Inside Splice Beta 2025: What New Zealand media can learn from Asia’s journalists
“Whether you’re in Auckland, Manila, Delhi, Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, the issues are the same,” writes journalist Jack Marshall, reflecting on the challenges facing media organisations worldwide as the rise of AI emerges as the latest — and potentially most disruptive — force reshaping traditional journalism. Jack was part of an Asia New Zealand Foundation delegation of journalists who travelled to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to attend Splice Beta media conference in November. In the article, Jack reflects on the value of coming together as a community of journalists and shares his key takeaways from the conference.
The Asia New Zealand Foundation delegation at Splice Beta, Thailand
New Zealand often sees itself through a Western media lens. We instinctively group ourselves with the United Kingdom and the United States. Historically, that hasn’t been a bad reference point. But attending the Splice Beta 2025 media conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand, made it clear that our future depends far more on connecting with the peers actually closest to us.
Across Asia, journalists are navigating the same challenges we face in New Zealand and often doing so with fewer resources and under far greater pressure.
If New Zealand wants a say in how journalism, technology, and information flows evolve in our region, we need to be present — not as observers, but as partners
Jack Marshall
Splice Beta brought together media professionals from across the Asia–Pacific. What was immediately striking was how universal the industry’s problems are. Whether you’re in Auckland, Manila, Delhi, Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, the issues are the same.
We're all dependent on social media platforms for revenue and reach.
We're all sailing through rough waters where algorithms can change like the wind and wipe out years of work.
We're all are watching artificial intelligence (AI) flood information spaces with low-grade content, aka slop.
None of the sessions offered a magic solution. No wands or potions. And somehow that was strangely reassuring.
Splice Beta was an opportunity for journalists to come together to discuss the big issues facing the industry
We are not behind in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the entire industry is grappling with the present. While there was no magic, the speakers did hint at what we might do together to weather the storm.
Michael J. Oghia argued for alternative tech infrastructure that doesn't rely on ever-changing, extractive platforms.
Marga Deona delivered a session on what newsrooms can learn from Swifties and the BTS Army about community-building. And Clare Cook tackled how to unlock and activate local capital to sustain journalism.
For anyone interested in large language models, Sannuta Raghu from Scroll in India is developing a system that allows reporters to work more safely and confidently with AI and large language models. Their aim is to integrate AI into journalism without sacrificing accuracy, nuance or editorial integrity. You can find the prototype here.
There was also a sense of camaraderie. Many acknowledged that no single newsroom is strong enough to stand up to billion-dollar companies, from the social media platforms that control reach, to the AI companies who trawl through the news websites to digest media to feed their generative language models.
These companies are so powerful that a country the size of New Zealand does not have a big enough stick to take them on alone. The answer I heard, again and again, was collaboration. Governments, organisations, and individual journalists must work together to build the technology, laws, and benchmarks that shape the future. We need to be rule-makers, not rule-takers.
Jack: "Splice Beta showed that the future of journalism in our region depends on connection." (Photos: Splice Beta)
Meeting journalists working in Thailand, India, the Philippines, Myanmar and beyond underscored how much New Zealand stands to gain from looking to Asia rather than West.
We talk often about wanting to build deeper ties with Asia, which usually means trade deals. But what about building ties between companies, organisations and regional interests? Going to events and meeting face-to-face is the first step in developing connections. A video call is productive, but dinner with a colleague is precious.
Splice Beta showed that the future of journalism in our region depends on connection. Sharing ideas, building tools together and working together on the challenges facing journalists.
It was also a reminder that many of the pressures confronting newsrooms in Asia — platform dominance, shrinking revenues, safety risks, political pressure, and the rapid rise of AI — are not distant problems. They are signals of what is coming, and in some cases, what is already here. New Zealand has the advantage of strong institutions and relative media freedom, but those strengths are not permanent unless they are actively defended.
Being in the room mattered. Listening to peers from across the Indo-Pacific made clear that small markets cannot afford to operate in isolation. Influence does not come from size alone, but from showing up, contributing, and being willing to build things together. If New Zealand wants a say in how journalism, technology, and information flows evolve in our region, we need to be present — not as observers, but as partners.
The Foundation's media programme helps New Zealand journalists cover stories that shed light on Asia and on New Zealand’s ties to the region. We support journalists to build their knowledge of Asia by providing media travel grants, internships in Asian newsrooms and fellowships for senior journalists.
