Decolonising Journalism in Aotearoa New Zealand: Using a Tiriti-Led Framework for News Practice

Figures & data

Table 1. Te Tiriti o Waitangi news media framework.

Domain	Central ideas	Elements	Broad questions
Rationale	Māori never ceded sovereignty Mass media play a critical role in power relations in our society	Te Tiriti o Waitangi Rights Obligations	How do mass news media avoid negative and racist representations of Māori? Is reporting equitable?
Media systems	Mass media have responsbilities and accountabilities to Māori that apply across the sector	Policies, practices, systems, charters Leadership Monitoring Recruitment and training Relationships	How do organisations actively address their commitments and responsibilities to te Tiriti at all levels?
Societal accountabilities	Reporting on Māori and Māori issues reflects the onoing colonial constitution of society	Inequities, institutional racism, Pākehā privilege Do no more harm	How do mass media frame and present issues, colonisation, structural racism, harm prevention and Māori advancement?
Media practices	Mass media are not neutral News stories reflect and promote the worldviews, values, stories and language of the dominant Pākehā group	Language, culture, Pākehā norms, practices, silences Construction of Māori and non-Māori	Whose language and culture is dominant? Whose voice is heard? Whose voice is central? What stories are told and how are they told?
Māori-controlled media	Māori-controlled media have different Treaty accountabilities from mass media	Māori diversity Assumed audience Te reo fluency Nuance around te ao Māori	How are diverse audiences represented? What news content is provided for Māori not fluent in te reo? How is nuance managed in particular issues?

Source: Te Tiriti Framework for News Media (Rankine et al. 2022).

Table 2. Proportion of The Press stories about Māori issues.

	Total articles	Articles about Māori	Percentage of articles about Māori	Articles with a significant focus on Maori	Percentage of articles with a significant focus on Maori
2018	480	63	13.1%	7	1.5%
2021	430	23	5.3%	4	0.9%

Table 3. Percentage of Māori sources in articles 2018 and 2021.

	2018			2021
	Māori voices	Other voices	Māori voices as % overall	Māori voices	Other voices	Māori voices as % overall
Stories about Māori issues	8	10	80%	3	7	43%
Stories with Māori as primary subject	10	15	67%	6	8	75%
Stories with Māori as subjects	14	56	25%	16	28	57%

Rankine, J., A. M. Barnes, B. Borell, T. McCreanor, and R. Nairn. 2022. Te Tiriti Framework for News Media. Auckland: New Zealand on Air.

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