The media is facing a perfect storm of political pressure, public indifference and reducing revenue. Traditional media are having to cut costs (aka journalists) in order to survive. Many central and local government departments and publicly funded institutions have more communications and public relations staff than there are journalists in media editorial departments. The Official Information Act — designed to make access to public information easier — is being misused by those in power. The press has become an easy scapegoat, derided even by the so-called leader of the "free" world as the "lying media" spreading "fake news".

Source: Otago Daily Times August 18, 2017 18:11 UTC