Stories half-written – when the lights go out in a newsroom

I imagine, as for retiring doctors with their half-read books, you ease out of it over time, or maybe you don’t

On retiring from his practice, a wonderful, distinguished GP told me that leaving his patients was like leaving books half-read, never knowing how the story ends.

For the many journalists who have lost their jobs in New Zealand in the past few years, it’s akin to leaving stories half-written. 

Our team was shocked by yesterday’s announcement that the national news service Newshub will likely close at the end of June. Everyone knows someone. In my case, the loss is close to home. 

My daughter Madeleine was an assistant director at Newshub until she took off on her OE last May. 

During the first COVID lockdown, while I was in the front room producing New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa, Madeleine was in the living room prepping the 4.30pm and Prime news – preparing show rundowns and watching the story reels before they aired.

In following lockdowns, Newshub had a second newsroom in an old church next to their down-the-side-road offices in Auckland’s Eden Terrace to allow for social distancing. Nothing ostentatious.

Before Madeleine left, I went into the offices one evening and sat in the control room watching her at work as the Newshub 6pm show went out. It was great seeing the behind-the-scenes team at work, the off-camera banter, the changes in direction as the show progressed and the various trials and tribulations of reporters getting ready for their piece to camera. 

We went for dinner afterwards and then returned to the studio, where her colleague turned on the lights, and we took a photo for posterity. Except, I wasn’t thinking quite so final at the time. 

I loved that my daughter had picked up my passion for news and journalism, but I wondered what the future held. And now she is sharing this sadness with her former colleagues. 

At Newshub, up to 350 jobs are expected to go, 200 from the news operation. 

Some people will find other jobs; some will struggle hard with those stories half-written.  

Once you’ve worked in the business of hunting out news, helping people by writing their stories, holding public agencies and governments to account, or even just sharing the love underlying a community fundraiser, I expect it is hard to turn off that newshound essence – the ear for the unusual, the unlikely, the dissembling; and constantly trying not to be the one at dinner parties asking that extra little question. 

As for retiring doctors with their half-read books, I imagine you ease out of it over time, or maybe you don’t.  

But while the medical workforce has its challenges, there is a pipeline. With journalism, it is unclear who or what will step into the breach, though, in the past few years, there have been plenty of pretenders.  

As a community, a country and a democracy, we need a functioning independent news media. The lights going out in this newsroom is a tragedy for everyone, whether you engage with the news or not.