March 12, 2015
Rethink call on Maori news format
A former Maori Television board member wants the channel to talk to its audience about the way it presents news and current affairs.
Dr Leonie Pihama from Waikato University says the controversy about the censorship of a haka from Te Matatini highlighted concerns about the way the channel responds to criticism.
Maori Television subsequently backed down and uploaded Te Iti Kahurangi’s performance attacking the channel’s reporting of financial misdealing at Te Kohanga Reo National Trust.
Dr Pihama says the Waikato kapa haka had raised legitimate questions about whether Maori news on Maori television is being told in a Maori way, or if it is following the form and expectations of mainstream news.
"I'm not sayng it's not the way we should do the news. I'm saying we have never had the conversation, and it may be that a range of broadcasters get together with their audience, because I think what happens is that broadcasters and journalists define the structure, but actually it should be our audience that definees our structure, it should be those who we should be speaking to who should give us input into what they want to view and how they want news to look," she says.
Dr Pihama says the assumption news should be in bite sized chunks might be questioned among an indigenous people where children are bought up listening to long whaikorero.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH DR LEONIE PIHAMA CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MjcxMzg=
Copyright © 2015, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com