Vincent Heeringa has penned a thoughtful post on the destruction of an industry of intelligent, hardworking and principled individuals who are not driven by money, but by truth, vs the addictive so-called “social” media and now AI in the mix (text predictive algorithms that plagiarize creative and media content). War photographers risk their lives to document reality and AI generated photos use these images unpaid, then sell them at a higher price by making them appear more dramatic. This is happening now. So often, ignorance is directed at journalists, by people who claim the media is paid to write what the government wants them to. Well if this were true, journalists would be on incomes higher than consultants’ fees and there would be no crisis with journalism disappearing! There’s so much opportunity for AI in your industry too. Are you in HR? AI can summarize candidates and hire. Real estate? Who really needs a human? What about politicians…are they necessary to make decisions for their constituents? We are living in very interesting times indeed.
I've been dismayed but not surprised at how many 'reckons' and hoots of delight there have been about the demise of NewsHub and media in general. Mostly the comments come from places of ignorance or just malice. Whatever, there have always been dickheads. As someone who tried incredibly hard to make publishing work, I feel qualified to have an opinion. Three points: a) The digital monoliths that have eaten media's lunch have built alternative media empires without paying for content, without paying tax and without any (I mean ANY) accountability for the hateful, cynical and libelous content they publish. No traditional industry, be it media or otherwise, could compete with that level of state-sponsored favour. b) Journalism has always been a rebel sport and sits uncomfortably with mainstream marketing. So the Devil's pact with the advertising industry has come to an end. Perhaps that's a good thing. Currently there's nothing to replace it as a business model, save the crumbs generated by individual subscriptions. The urgent need is to test and prove new revenue models. Meanwhile, if you want media to survive, pay for it. You personally. You as a company. You as a society. Crumbs might be enough to survive on for now. c) Be careful what you wish for. Maybe you don't like media but have some sympathy FFS. Or at the very least STFU. In recent years hundreds have lost careers, families have lost incomes, and a whole industry of joyous, talented people is disappearing. And check your privilege. The march of digitisation, now fueled by AI, is coming to an industry near you. It's unstoppable and disruptive - and what will you lose in the process? Your job, your craft, your society, your country? Media is at the forefront, but the current trajectory for all industries seems to be consolidation into digital monoliths, on platforms they own and control in unaccountable, unlocatable servers. I, for one, do not welcome our new trillionaire overlords. #media #distruption #socialmedia #marketing TVNZ Newsroom NZ BusinessDesk NZ Discovery Inc Bernard Hickey James Hurman Rod Oram John Baker Pattrick Smellie Ben Fahy Lance Wiggs Stuff Todd Scott Paul Spain Paul Brislen Sinead Boucher
