Media, Influence and Public Opinion
In the last seven months, SocialHerds has analyzed political news topics reported in a variety of New Zealand (and sometimes overseas) media, this analysis has revealed clear trends.
As we take a deep dive into these trends, it is important to consider the purpose of news. Is it to inform, influence, and/or change behaviour and opinions?
Pre-election Reporting
SocialHerds looked at the top ten topics reported in the 5 months leading up to the election.
These topics were consistently with the top eight:
- Health
- Education
- Transport
- Housing
- Foreign Affairs
- Economy
- Business
- Climate Change
(The ‘Election’ was always in the top 10 topics)
Other topics that featured in the top 10 fluctuated on a weekly or monthly basis due to events such as Michael Wood and Kiri Allen’s resignations and the crime (due to shooting in Auckland) and announcement of election policies. Some of the other topics that reached the top 10 were:
- Tax
- Media
- Business of government
National’s 100 Day Action Plan
It is worth noting that National’s plan focuses on the same topics that have been consistently reported on in the last five months.
These topics include healthcare, the economy, education, housing, infrastructure, public sector spending, cost of living, and law & order.
The question is, how did these topics become the key issues for the National Party? Is it due to the media influencing the party, public opinion influencing both the media and the party, or are these topics based on research and evidence as to what New Zealand needs to ‘get back on track’?
Post-election Reporting
Post-election suggests the top topics may be shifting to Health, Economy, the Treaty of Waitangi, Foreign Affairs, Housing, Government, Education, Climate Change, and Parliament.
Future Focus
Moving forward, it is important to examine the relationship between the topics reported by the media (especially Stuff, NZME, RNZ, and TVNZ) and the alignment with the government’s 100-Day Action Plan.
One aspect to review is whether topics not on the 100-Day Action Plan, such as the Crown’s relationship with Māori, continue to dominate the news and political reporting. And how this could influence National’s implementation of their action plan. If the news is about influence, then it is also about public opinion, and may be about bandwidth, or maybe evidence as to what Aotearoa/New Zealand needs.