In brief
- A free news service focussing on things that matter when it comes time to vote in New Zealand.
- News in NZ is often a sales job of one side of a contested narrative. Our aim is to expose the various games and make sure both sides get airplay.
- Like the acorn that grows into the mighty oak tree, we intend to grow into a news source with the reach of the current big players.
- We will distil the deluge down to a manageable volume. Does it serve anyone to have 400 articles on Jacinda Ardern resigning?
NZ News Essentials and The Centrist are 2 complimentary free publications
The Centrist is produced twice weekly and is designed for the maximum amount of worthwhile information in the minimum amount of time. It reviews what the main and alternative NZ media are saying, as well as numerous international sources, on matters of interest to NZ politics. It notes which topics are being discussed and provides links to related articles, with particular emphasis on alternative, reason based sources that delve deeper. The links are high-graded to a manageable number (less than 15) and some of the linked articles are summarised.
The Centrist will also sponsor third party writers on important articles requiring considerable research.
Finally, and uniquely, The Centrist will also assist with legal actions designed to support freedom of speech or reign in government overreach.
NZ News Essentials works as a weekly wind-up to The Centrist. It provides the missing point of view or just gets to the meat of the matter, all in articles that take no more than a few minutes to read.
And, not to take themselves too seriously, both publications try to be as easy to read and entertaining as the topic will permit.
Internet has resulted in more alternative “news” as people lose faith in mainstream media
The internet has opened up unlimited possibilities to send and receive information. The deluge, however, can be overwhelming. There’s a lot of alternative “news” but how much is real? There is a lot of conspiracy, jumping to conclusions and sloppiness to sort through.
But if you default to hearing only the mainstream perspective you will find yourself subject to what we consider to be overly filtered sources. Many think today’s mainstream is not what it once was, resulting in a loss of trust. If you are reading this, you likely agree. Instead, especially in NZ, it is overly partisan and left leaning in deciding what you should hear, which stifles independent thought and tries to influence votes to the left. Few would say NZ is renowned for its independent thought and worldliness and The Centrist and NZ News Essentials both aim to help “up the game”.
We are here to use less restrictive filters and pry deeper. We will show how you are often being played to believe a certain narrative. Often there is no clear answer(ie. credible experts on both sides disagree), or one side isn’t presented because there are groups who want their view to prevail(eg. the thug’s veto). But even without clear answers you can often come to a common sense understanding that you can decide on for yourself, and that works for the things you can control.
How to subscribe
We are proposing to merge the NZ News Essentials and Centrist email lists, so if you are on either you should end up receiving both. But, if you are not on either, it is free and easy to subscribe. And we would appreciate you sending this to others as well.
