Some may have scoffed that such colourful language was excessive, but events of the past few days should have disavowed even the most ardent sceptic that the media does indeed face dark days.
Times have been tough for newspapers, radio and television for decades, as much-loved titles, stations and programmes were sacrificed as companies tried to make ends meet in an era of digital competition and dwindling advertising revenue.
But nothing compares to events of the past fortnight, as one of the two main television channels proposed to do away with its news division entirely, while the other "merely" proposes to eviscerate its news and current affairs offerings.
As we editorialised last week, the proposal by Newshub’s parent company, Warner Bros/Discovery to close the service was shocking and came with major ramifications for scrutiny of decision makers and production of New Zealand content for New Zealand television screens.
Yesterday’s announcement by TVNZ that it plans to scrap its flagship current affairs show Sunday, beloved consumer watchdog Fair Go, and two of its three news bulletins, was equally as seismic.
While the TVNZ six o’clock news bulletin remains, one fears that the expectation that it would be sacrosanct from any cost cutting may not be the reality before too long.
Almost 10% of the staff working at the state-owned but commercially funded company face a bleak future.
So do New Zealand television viewers. Many a compelling and important story have been told by the crew of Sunday, and generations of viewers have threatened to take a dodgy tradie or shonky storekeeper to Fair Go.
Sunday, or some variation of it, has been a staple of Sunday night viewing for decades. Fair Go has screened for an incredible 47 years, for the simple reason that it is good, well-made public service television.
New Zealand will be the poorer should these programmes be condemned to history.
Speaking of which, Act New Zealand leader David Seymour should hang his head in shame for his personal attack on a TVNZ journalist, let alone his unbecoming suggestion that the media was merely getting a taste of its own medicine, having reported the demise of politicians’ careers in the past.
Such comments fall well below the dignity of a man destined to be deputy prime minister in just over a year’s time and demonstrate a frightful lack of empathy or insight.
The media reports on fallen politicians because it is its job to do so, and they have found themselves in disgrace through their own actions. It is not seeking scalps, as Mr Seymour claims: rather it is the press fulfilling its role of holding the powerful to account.
After yesterday’s announcement there will likely be far fewer journalists keeping an eye on what Mr Seymour and co are doing, and that is not something to be greeted with a smile and a cheap throwaway line. They are all the more disappointing given that in the past Mr Seymour has been a staunch defender of media freedom particularly and the right to freedom of expression in general.
The way New Zealanders keep apprised of the news of the day is changing, and the way media companies bring the news to them has has to change along with it.
But the number of people trained to do so in an objective, accurate and fair way continues to dwindle, even as the number of people willing to unwittingly or deviously peddle disinformation via social media rises.
The existential crisis the media speak of is real, the evidence it is here has been laid bare for all to see.
The government now needs to match its declaration of the importance of the fourth estate with some practical deeds to ensure its survival.
