The following text is based on a lecture made by Bill Rosenburg to the Global Peace and Justice Network in Auckland on 17 June 2003 and to scholars and students of journalism at the Auckland University of Technology on 18 June 2003. This was before the takeover by Fairfax of INL’s newspapers had been finalised. Rosenburg began by emphasising that his expertise, as far as it exists, lies in ownership of the news media, not as a media commentator.

There is an effective duopoly in each of the main media – Print, Television and Radio. The Internet is a new and growing source of news. Three, and shortly four, companies dominate. Because of its nature – a mixture of distribution channel and content, news, other information and content – it is more difficult to describe.