Can part-timers freelancers & blogs properly inform a $23Bln ICT Industry?

After a career of writing and editing UK, NZ and Australian technology publications veteran NZ technology journalist Bill Bennett is now - like most technology reporters - a freelancer & blogger working in Auckland. In his reflection for this "The State of NZ News Media" public conversation series he provides an overview of the current state of NZ Technology reporting and concludes the current state of technology journalism is serving neither readers nor NZ's $23 billion industry at all well.

Read Bill's reflection here >> New Zealand Technology journalism: The Twilight Years

The concluding paragraphs in Bill Bennett's article beg an interesting question.
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"Oxygen

Let’s put aside the worthy goal of keeping the public informed and get to a different commercial reality. New Zealand’s home grown technology sector doesn’t get the media oxygen it needs to breath.

Because overseas news feeds dominate the agenda in New Zealand, people buying here are more likely to hear about an overseas supplier than a local one. Investors will put their money overseas, skilled workers will look for jobs overseas. This is already causing problems.

The lack of balanced, impartial and thoughtful New Zealand technology journalism creates the impression there’s not much going on here.

Blogs take up some of the slack. So does Mauricio Freitas’ Geekzone website and projects like the New Zealand Tech Podcast. I’m involved in all three. But we need something else. I’ll tell you more about that later.

Technology needs a local voice. It has to be an honest voice. That means turning over rocks some people would prefer stayed untouched."

Read Bill's reflection here >> New Zealand Technology journalism: The Twilight Years