Recent polling reveals most New Zealanders believe government funding undermines media independence.

This comes as the Government is giving millions hand over fist to the likes of the NZ Herald, Stuff, and The Spinoff from the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund.

At NZME's recent AGM, the NZ Herald Editor-in-Chief stated that the PIJF only makes up a “very small proportion” of the company's overall revenue. That may be so, but that shows how cheap NZME is being for selling out its independence, or at least its reputation for independence.