Nearly 200 people came out on a wet and windy Wellington evening recently to hear Rebecca Macfie speak on Hardship, Hope and Why Journalism still Matters. In spite of a dramatic loss of faith in the industry – mainly due to sensationalism and undermining attacks on social media, Rebecca says it is vital that journalism is supported.
When Rebecca started out, classified advertising largely covered journalists’ wages. Today, she says “with an ubiquitous Internet, the industry gave our complex, expensive-to-make product away for free”.
She said “The point I want to make to you here tonight [is]…next time you’re thinking of jumping on your social media feeds to rail about the media or journalism, is that this craft is strong. It is innovative. It needs critiquing. It needs to be accountable. It needs to be honest about its mistakes. But it also needs to be supported”.
Read Rebecca’s excellent speech in detail on this link.
