Book Cover

Racism and the New Zealand Media.

Many Māori cynically await the day when news headlines will scream "Pakeha Work Trust Scandal Revealed" or "Pakeha Loan Scam Condemned by Audit Office"...

'If we worked a fraction as hard to get Māori news as we do to fill our crime and violence quotas, the whole national image of the Māori world would change dramatically...'

'In this period of change, the media have a clear role and challenge to ensure that the voices of all in this country are heard. There is much to be heard. Perhaps all we in the media need to learn is the skill of listening The Maori loans affair, overstayers, Māori gang violence: our understanding of such issues is derived largely from the media, which play a decisive part in shaping our attitudes towards them.

Between the Lines analyses the role of the media in New Zealand's race relations. While it is certainly critical of aspects of media practice, its informed and constructive recommendations make it a positive and important contribution towards improving media standards and the quality of the debate as we face the challenge of creating a bicultural society in the 1990s.

The contributors to this collection come from very different backgrounds, but between them they share a vast experience and expertise in the media and in New Zealand race relations. Māori, Pakeha and other ethnic groups bring their particular perspectives to this book, blending perceptive analysis with passionate argument rich in personal experience and insight.