NZ Media as a racist institution

After today’s lecture I attended an anthropology tutorial where we were also talking about racism in NZ. Some of my classmates believed that there was no longer racism in NZ today or that we can pride ourselves as being “less racist than other countries such as Australia.”

Growing up as a pakeha in NZ society and going to schools with a diverse range of ethnicities, I also used to think that New Zealand society was not racist. I wasn't exposed to extremely racist people or racist inequality. However I now know that it is the institutions and structures that create racist and unequal outcomes even if the people in the institutions aren't intending this.

If we look at the New Zealand media we can see it as an institute of racism: It treats certain racial groups differently than others due to their procedures, particularly in the fact that the news media are always looking for a story to sell to the dominant viewers. The fact that our mainstream TV News programmes are pakeha-based means that they are aiming to attract a white audience. The only way for New Zealanders to gain a Maori perspective on news is through Maori TV which is mostly spoken in Maori, tending to make people less likely to view it.

I watched this Wednesday’s news on both channel One and also on Maori TV. Maori TVs headline stories were on the law passed that gives Maori wardens the privileges to stop hosts at bars serving intoxicated Maori and another on the Waitangi Tribunal’s decision to hear the Te Kohanga Reo Trust Board’s application for recognition of the Crowns failure to recognise Te Kohunga (the youth programme of total immersion into Māori language and culture). After this the issue of the London Riots were covered with the perspective of Maori living in London.

In comparison to this, One New’s main story was an intensive cover on the London Riots followed by the issue on the Federal Reserve and US economics. One News did not cover any of these Maori issues and even finished their main features with a tacky American coverage of a “story” about the food pregnant women eat ends up being food their babies will like! What I found interesting in this news coverage was the fact that mainstream media obviously does not think that these Maori issues would be well received because they are only specific to Maori. They would prefer to show overseas problems and uplifting, rather ridiculous, stories on babies’ eating habits than any issue specific to Maori!

So why shouldn't Maori (that don’t regularly watch Maori TV) or other New Zealanders be exposed to these kinds of issues which are relevant and close to home? Why are stories such as the ones shown in Maori TV not important to the mainstream media industry? I believe it is because the dominant mainstream media are responsible of institutional racism and this coverage helps to maintain the institutional racism in NZ. This under-representation means that when Maori issues are shown they are generally radical or negative. Dominant news broadcasts clearly prioritise white issues over Maori ones, which in turn leads to New Zealanders being unaware and more importantly uninterested in Maori problems.

One News: http://tvnz.co.nz/one-news/update-b-video-3343716

Maori TV: http://www.maoritelevision.com/default.aspx?tabid=278&pid=151