It's excellent to see WIFT members were among those who were successful in the third round of Public Interest Journalism (PIJ) funding. The $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund aims to support New Zealand’s media to continue to produce stories that keep Kiwis informed and engaged, and to support a healthy democracy.
Ka pai tō mahi to Annabelle Lee-Mather (Aotearoa Media Collective), Great Southern Television, and Lisa Taouma (Tikilounge Productions).
Tikilounge Productions receives up to $75,000 for one Pasifika Youth Digital News Editor, while Great Southern Television and Aotearoa Media Collective receive up to $737,036 for The Hui, to create 40 x 28-minute Māori current affairs shows and 40 x 28-minute Māori current affairs podcasts, for Three.
And ka pai tō mahi also to The Spinoff, which receives up to $105,450 for a Sub Editor role, and The Spinoff, The Quarter Million, which receives up to $152,304 to provide a youth perspective on the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.
Ka rawe to Discovery NZ, which receives funding for a Newshub Cultural Partnership Navigator and for a series of Newshub current affairs podcasts; and to TVNZ which has been awarded funding of up to $517,364 for Kids Kōrero, 30 x 5 mins linear videos, 30 x 2 mins explainer videos, and 30 x 5 mins podcasts news and current affairs for 10 –14 year olds, and up to $842,200 for Q + A with Jack Tame 2022, 40 x 59 mins episodes, plus a two-hour special of current affairs.