Some people don’t like the truth

If there is one thing you can guarantee in the world of journalism, it is this: the people who complain loudest about the intrusiveness of the media and question its independence will be the first to moan — and say journalists are not doing their job — if they haven’t been told about important matters which affect them.

Unfortunately, there are also plenty of other things you cannot guarantee.

They include: that the politician is telling taxpayers the full story, that the business owner is providing shareholders with all the facts and figures, that the real-estate agent is giving potential buyers the full picture about the faultline which runs through a new subdivision, that the Russian foreign minister is speaking the truth about an attack on a maternity hospital in Ukraine.

It's physically impossible for us to be everywhere at the same time. Journalists are crucial in filling those gaps and, for the benefit of us all, ensuring those in public positions and handling public money are scrutinised and held to account for their actions.

News, as they say, is something someone somewhere does not want published and for others to know about.

Frankly, there has been a lot of rubbish spouted about journalistic agendas and bias, buoyed up by the "fake news" and "alternative facts" line promulgated by former United States president Donald Trump and his ilk.

It’s a shame that some of this propaganda has leaked out and made it into our corner of the world. We need look no further than the ridiculous claims and beliefs of some of those at "freedom" protests around the country to see how quickly and easily lies and disinformation can poison the truth.

Journalists do not just make stuff up. As in any profession — politics, the police, accountancy, professional sport — there is always the odd rogue about. But 99% of journalists know truth from lies and are motivated by the desire to keep people honest.

Theirs is one of the most crucial roles in a properly functioning democracy. It is important to remember that in some countries, journalists are murdered for doing their job.

Credibility and reputation are everything to media companies. In the long-run, nothing can be gained from publishing falsehoods. Given the growth in the number of people brainwashed by "alternative facts", it should come as no surprise that some of them view with suspicion the Government’s $55 million contestable fund to bolster public interest journalism. They consider it further "evidence" of collusion between the Government and the media.

Of course, to right-minded people it is not evidence of that at all, although for those down that particular rabbit hole it might appear a bad look. The fund, announced by Broadcasting and Media Minister Kris Faafoi in February 2021, aims to support financially pressured media organisations in their reporting of matters of public interest, such as local council or court coverage.

This newspaper has a proud tradition of being as close to a paper of record as possible, covering such issues for its readers for the past 160 years. In many media organisations such stories have fallen by the wayside in the last decade or so, seen as too resource heavy in an online world often focused on getting clicks.

The Public Interest Journalism Fund is a welcome sight for all who want their readers to have the best possible insights into what is going on in their communities. For the Times, it is a positive sign that the Government recognises the vital role of the fourth estate in our country. For other media outfits, it may be a lifeline that reinstates the kind of grist-to-the-mill coverage they should have been pursuing all along.