of the Media As Allies group, Riddhish Parekh said the group wanted to collaborate with media to show more diverse faces and voices speaking for themselves.

Riddhish said that although the research shows accounts of misrepresentation, it also highlights recent examples of positive and inclusive coverage, including the apology from Stuff in 2020 that reflected on its negative and biased coverage of Māori.

The widespread coverage of the first national holiday for Matariki showed it was possible to represent Aotearoa NZ and all its communities in a moment of peace, reconciliation, and celebration.

A founding principle of Media as Allies is the recognition that media play an important role in creating social cohesion in Aotearoa NZ.  The group is looking for media to acknowledge this role, and join the group in constructive conversation about how social cohesion can be promoted in the context of their work.

Says Riddhish: “Conversations we have had with media show a genuine interest in listening, and learning how to work better with communities. This is a great opportunity for the media to reach marginalised audiences and provide space for rarely heard voices.

“The Media as Allies group envisions an Aotearoa New Zealand where the media is a reflection of our society with all its diversity.”

The group welcomes interest and involvement from media and community groups.