It didn't take long for Winston Peters’ news media grievances to make headlines - and headaches - for the new government. Mediawatch looks at how the media reacted to his claims of media 'bribery' - and what he was hinting at.   

Claims of media 'bribery' derail new government on day one; politics shows off air just as politics hots up; mayor under pressure after rumour-based reports.

Wellington’s mayor is under pressure after acknowledging an alcohol problem. Her admission was prompted by media questions about drunken ‘antics’ based in part on a reported recording which no media outlet has yet confirmed - and which was contradicted by the only eye-witness on the record. 

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about Winston Peters' war with the media, a new streaming app for Three, and Kim Hill's farewell to RNZ.

The three political coalition partners finally sealed the deal on Friday, bringing to an end more than 40 days of limbo - and Shane Jones' biblical quotes. Never has so much been said by so many political reporters with so little information for so long. It wasn't exactly season 4 of Borgen.        

The chief of the country’s most powerful media watchdog says we need new laws now to hold media to account in future. The outgoing government had a plan for one single body to oversee rules for all media, including the internet, but that slow-moving overhaul looks stalled. What does the Broadcasting Standards Authority want from our new rulers? 

Parties seal the coalition deal to end long limbo for media; watchdog warns media laws need urgent upgrade; media tuning out of music journalism; Covid response reckons ramp up in inquiry season.

This week the country’s biggest arts funding agency published a plan to boost coverage of culture which has been dwindling in our media. Music reviews and writing used to be eagerly-read and hotly-contested in our papers and magazines. We ask a former entertainment editor where that went and what could bring it back.

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Nights. Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about the ongoing process of forming a new government testing the patience of political reporters - and the audience. Also: more financial woe for media companies, 123 years of history ends in Invercargill - and Australia’s rugby boss meets a sticky end. 

This week the people who make the local stuff for our screens big and small urged the powers-that-be to tax the likes of Netflix and Disney Plus to fund it. But producers here can already get tax breaks and public funding, so can they really persuade the incoming government to make the streaming services another source of funds? 

As we wait for a new government, one election did deliver a clear-cut result this week - Forest and Bird's Bird of the Century poll. The winner had considerable offshore input thanks to a celebrity comedian's campaign which generated heaps of media exposure - but also some claims of media manipulation.   

Media campaign of the century; producers push for tax on streamers; the legacy of a 'true newspaperman'.

Long-serving Southland Times editor Fred Tulett has died - leaving a legacy of more than 50 years in journalism in which he mentored many top journalists who followed in his footsteps.  

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about allegations of foreign interference in the Bird of the Century vote  - and dubious concerns about the general election result.

The news media see themselves as the eyes and ears of the public - but so far political leaders have mostly turned a deaf ear to their questions about forming the new government. How are they handling the silent treatment? 

Twitter emerged as an important source of live updates, news and images during the Arab Spring more than a decade ago. Many in the media also joined the platform to share news and commentary with users worldwide. But a year after Elon Musk took it over, 'X' is a mess - and a group of local users recently gathered to 'Bury the Bird' for good. 

This week Mediawatch looks at how the media have followed the formation of the next government going on behind closed doors.   Also: a push to persuade policymakers to emulate Ireland’s economy - and local media people lamenting the decline of what was the media’s favourite social media platform, Twitter.  [picture id="4KZR3WE_Bury_the_Bird_ad_jpg" crop="original" layout="full"] 

Mediawatch - A business lobby group is urging New Zealand to emulate Ireland, which has a GDP twice as big as ours - but is the GDP picture warped? 

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about political reporters’ ongoing efforts to get party leaders to talk about forming a new government and media companies’ growing financial problems. Also  - an opportunity for journalists honouring Brian Gaynor - and the UK press picks up on the controversial British TV star accused of ‘colonising’ a Tasman town. 

Anger about rules and referees ruining rugby matches ran for days in the media after last weekend's Rugby World Cup final. Players, pundits and even current national coaches have said the game is 'broken' and bad to watch. But billions ofdollars of media companies' money keep rugby going - so will the media fix it for fans?

Protecting people who offer the media important information is a fundamental obligation for journalists. Chris Cooke quit TVNZ after it didn't keep a promise to Erin Leighton, whose off-the-record disclosures ended up being aired in court in the defence of her abusers. They're now pushing for a 'shield law' to ensure our media can guarantee confidentiality.

Rugby in recovery as a media spectacle; keeping it confidential to protect sources; Musk trashing Twitter.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about a comparative lack of coverage on Gaza, sympathy for Supie's leaders even as their employees miss out, and a wake for the Twitter-that-was.

Major news media outfits have cut back in the regions in recent years. That doesn't just leave locals worse off - it also means all New Zealanders miss out on important ideas, events and perspectives. But even though the media's margins are tight, intrepid publishers and people are still doing the business there. Mediawatch checks in on Whanganui to find out how their media are doing - and how they're doing it.

Covering news from all over the country is a struggle for media companies dealing with rising costs and falling revenues. But some local outlets are surviving - and even thriving. Mediawatch's Hayden Donnel finds out who's doing the business in Whanganui - and how they're doing it.

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about the media’s mounting problems covering the crisis in Gaza and Israel; TVNZ under pressure over compromised confidentiality; the PM talking policy on The Rock - and rugby pundits reacting badly to the way the World Cup’s panned out. [audio_play] [picture id="4M43O30_image_crop_130293" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

Our new political leaders got off on the wrong foot this week with the political press pack by keeping them at arm's length over their negotiations to from the new government. Was this a genuine media freedom issue with the interests of the public at stake? Or just a bit of collective posturing to pressure the politicians? 

Major media organisations all over the world are copping criticism for the way they’re reporting what’s happening in Gaza and Israel. Mediawatch asks BBC news boss Jonathan Munro how they’re handling it - even when it's coming from the UK's own government.  

Take me to your leader - political press pack gets off on wrong foot with our new political leaders; media in the middle of Gaza claims and counterclaims; World Cup fever - and Irish anguish.

Midweek Mediawatch - Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about how media handled the claims and counter-claims that followed the deadliest incident yet in the Gaza conflict. Also - friction between the press pack and PM preparing to form the next government - and rugby pundits ripping their Irish peers after last weekend’s World Cup quarter final . . . with the benefit of hindsight.  

Mediawatch looks back on how the media covered a long, long campaign - and how election night played out across the media after the polls finally closed on Saturday. Hayden Donnell in Auckland - and special guest Robbie Nicol (host of RNZ's politics series The Citizens Handbook) joined Colin Peacock for live RNZ National election coverage special on Sunday morning.

Midweek Mediawatch  - Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about minor parties under the microscope and more heated head-to-head election debates. Also: and the horror in Israel/Gaza gives media a dilemma - and Rachel Smalley vs Pharmac. 

This week political reporters seized on fresh figures showing the National Party overstated the benefits of its tax cut policy - and accused its leaders of misleading the public. Yet some of them had repeated the party's spin in their own reports when it was unveiled a month ago - and even praised the 'political marketing.

After seven decades up to his neck in media - and having a profound and world wide influence on them - now nonagenarian mega mogul Rupert Murdoch’s starting up the succession plan for his empire. Or is he? We ask an Australian expert who wrote all about this ten years ago when one of Murdoch’s biggest companies was mired in an epic scandal, he’d just been divorced and it looked like the succession was on. So is it now?

The media have been a political football this year - and now some politicians are complaining the media are against them in this election. But hundreds of millions of dollars of public money is spent on media each year - so what do the political parties plan for the media if they're in power?

Media shift blame for misleading tax policy headlines; political parties' policies for the media; Rupert Murdoch steps down and starts up the succession - or does he?

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about an outcry over the soiling of the sacred Ranfurly Shield, a rancorous interview with Winston Peters, and media complaining about Christopher Luxon not turning up.

The TVNZ Young Voters' debate run by Re:News was a rowdy interjection into what had been a relatively subdued election campaign. Its moderator has some ideas on how media organisations can better cater to young people.

The undecided could decide the election; giving youth a voice in the election; ZB's 'straight talking' subscribers' service.

A new subscriber service offering "straight talking" reporting and opinion was launched this week by talk radio network Newstalk ZB. Owner NZME has several other services putting content behind a paywall, but this one has a provocative blogger in charge of a line-up of pro-business and right-leaning commentators - some of whom are harsh critics of the news media.

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talked to Mark Leishman about the ever-growing volume of election campaign coverage - and the latest TV (and off-TV) debates putting party leaders under the spotlight. 

Three years ago Sinead Boucher took over the country’s biggest publisher of news from Aussie owners who gave it away “like a set of steak knives.” In the absence of big backers and the government backing away from funding journalism, does its future now depend on getting money from Google and Facebook? And does she still have the Stuff staff on board for the future? 

The election campaign went up a gear in the media this week as party leaders lined up on live TV for the first time. But while the public tuned in in numbers, the pundits reckoned the debates failed to fire up the campaign. The same could be said of the other exposure opportunities the media made for the leaders.  

Debate statemates add to election frustration; the current and future state of Stuff; some good - but overdue - news for Dunedin.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about the first live TV leaders' debate of the election campaign and the sports analogy-filled post-match analysis.

The Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update lifted the lid on the nation’s finances this week - and Treasury's projections for the foreseeable future. This dropped some ‘un-spun’ numbers into the election debate - but our media still seized on support-seeking politicians airing irreconcilable opinions about the state of our economy.

New Zealand's biggest publisher of news this week joined big global names in blocking Open AI from using its content to power generative artificial intelligence tool Chat GPT. Stuff says it is being harvested without permission for AI products already turning out low-quality results. Mediawatch asks Stuff's if keeping Ai at arm's length is a good move. 

Un-spun numbers don't derail duelling versions of the economy; Stuff keeps AI at arm's length; medical school row - and a made-up university.

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about the coverage of two huge disasters in North Africa; a little local political difficulty in Dunedin - and political party leaders under heavy scrutiny on TV. Also: a much-hyped weekend of sport which didn’t go well for our national teams - and whether pets on planes, trains and buses is really a good idea.  

Business is booming in artificial intelligence technology and new applications appear in the news almost daily. At an AUT symposium this week, experts said it’s already being deployed in creative industries to create instant ad campaigns, virtual influencers, robo-journalism and machine-made music. But is AI a creative collaborator - or just a 'handy butler'? 

The Herald copped criticism for publishing a front-page attack ad targeting the National Party leader this week - but it was far from the first time ads like it have appeared in print. Meanwhile questions were asked about other coverage that looked like it might be taking sides as the official campaign period begins. 

Angst over advocacy adverts and content as official election period begins; AI - coming ready or not for news and music.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about National's attempt to weather a storm of journalistic scrutiny of its tax plan, Patrick Gower's unusual aquatic analogy for Winston Peters, and a controversial front page ad in the New Zealand Herald.

As National announced its long-awaited tax plan, some journalists took a hard look at its numbers, while others focused more on political strategy and impact.

Mongrel and maths collide as campaigns launch - and media ponder National's tax plan; scrutiny of candidates' online footprints prompts pushback and claims of 'agendas'.

Scrutiny of political parties' policies intensified this week - and so did the scrutiny of some candidates for seats in Parliament. When TVNZ reported some election candidates’ controversial past statements this week, critics hit back with claims its own news was compromised.  

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about the strange saga sparked by the sexist behaviour of Spain’s football chief at the Women’s World Cup final. Also - broadcasters' election plans; the political heckler problem - and alarm over the All Blacks record-breaking beating and claims Wellington’s golden mile is on the slide. 

Long-awaited legislation to force big tech platforms to pay New Zealand media for the news they disseminate online is now before Parliament. It could give our media with much-needed money in years to come if it becomes law and also fill a funding gap for the government at the same time. But neither the media or the government have made much of it. 

It’s meant to be clear what’s advertising and what isn't, but 'sponsored content' and 'native advertising' blurred that line a long time ago. Now some outlets form ‘partnerships’ with clients to get messages across in exchange for big bucks - and even get their own journalists to help out.   

Brought to you by 'partners' - critics question sponsorship deals pushing clients' content into news media; IMANZ - a new umbrella body for independent local media marketing agencies; low key reveal of legislation to push big tech platforms to pay for local news.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about a dire poll for Labour raising the spectre of a media-driven death spiral; a reorganisation at NZME; a plea for help from Discovery; a political apology from TVNZ - and does the demise of one cafe chain signal doom for the capital's CBD?

A spike in shocking cases of exploitation has put the plight of migrant workers in the media spotlight. But these latest stories are part of a longstanding issue that's sometimes flown under the radar.

The Women's World Cup 2023 attracted record crowds in the stands and on TV - both here and in Australia. It also delivered drama and off-pitch stories that livened up standard sports coverage. But will all that change the way the media cover sport? Mediawatch asks two journalists with an eye on the media on both sides of the Tasman.

Our World Cup runneth over - what legacy will it leave? Lifting the lid on exploitation of migrant workers and human trafficking.

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talked to Mark Leishman while Australia’s Matildas were playing England’s Lionesses in Sydney and breaking TV viewing records. Also: election fever building in the media here; a frenzy over fruit and vegetables - and overwrought claims of collusion.

Political calls to crack down on crime are echoing in our media ahead of the upcoming election - not for the first time. Two seasoned journalists showed this was part of a pattern in a report on crime coverage which recommended new approaches. It was commissioned five years ago - but never saw the light of day. 

Reporters' report on crime coverage urges new thinking - and highlights electoral 'crime crackdown' pattern; RNZ's Richard Sutherland calling it quits after 30 years; free sports streaming options on the up.

RNZ’s head of news Richard Sutherland’s called it a day after more than 30 years in the news. He’s worked at almost every major news broadcaster in the country and led the outfit representing their mutual interests, the Media Freedom Committee. But he’s not the only news leader to leave the business lately amid warnings about the increasing intensity of it.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about one news broadcast foregrounding climate while another hones in on cellphones and Chris Luxon misspelling 'cat', before delving into a leaked letter hinting at unrest at Stuff - and how the media hounded a mayor's dog out of her office.  

The UN says we've reached "the era of global boiling". Given that, you'd think climate might have got more of a mention from the media as the National Party released its road-heavy $24 billion transport package.

A review of RNZ's online news has called for greater oversight and enforcement of standards after a crisis sparked by a single staffer making 'inappropriate' edits to international news online. Mediawatch asks RNZ’s chief executive if this was the result of a digital shift done on the cheap - and how he'll put right what he himself called ‘pro-Kremlin garbage.

Political road rage - budget holes & emissions omissions; what went wrong with RNZ's online news - and putting it right,

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about what a review of the ‘inappropriate editing’ of online news at RNZ has revealed. Also  - the FIFA Women’s World Cup captivating the media - even though the Football Ferns got knocked out and Palmerston North was dissed by Spain. 

The media could scarcely ignore the startling story of a minister of justice under arrest, but the circumstances of that and her sudden resignation raised many other issues. Many in the media seized on one - the possible impact it could have on an election still almost three months away.

A board member at RNZ appointed less than a month ago quit this week after making public comments on Kiri Allan’s downfall and criticising media coverage of it. RNZ had asked Jason Ake to stop and the government said he breached official obligations of neutrality, but he was unrepentant.

Minister's downfall triggers election speculation - and another resignation at RNZ.

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Nights. This week Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about the coverage of Kiri Allan's arrest and subsequent resignation - and media pushing back against criticism of lurid coverage of the Lauren Dickason trial.   

On a day when Auckland was the focus of the biggest story in world sport and the Football Ferns ended up making history, deadly shootings a stone's throw from football teams' hotels and the fan zone confronted media primed for a good news story.    

Nothing much changed in a 1News Verian poll released on Monday. Some commentators treated the boring results as a blank canvas on which to express their creativity.

After it emerged that Matu Reid was on home detention for family violence offences, the media rapidly raised questions about home detention, the discounting of prison sentences and gun control. Politicians have mostly refrained from adding their views, but they had already made crime and punishment election issues this past week.

A triumph on a tragic day; political parties roll out crime control policies; creative interpretations of a pretty prosaic political poll.

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about intense coverage of a mother accused of killing her children - and the media finally covering the crimes of Sir James Wallace. Also: Tova O’Brien returning to the media as some senior news editors depart; the media response to the PM ruling out wealth taxes - and the tabloid scoop giving the BBC a big headache.

Recent reports have warned of a ‘mortgage bomb’ that could blow up - and a growing number of people unable to pay back debts. Is the story as explosive as some headlines would have you believe? 

These days the platforms that pump news round the internet make more money out of it than the media who make it. In Australia they’ve done deals to ensure the media get more. Now the government also wants big fines for platforms publishing falsehoods. How will that work? And what’s the story here?

Warnings of a 'mortgage bomb' about to blow up; Australia puts big tech' under more pressure; Mary Holm's 25 years with readers and writers.

Mary Holm's been writing about personal finance weekly for the same paper for more than 25 years. But she tells Mediawatch it's really the readers who have kept it going.  

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about the Greens' entire manifesto crowded out by coverage of a single law and order tweak from Act . Also a Mediawatch mess-up; a sub-par speed limit story; more BBC presenter problems, commentators cheering Cane's kick (or was it a trip?) and remembering Steve Orsbourn.

The New Zealand Herald column Sideswipe ended in May after a 21-year run. Its creator attributes its longevity to good curation and building a community.

100 days to go; unknown Luxon; Listener goes online and brings back NZ's longest lasting columnist; confusing news on the economy.

Political reporters often say people need to get to know National leader Christopher Luxon. But he's ubiquitous in the media and has been in the job 18 months. Is it possible he's unknowable? Or is it time to retire the narrative?

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about the reaction to two politicians who both filled the front page of The Post this past week: cabinet minister Kiri Allan and Wellington mayor Tory Whanau. Also: the PM dodges a China crisis - and intense coverage of petrol pump pain. 

A new report says the arts and culture get just half of the space in our media that's devoted to sport. Mediawatch asks a leading local culture critic if the arts are just a 'nice to have' for our media now - and why he's warned cultural criticism could disappear with the older Pākehā blokes like him.

The shock of the news - and a critical shortage in the state of the arts; TVNZ top-table changes; reserving the right to be wrong - even in an emergency.

Dolphins mating in a prime-time TV documentary was deemed a breach of broadcasting standards this week by the broadcasting watchdog - but dismissing official information and experts on air during Cyclone Gabrielle was not.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about a titanic amount of coverage of the Titan submersible tragedy. Also: complaints about an unfair focus on Christopher Luxon; a harsh headline for Michael Wood; media caning Chiefs' captain for post-defeat no-show - and a tonally jarring lifestyle mag on the supermarket shelves.    

Most publications would never dream of running advertising for free, or publishing a highly ideological press release verbatim, but they may do so if the same information is presented in the form of research or study results.

A scoop revealing that ethnicity is factored into Auckland-region surgery waiting lists sparked strong reactions against ‘race-based healthcare’ and claims that Māori and Pacific patients were “getting to the front of the surgery queue.” But it turned out to be nothing new - and the formula might actually mean patients’ ethnic background has less impact on waitlist positioning.

Surgery, equality and equity; starling survey results score easy exposure; independent local radio pioneer 1XX changes hands - but the mission remains the same.

A leading local, award-winning and proudly-independent radio station based in Whakatāne has changed hands after more than 50 years on air. We ask the boss who’s been there for most of them: is it the end of an era? 

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about a ‘tough on crime’ policy triggering media - after ‘Mad Max’ Mongrel Mob scenes in the news. Also: media war-gaming the election too soon; a political column winding back the news; problems that scrapped a big newspaper story emerge - and the ‘grandfather of whistleblowing’ dies.

External experts are poring over the ‘inappropriate editing’ of international news published online by RNZ. It has already tightened editorial checks and stood down an online journalist. Will this dent trust in RNZ - or news in general? Were campaigns propagating national propaganda a factor? Mediawatch asks two experts with international experience.

Mediawatch looks at the response to the revelation of 'inappropriate editing' of online world news at RNZ - and asks two experts what may come out of the investigation into how it happened. Also: Mediawatch asks about claims that state-sponsored offshore disinformation campaigns could be undermining our media.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Anna Thomas about RNZ's 'pro-Russia edits' saga now extending stories about other countries - and a newspaper's feature story that fell short of standards. Also: one RNZ host leaves the broadcaster while another returns to air; the intense focus on political party leaders' 'rinky dink' phrases  - and what they say off-message; the media war over Australia's most famous soldier- and whether people can weather the long forecasts. 

Crime is set to be a big election year issue, with polls showing the public feels unsafe and the opposition claiming the government is 'soft' on offending. A pair of Herald journalists have tried to get to the truth behind the political jousting.

How stories about the war in Ukraine ended up with a pro-Russian slant on RNZ's website; reports of crime are on the up but does the story change when reporters run the numbers before running a story?

RNZ is investigating how online stories about the war in Ukraine, supplied by an international news agency, were edited to align with the Russian view of events. A staff member has been stood down while other stories are audited. It's also prompted an external review of RNZ's online news publishing.    

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Tod Zaner about Auckland mayor Wayne Brown antagonising the media . . . again; a shake-up of Stuff's top brass; TVNZ boosting free-to-air sport; a dead radio station winning three national awards; Nicky Hager honoured for lifting the lid on secrets. 

Mediawatch talks to the radio industry's top spokesperson who called on commercial companies to curb their rivalry - and the brains behind a small music radio network spreading around the country - but without ads. Also: a controversial proposal to change the way our media content is regulated.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about racist abuse of journalists and the potential for more of it in a toxic election campaign. Also: an eyebrow-raising Media Council decision; two enduring magazines changing hands; exclusive coverage of awards that excludes other award winners - and some surprising talkback debate about cycling.      .

Years before the Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 residents, it was foreshadowed by another fatal fire in London which wasn't adequately investigated. A journalist who has worked on that story for six years so far tells Mediawatch our media must pursue what went wrong at Loafers Lodge to prevent something worse happening elsewhere in future. 

Lessons for Loafers Lodge investigation in the long game of the UK's Grenfell saga; new fund backing business and economics coverage; an hour of Gower (and friends . . . and his issues).

Three's new current affairs show Paddy Gower Has Issues walks a tonal tightrope - balancing comedic heckling and faux-serious investigations with in-depth reporting on important issues of the day.

Midweek Mediawatch -  Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about the outrage over Paora that sparked escalating apologies from Zoo Miami - and how the media reacted to a Budget which wasn't quite what the pundits predicted. Also: a media watchdog's warning about taking care with facts  - and the ‘the worst movie of the year’? 

The nation’s news outlets aren’t usually interested in local government ructions in the south, but deep rifts in one dysfunctional council have made many headlines lately. When a ‘showdown’ meeting in Gore was livestreamed on major websites this week, peace broke out instead. Was that because of the media attention?

Brian Tamaki couldn't get on TV last weekend to announce the launch of a new umbrella movement to contest the next election. But other political leaders had better luck recently week getting a media platform to air new plans and policies.   

Gore blimey - a little local political difficulty pulls national media focus; Politicians seeking platforms for political reveals.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about coverage putting the Loafers Lodge disaster in context - even in the midst of chaos and confusion, some impressive political fact-checking, whether the media needs to change tack reporting economists' forecasts - and an exclusive interview with a party-swapping MP which wasn't hard to get.

Some in the media learned the lessons of Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods, just as the emergency management authorities have done - and they made a concerted effort to take this week’s weather warnings seriously. Others, not so much.

US-based NewsGuard is rating New Zealand's significant news sites for reliability - and even preparing ‘nutrition labels’ to warn users to treat them with caution. NewsGuard is also using human journalists to train generative AI innovations like ChatGPT to minimise the potential for misinformation-spreading on an epic scale.  

Safe or sorry? Some still shrugging off storm warnings; an offshore outfit rating reliability of our news - and trying to train the AI chatbots; angst over not-so-Super Rugby on screen.

Midweek sports bulletins and commentaries declared that a former All Blacks coach had "slammed" modern rugby and declared it "unwatchable," prompting push-back from current All Blacks about changing the rules and refereeing. But Wayne Smith didn't quite condemn the state of the nation game in the way some reports would have you believe.         

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Nights. Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about criticism of the Coronation coverage - and the PM grilled by the BBC on republicanism and sausage rolls. Also - RNZ releases critical comments from a minister; and a new radio station and podcasts emerge from the closure of talk station Today FM. 

The Coronation this weekend was an historic event that anointed a new head of state for us for the first time in 70 years - and also a made-for-media spectacle that captivated broadcasters. After the death of QE2 last year, pundits predicted a debate about cutting ties with the Crown would follow, but the media have shown little appetite for it.   

The Coronation - constitutional conundrum or just a king-size media spectacle?; political defection takes media by surprise.

Te Pāti Māori livestreams from local marae don’t usually attract much mainstream media interest. But the defection of government minister Meka Whaitiri on Wednesday was carried by every major outlet after Whakaata Māori's late-night scoop sparked a media scramble. It also created a “constitutional cluster” that needed clarity.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about Meka Whaitiri's defection to Te Pāti Māori taking the media by surprise, a media organisation and a politician censured for inaccuracy on important health matters - and media coverage of an airline PR stunt.

After putting almost all its news online for free for a quarter of a century, Stuff launched subscription-based websites this weekend for its biggest daily papers - The Press, Waikato Times and The Post. Its main news website stuff.co.nz will remain free - but its regional titles could also put up paywalls soon.   

For 22 years, media stories regularly bemoaned Kiwis treated as second class citizens across the ditch. This week, the problem finally got resolved, only for coverage to turn to fears of a 'Great Exodus' within hours.

Stuff takes the paywall plunge; fear of brain drain drowns out victory for Kiwis' rights across the ditch; economic predictions wide of the mark.

The country’s biggest publisher of news will soon begin charging readers of three titles for news online for the first time. Stuff is launching subscription-based websites for The Dominion Post, The Press and Waikato Times, but access to its main national news website stuff.co.nz will remain free. 

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about a very bad week for two billionaire media barons - Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch - burning up credibility and cash in court, online and in space; and more critics copping flak for Succession spoilers.

The government is beefing up RNZ’s budget after scrapping the new public media entity it planned over four years. But what’s the ‘broadcasting strategy for all New Zealanders’  the minister says he’s putting together? And what’s the plan for state-owned TVNZ?

What's the government plan for public media now?; regional news start-up seeking reporters and backing; airline snack swap secures sparks media appetite.

This week ads for a new start-up appeared seeking reporters in the regions - and offering salaries reporters only get in the big cities these days. What is Regional News Network? How does it plan to set up the sort of regional coverage big news outlets have struggled to maintain in recent years?

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Nights. Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about Twitter tagging public broadcasters around the world - including RNZ - as 'government funded'; politicians being grilled on TV about their policies - and their personalities, and some research findings which made news but needed a little more context.

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has maintained a relationship with the media that's been - at best - frosty. A new report into the Council's flood response shows the limits of that approach. The mayor's promised changes to emergency planning in future. How could this help media do their job in an emergency?  

This week the prospect of pizza by drone from store-to-door hit the headlines again - seven years years after a similar PR fly-by prompted stories insisting this was just around the corner for needy and greedy fast food fans. Meanwhile other drone delivery innovations already under way or in the pipeline don't seem to interest the media much.

Auckland flood response review finds arms-length Council didn't use media effectively; media droning on about flying pizza - again; a fake news backflip.

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Nights. Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about how the media reacted to a sudden switch of rules for those who lobby politicians. Also - an investigation lifting the lid on health spending, a solo Southlander giving local media a run for their money - and the LA Times spoiling ‘Succession’ for fervent fans.   

Mediawatch looks at the results of the biggest annual survey of New Zealanders’ trust in news - which shows it’s on the slide for the fourth year in a row. For the first time it also shows many of us avoiding news altogether. Is that because so much of it has been 'bad news' for so long? Or are we doing it badly? Mediawatch the authors of the 2023 Trust in News report.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about Donald Trump getting arrested, trust in news falling again, a controversy involving a Cabinet minister and RNZ- and the working poor getting a platform.

Why did MediaWorks kill a network launched with heavy hype only a year ago - which was also the source of news for half the country's commercial stations? The major media company also scrubbed the station’s digital content and brought to an end more than 30 years of talk radio history. Mediawatch asks why - and what happens next.

The untidy end of Today FM - and 30 years of talk radio history; further fallout from coverage of the short-but-sharp visit of provocateur Posie Parker - and the protest that drowned her out.

The protest that overwhelmed a rally for anti-trans rights activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull in Auckland last weekend was described as out-of-control and violent in some accounts. Two reporters who covered the protest on the ground tell Mediawatch that doesn't reflect what they saw.​

The future of MediaWorks talk network Today FM and its news service are in doubt after a proposal to close the station prompted an on-air staff revolt. Today FM abruptly cut to pop music after breakfast host Tova O'Brien announced she and all her colleagues were losing their jobs - and morning host Duncan Garner said they had "been betrayed."

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talks to Susana Lei’ataua about the advertising watchdog scuppering an expensive and important TV advert - and a surprise rise in the media’s income from ads. Also: an editor promising inside information on our media - and further fallout from the controversial visit of Posie Parker. 

An RNZ investigation lifted the lid this week on lobbyists and how they communicate with politicians outside the public gaze or official oversight. But it also raised questions for the media about how the lobbyists lobby them - and appear in the media while the public have no idea who their clients are.    

The fly-in fly-out visit of provocateur Posie Parker was obviously a divisive issue - with people going to court to try to prevent it and then taking to the streets when that failed. Opponents drowned out her public appearance in Auckland, but there was plenty about her - and her opinions - in the media this week. 

UK provocateur captures media's attention; lifting the lid on lobbying, ministers - and the media; a source burned and spurned - in the public interest?

An RNZ investigation this week revealed ministers and their staff are messaged by lobbyists using apps out of the public gaze - but discoverable under the OIA. In the UK, one minister’s messages exposing ‘government by WhatsApp’ are also in the headlines because of one journalist brutally betraying her source - and kicking off an angry ethical debate.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Susana Lei'ataua about revelations on political lobbying from RNZ, a new online outlet seeking to provoke the woke; how US media boosted the war in Iraq 20 years ago -  and challenges for reporters covering an anti-trans rights campaigner's tour.

The media did little to mark the fourth anniversary of the March 15 terror attack, and some victims and their families say they are starting to feel forgotten.

Chris Hipkins won media plaudits for his political strategy after scrapping or deferring some of Labour's policy in his latest policy bonfire, including ones to reduce emissions. But a poll released just hours after his announcement showed voters want more climate action, not less. 

Polls and policy bonfire create climate contradiction; a muted media response to March 15; apology; talk radio outbursts spark apology.

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Todd Zaner about how a former footballer took on the top brass of the BBC - and won.  Also: a confronting front-page story about a high-profile death - and two papers challenged on the fairness of local politics coverage.

The National Party unveiled two dove-tailed policies last weekend - pumping up childcare subsidies while cutting down on consultants to cover the cost. Mediawatch looks at how the media ran the rule over these - and talks to the author of a timely investigation into the lucrative childcare industry.

The broadcasting and media minister spoke about the collapse of the public media merger for the first time this week when a Parliamentary committee asked about the sums spent on it. He gave little away about the next strategy for RNZ which he’s taking to Cabinet soon. 

Media run the rule over policy on kids and consultants; Michelle Duff on journalism and switching to fiction; awkwards questions over media merger bills - and what comes next.

Media run the rule over policy on kids and consultants; Michelle Duff on journalism and switching to fiction; awkwards questions over media merger bills - and what comes next.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Susana Lei'ataua about some skids and u-turns in transport reporting, a growing glut of daily news podcasts - and a new online outlet for those de-platformed by The Platform. Also: public servants expressing political views in the media - and PM's pie preferences.

Coverage of the occupation of Parliament was wall-to-wall in our media as it dissolved into violence and came to an end one year ago this week. An RNZ team has trawled the overflowing archive of images for a documentary to show how it played on the the ground. Will it help us understand future stand-offs which capture the attention of the media?

Old-fashioned AM radio was an information lifeline for many during Cyclone Gabrielle when other sources wilted without power. Now a little-known arrangement that puts proceedings of Parliament on the air has been cited as a threat to its future. But is a switch-off really likely? And what’s being done to avoid it?

Documenting the March 2 convulsion one year on; apology to Tim Beveridge; claims that AM radio is in jeopardy; is the G-word still fit for primetime TV?

Does a surprising call by our broadcasting watchdog about a fleeting TV news item months ago mean that a primetime TV show shouldn’t really be on our screens right now? 

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Susana Lei'ataua about the media covering claims of a post-Gabrielle crime spike that was questioned by Police; the fiery exit of a top public servant, MediaWorks' boss preparing to take off - and a radio host hitting back at Pharmac for playing favourites with the media. 

Media on the ground in cyclone-hit communities found road-blocks and local people reporting looting, theft and threats backed up with firearms. Meanwhile police and politicians insisted there was no spike in crime and complained of disinformation in the media and online.

Once the scale of Cyclone Gabrielle’s destruction became clear, politicians of all parties agreed restoring and improving our infrastructure is our top priority. We’re told we’ve underinvested in it for decades and now the expense will be epic. So how can the media help us get to grips with this daunting challenge - and even understand infrastructure actually is? 

National MP Maureen Pugh was censured by her bosses and made to walk back her words after calling man-made climate change into question earlier this week. But similar sentiments still find a platform in the media.

Claims and counter-claims on post-Gabrielle crime spike; boring old infrastructure surges to the top of the agenda; climate minimisation still has a foothold in the media.

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talks to Susana Lei'ataua about coverage of Cyclone Gabrielle's destruction - and the backlash against talk radio hosts who played the disaster down early on. Also: claims Roald Dahl’s books have been censored by 'PC gone mad' - and Fox News facing billion-dollar problems.

Cyclone Gabrielle buried homes and took lives, including those of rescuers, this week. But as it bore down on the country, front-rank hosts at Newstalk ZB played down the danger it posed and complained about a day of school closures.

Our media were in emergency mode yet again this week, offering hours of extra coverage on air, online and in print. Outlets in the hardest-hit places reported the basics - even without access to basics like power, communications and even premises. What will Gabrielle's legacy be for media's role in reporting disasters and national resilience?

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Nights. Hayden Donnell talks to Susana Lei'ataua about some good journalism - and some ill-advised commentary - on Cyclone Gabrielle. And in other news: a truancy announcement that didn't turn up - and the end of the show formerly known as Police Ten-7 / Ten-7 Aotearoa - and claims it got ‘cancelled.’

Recent media reports have blamed rising grocery prices on supermarket suppliers and even shoplifters. One business journalist is calling on the media to focus on the market power of our supermarket duopoly, now facing a law change to improve competition and lower prices. 

Media merger out of its misery; supermarkets shaping the food price story; Southlander goes solo to tell southern stories.

Logan Savory spent years covering local stories for the long-established local daily paper Southland Times. Now he’s gone solo in the Southland Tribune - which sounds like a paper but isn’t. Why the change?   And what’s the difference? 

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Nights. Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about the government dumping its public media plans - again - and Karyn talks to National's Melissa Lee about her reaction. Also: Waitangi Day passing peacefully - apart from a little cue-card controversy. 

The PM has confirmed what pundits have predicted for weeks: the plan for a public media entity has been scrapped – before they even settled on a name for it. It’s the second time in five years Labour’s backed away from its public media policy, leaving RNZ and TVNZ in limbo again.

The communications failures following the downpour  - now under review - weren’t all Wayne Brown’s fault, but the mayor’s antagonistic and arm's-length management prolonged a media pile-on which raised questions about the priorities of both parties in a crisis.

Communications recriminations after the deluge; rebooting crisis coverage in the social media age; public media plan proclaimed a dead duck by other media.

When the heavens opened last weekend, some channels of official information closed. Emergency management agencies and the news media both copped criticism for lagging behind events - and behind social media feeds fed by citizens and ordered by algorithms. Can the content from the crowd in real time be harvested for a big picture the news media and the authorities alike can all use?

In this week's rebranded Midweek Drongowatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a flood of criticism for Auckland mayor Wayne Brown, a pair of polls that perked up the political press pack  - and how TVNZ handled the story of the first-ever All Black to come out as gay. Also - Hayden's summer season news bingo-card check - and his mancave confusion clarified.

Legislation for a new public media entity due by March has been reviewed and is due to be debated in Parliament soon. But pundits and opposition politicians alike are urging the government - now under new 'bread and butter'-focused management - to pull the plug on it.

PM's exit and epic rain blow up 'slow news' summer; political pressure pumped up on media merger; mixed messages on state of the highways.

Anger over the state of our highways deepened this summer - along with the potholes at the heart of constant claims the roads are “the worst they’ve ever been.” But political pressure and a startling stat in the media might have given people the wrong idea - and also undermined the push for lower speeds and fewer crashes.

Along with the politicians, the media were caught on the hop when Jacinda Ardern suddenly called it quits last week. This week, more than a summer's worth of rain in a few hours blew away the 'slow news' season.     

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Nights - back for 2023.  Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about the media response to Jacinda Ardern’s surprise demise. Also: big job cuts at a big radio broadcaster; little local stations fighting their corner; on-air changes at RNZ and the Dom Post - and the death of a record-breaking long-serving radio host. 

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell recaps the big stories of 2022 and the questions they raise for 2023, and delivers his own personal worst of and best of list for the year in media.

A roundup of the weeks & the years happenings. There's even an awards slot!

For years, Silicon Valley's stars have been able to drum up positive media headlines with their visions of a future tech utopia. In 2022, several of them ran into the hard wall of reality.

Mediawatch's mash-up of 2022 in review; reversal of fortunes for Silicon Valley moguls in the media.

Mediawatch says goodbye  - and good riddance - to 2022 in the media. 

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about the government’s media merger under the spotlight again - along with top brass of TVNZ and RNZ. Also: the death of two much-admired journalists; Qatar’s issues overshadowed by the World Cup spectacle; overheated reports of road repair rage, and who’s telling the Prime Minister what to do on her summer break? 

Why has our biggest and only truly national news publisher Stuff just rejigged its regional reporting to have fewer reporters in its local newsrooms - and none at all in some at certain times of the week? The move has antagonised some staff against the backdrop of disputes over journalists' pay.

The PM’s hints this week reforms will be pared back in 2023  - and an untidy interview by the broadcasting minister - added to skepticism about the government’s public media plan. But while the media have aired angst about editorial independence, trust and costs, the opportunities have barely been addressed - or the consequences of sticking with the status quo. 

American newspaper editor turned academic Kenton Bird traveled this country in 2010 to see if the ‘news deserts’ caused by newspaper closures in the US could happen here. 12 years on, he’s back - and happy to find our papers still in print even though the ‘rivers of gold’ dried up long ago and our biggest publisher was sold for a single gold coin in 2020. 

Media merger meets mounting resistance as clock ticks; Stuff's regional rejig of news - and staff strife; local papers: from rivers of gold to news deserts - and some green shoots.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a media tussle with Pharmac, a so-called 'trainweck' interview by the broadcasting minister and two interesting Media Council decisions.

One press conference question at a Prime Ministerial summit kicked off a wave of social media scorn this week - and even criticism and international headlines about sexism. But media made a better fist of the awkward questions thrown up by parents withholding consent for the treatment of their sick baby and their supporters.     

For more than 30 years the nation's independent producers have been able to bid for money from the public purse to make programmes via New Zealand on Air. But from next year, the new public media entity that replaces RNZ and TVNZ will hold the purse strings for the bulk of the taxpayers' money - and they're anxious about it. But if there's more money available for the stuff they make, what's the problem?

Handling awkward questions; programme-makers anxious about public media project; why Stuff journalists walked off the job.

Journalism’s never been an especially well-paid job, except for a few bosses and stars in big jobs at the top end. But industrial action is rare - and no journalists at major news media have gone on strike here for almost a decade and half. Why did some Stuff reporters walk off the job this week and picket their own premises?

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talk to Karyn Hay about how the media responded to anger about violent crime and death of dairy worker Janak Patel. Also: journalists walking off the job; the rise of 'angertainment'; a new local series asking existential questions; unexpected media moments from the controversial Qatar World Cup.  

The latest global climate policy summit in Egypt failed to create binding agreements on emissions reduction. But COP 27 did pave the way for compensating countries bearing the brunt of climate change. Commentators in our media were quick to claim 'COP was a flop' and proof that big international gatherings of governments and institutions are a waste of time and taxpayers' money.

A controversial gang-led drug rehab project funded by seized proceeds of crime was back in the news recently, thanks to headlines that highlighted the proportion of participants relapsing. That prompted critics to condemn it as a failure. Was that fair? 

COP 27 climate coverage cop outs; blowing the whistle on 'normalised' corruption in world sport; relapse reports upset gang-based rehab programme.

Qatar’s ‘sports-washing’ World Cup has backfired in PR terms, but it's taken the heat off world football’s corrupted governing body FIFA who gave it a green light in the first place. Mediawatch talks to a whistleblower who became a journalist and publisher herself to get the story out.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a blizzard of commentary about Christopher Luxon's performance, Chinese state-sponsored propaganda in the Herald, and a respected Stuff reporter turning to climate coverage.

The FIFA World Cup in Qatar was already controversial before this weekend’s kick-off. Organisers have told the media to ‘focus on the football’ but human rights, workers’ suffering and and allegations of corruption in securing the tournament in the first place are impossible to ignore. Will media draw attention to that while the planet’s best players are on show?

Opposition to agricultural reforms gets a wide airing in the media, along with protest and lobby groups fighting the corner against ‘unworkable regulations.’ But farming industry groups - and many farmers - also know adaptation and compromise is inevitable. Mediawatch talks to the editor of Farmers Weekly, whose views end up in the mailbox of almost every farm in the land.

Media wrestle with 'sportswashing' Qatar's World Cup; framing farming's big issues via the mailbox; politics pundit calls it quits.

Midweek Mediawatch:Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about a sporting victory that stirred emotions - and calls for a level playing field. Also: Stuff staff push back at bosses; an exploding whale anniversary - and is social media’s social impact overstated? (Warning: contains traces of peanuts . . .)

A decade ago our biggest newspaper publisher made an ill-fated deal to send its almost all of its entire archive of photos offshore to be digitised. They never came back - and now their LA-based owner has put them on the market online, hoping a buyer will put them in public hands.

The Herald - and its publisher NZME - has embarked on a months-long series to push back at short-term thinking and political tribalism holding back the post-Covid recovery. Mediawatch asks the driving forces of ‘Rebuilding Better’ how that can be done - and if that means confronting some of the shrillest voices on NZME’s own platforms.

Amid a barrage of criticism from across the political spectrum, Elon Musk reached for a defence beloved by editors and journalists. 

The Herald's bid to confront big national issues and 'Rebuild Better'; annoying left and right wing doesn't mean doing the right thing; irreplaceable images from papers past on the block.

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Nights. Colin Peacock talked to Karyn Hay about the Labour Party’s conference overshadowed by the latest TV opinion poll - and reporters’ fixation on the party leaders. Also: Winston Peters slams our media offshore; more reactions, reports and revelations about the new public media entity. 

Journalists have long suffered the scorn of the public, rating as poorly as the politicians they report on – and used car sellers – when it comes to trustworthiness. But what New Zealand journalists are actually like is rarely examined. Mediawatch looks at the findings from the biggest-ever survey of our media people.

The new justice minister has said name suppression in our courts “is not working” because it’s granted too often to people with the means to make a strong bid for it. That puts Kiri Allan on the same page as the media which want greater freedom to report details of court cases of public interest. But would that also jeopardise the right to fair trial? 

Minister and media puts pressure on name suppression; who are New Zealand's journalists today?

Midweek Mediawatch - Hayden Donnell talks to Charlotte Ryan about how the media handle politicians' photo opportunities  - and one politician keeping the media at arm's length. Also - unprecedented scrutiny of the tech titans as Musk takes control of Twitter and Zuckerberg suffers a sudden slide in Facebook’s fortune . . . and Charlotte Ryan held to account for teasing her own followers.  

NZ Rugby was panned for overlapping the Black Ferns and the All Blacks on the pitch - and on TV - at the same time this weekend - but it wasn’t the first international double-up during the Women’s Rugby World Cup. Meanwhile, some top Auckland schools don’t want their top players on TV any more at all.

Pundits and presenters aired excitable opinions about the possibility - or probability according to some - that Jacinda Ardern would quit while she was ahead before the next election. It's a re-run of this time last year, when the same source-less speculation filled columns and airtime - and ended up wide of the mark.

A recent revival of local prime-time TV documentaries has highlighted some thorny social issues and raised awkward questions about justice and equality. Among them was a revealing investigation this week showing the cost of white-collar crime dwarfs that of welfare fraud, but draws lighter punishments and gets a lot less scrutiny in the media than the kind of crimes that play out in public.

PM's exit speculation goes another round; a doco revival spotlights crime and justice; on the overlap: rugby TV clashes create controversy.

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about the media in overdrive over the UK’s political drama; more PR problems in the push for the new public media entity and a talk radio host censured for being mean to a teenager - and who went on to insult an entire country this week.

This week's five-yearly meeting of the Chinese Communist Party signposted China's economic and foreign policy for the foreseeable future under President Xi Jinping. That's a big deal for trading nations like ours, but propaganda, vested interests and media restrictions make the coverage difficult and confusing.

Bard-gate; on the sidelines of big news in China; chaotic politics sparks crude comebacks - and decency dilemmas.

The political turmoil in the UK sparked some spectacular emotional reactions - and language not normally fit for broadcast. Meanwhile, one radio host here was pondering just what words should be used on the air and in political interviews. 

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a misleading and sometimes fact-free media uproar over a small arts grant, new developments in the Kamahl Santamaria saga, and regional reporting cutbacks at Stuff.

Settling on a scheme to charge for agricultural emissions has taken 20 years of consultation, compromise and scientific research - and agriculture’s leading lobby groups were partners in the process. But obstinate objections and contestable claims from loud outsiders got pride of place in some media this week. 

Kris Faafoi masterminded the public media merger that’s now in train, before quitting politics to spend more time with his family last June. Now he wants to spend more time with government again, lobbying for commercial clients. Critics complained about a 'revolving door' between lobbying and government, but the media is part of the equation too.

Once again the local elections were plagued by low voter turnout and a lack of engagement. Is the media coverage, or lack thereof, contributing to the problem - and what can it do to help? 

Heated emissions from media on greenhouse gas charging plan; the media and the low, low, local election turnout; ex-media minister's hasty move to lobbying.

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about the fallout from the local elections - Mayor Brown keeping media at arm's length: Also - Women's Rugby World Cup media fever, in spite of competition; speculation about who will lead the new public media entity next year - and Liz Truss as a lettuce. 

Media execs aired their angst about the government’s public media plan in parliamentary hearings this week - and the commercial clout TVNZ will bring to the new entity.  TVNZ’s Simon Power talks to Mediawatch about what needs to change, rivals’ fears of its commercial clout - and FBoy Island as a symbol of incompatible cultures. 

The world’s richest person put US$44 billion to make Twitter his personal property. Social media pioneer Evan Henshaw-Plath - who co-founded Twitter’s forerunner Odeo - is now here in New Zealand trying to break down the big social platforms. But if they are worth billions of dollars because they have billions of users - isn’t a bit late for that?

FBoy Island controversy; TVNZ's boss on the concerns about the public media merger aired on Parliamentary hearings; can epic-scale social media platforms be hacked down to size?

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about journalists coming under fire from the subjects of their stories and an unsurprising scandal over a TVNZ reality show.

Two new pieces of reporting have added context and depth to the headlines blaring about a youth crime wave.

This week a Parliamentary committee heard concerns from other media companies about the new public media entity, as opposition attacks on the cost of it intensified.  Meanwhile a significant funding shift for local content came to light, revealing further tensions and uncertainties.

More rancour on the road to a new public media entity; youth crime facts and headlines don't match; Christchurch Call digs deep into algorithms.

New Zealand is leading a bid to break open social media’s secret algorithms as part of The Christchurch Call  response, with backing from some big tech outfits. But without input from the biggest ones, will it undercut the extremism on social media platforms?  Mediawatch asks a social media pioneer who founded the forerunner of Twitter, but now wants to break the power of the big platforms.

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about developments in the progress of a new public media entity, and where the money for the content will come from. Also: a couple of awkward on-air interviews that sparked complaints. Were they unfair - or just a bit mean?

Journalists are shining a light on our legal system, revealing some important cases and systemic problems. They're doing so in the face of impediments inside the courts and uncertainty about where the money to pay for the reporting will come from.

A long Anglican church service bookended by mostly-military parades became possibly the most-watched event in media history this week. But many media outlets struggled with what the Queen’s funeral really meant to different people around the planet.

QE2, queues and cultural cues; the push for open justice; minister prods TVNZ over public media progress; 'tis the season for tomato angst.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about the deluge of coverage of the death of Queen Elizabeth  - and the not exactly full and frank release of an investigation into National MP Sam Uffindell's past misdemeanours.

There’s mounting pressure on tech titans Google and Facebook to pay local news media to carry their news online. Google has already done deals with some for its News Showcase, but other big names in news are still trying to get the platforms to pay - and the government’s hinting it could force the issue soon. 

A headline in the Dominion Post this week claimed there was “a clear favourite” among the candidates for Wellington’s Mayor in a “straw poll” capital’s daily itself had run online. But it acknowledged its result was entirely unscientific - and a proper poll out this weekend has a different result.

Pressure on the platforms to pay for news; a sketchy political poll that ruffled feathers in the capital; photographers recall the Queen.

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talked to Karyn Hay about the continuing coverage of the Queen’s death as her funeral approaches. Also: a primetime and publicly-funded documentary about a star journalist’s personal te reo journey and reactions to the plan for more Māori content across our media.

The media planned for the death of Queen Elizabeth the Second for many years, but when came it still upended the media - and the audience - in a way no other news could. And it also forced media to confront awkward questions about the future at a moment of heightened emotions. 

After four years, two reviews and one big false start, a long-awaited strategy for the future of MÄori broadcasting has been agreed by Cabinet, following substantial boosts to its budget in the last two years. But it’s still far from clear exactly how things will change - and when - for viewers listeners and readers.

This week Colin Peacock begins by looking at how media here and overseas reacted to the death of Queen Elizabeth the Second.  He also looks at the reaction to a new government plan for Maori media - and Lotto coming under scrutiny. 

Lotto has a lot of players, but not a lot of media scrutiny in the media compared to forms of gambling - even at a time when our spending on it is soaring. A new investigation shows people who can ill-afford it are spending more, but big decisions by our national gambling outfit have barely been reported.

Midweek Mediawatch: Hayden Donnell talked to Bryan Crump about a TVNZ emergency housing expose that also raised questions about coverage of the issue - and how the Herald set the record straight on a headline-making lockdown breach last year.  Also - a Mediawatch prediction that fell flat - and breaking news about Bryan himself.

Midweek Mediawatch Sep 7

Commercial media companies fear the new public media entity replacing RNZ and TVNZ will be greater than the sum of those two parts. The draft legislation obliges Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media to “collaborate” with them - but the owner of the biggest local news producer, Stuff, says no-one knows what that means and the law must define its role and responsibilities properly. 

The GST tweak to Kiwisaver fees that hit the headlines this week was a not bad idea, according to some experts. But the change that was buried in a dense Bill of tax tweaks got dumped in less that a day after it was brought to light by the media. 

While many big businesses are still posting big profits, workers and consumers are being squeezed by the economic downturn - and industrial unrest is on the rise. One business journalist tells Mediawatch reporting now needs to apply the same scrutiny it brings to politics to our businesses and their leaders.

Media backlash sparks tax tweak backflip; taking a more sceptical stance for business; Stuff's Sinead Boucher - on the outside of the public media push; rugby media stuck in a rut by repeated defeats.

The All Backs' win in Hamilton on Saturday will have steadied the nerves of the players, the coach and NZ Rugby - not too mention overwrought fans, pundits and commentators who reacted badly in the wake of the historic away win for Los Pumas last weekend with another wave of angst on air and in print.

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately.  Colin Peacock talked to Karyn Hay about yet another All Black rugby-pocalypse playing out in the media; conspiracy candidates under the media's local election lens - and the death of Diana 25 years ago, when breaking news spread much more slowly. 

The comedy current affairs of self-styled ‘volunteer journalist’ Guy Williams made real news recently when his now-notorious interview with Auckland mayoral hopeful Leo Molloy aired on TV. He’s also confronted conspiracy theorists on his show New Zealand Today. But a suit and a mic don't make him a journalist.

The legislation for our new public media entity is now before Parliament - but the clock’s ticking on public input. This week media executives, experts and some legal eagles cast their eye over it - and they want changes to protect its independence and make it match the promises of the government's policy.

Pushback on public media legislation; Guy Williams - comedian caught up in current affairs; radio interview opportunities for PM go begging.

Today FM’s Tova O’Brien said recently - tongue in cheek - it was easier to get President Zelenskiy in Ukraine on her show than our own leader. Her colleague Lloyd Burr got no response when he wanted her on a Today FM podcast about Labour's leaders. They're not the only ones at the network waiting in vain for Jacinda Arden to get in touch . . .

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about wild weather reporting, and a political conclusion of sorts to what media called the 'Sharma drama' - which also the swung the spotlight onto poliitcians' attitude to the Official Information Act.    

This week, a documentary from Stuff Circuit delved into the country's growing extreme far-right and anti-vax movement. Why did the makers of Fire & Fury decide to platform a group of conspiracy-minded idealogues, and what did it get right that others got wrong?

He's said plenty in the media, they've said as little as possible (on the record, at least). That's left media weighing up whether MP-gone-rogue Dr Sharma has really lifted the lid on serous bullying - or just reacted badly to the oversight and occasional coercion that's part and parcel of politics in a governing party. Meanwhile, his claims that MPs have been coached to frustrate official information requests have piqued the particular interest of the media.

A notorious white supremacist hit the headlines this week by seeking a spot on his local school board. Amid reports of a shortage of candidates for some local bodies, media have begun probing the affiliations of some standing in upcoming elections - and pondering the prospects of fringe political parties becoming a national force in 2023.

Dr Sharma's political drama played out in the press; media zero in on candidates from the fringes; 'Fire and Fury' confronts conundrum of how to cover conspiracists.

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about Kiwi reporters on the ground in Ukraine to see the effects of war first-hand. Also: reporters’ relationship with rugby management sinks to a new low in South Africa - and Leo Molloy blames media after scrapping his tilt at the mayor’s job. 

Has the media focus on political failings become just too intense? A new book lifting the lid on the National Party in opposition has revealed more about the struggles, scandals and scraps that were heavily reported at the time. Mediawatch asks a former political reporter who dug into Labour’s years in The Wilderness what we learn from political post-mortems like these. 

One MP’s past misbehaviour put pressure on National - then another claimed bullying was rife in Labour during what turned into an expectedly turbulent week in party politics for the media. But even before all that hit the headlines, the media made a big deal out of minor political missteps that few people cared about.

  Media pile pressure on over MPs misbehaviour and mis-steps; political post-mortems and lessons from the past; punching above our Commonwealth weight?

The Kiwi contingent at the The Commonwealth Games headed home from Birmingham this week with a record number of medals. Patriots in the press were pumped up, but did we really punch above our weight in a tournament one critic called 'The $2 shop Olympics'?

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about the media copping flak for how they handled MP Sam Uffindell's past misdeeds, a pair of great documentaries on student life - and why a defunct offshore outlet 's getting big bucks from the government to talk to our youth about relationships.

Two government agencies have revealed mounting concern about the intensity and the impact of online misinformation - and prompted loud calls for government action. But behind the scenes the government’s already reviewing how to regulate media content to better protect us from ‘harm’ online - and the mega-profitable digital platforms are heading in new directions.

The government came under fire over some misdirected cost of living payments this week, but the more enduring story might be who didn't get paid, rather than who did.

The cost of living cash controversy; calls for action over malicious misinformation - and the government review already underway.

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about scurrilous rumours that hit one media company in the pocket - and also amped up calls to curb social media misinformation, just as our media minister signaled his concern. Also: ‘absolute scenes’ from a headline making, barrier-breaking football tournament that wasn't screened on TV here.

The Bill setting out the role and obligations of the new public media entity easily passed its first reading in Parliament this week. Members of the public can finally have their say on the plan formed behind-closed-doors when a Parliamentary committee scrutinises the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill over the next six months.

Parliament’s press pack and political pundits alike made a big deal of Greens’ grass roots dissent undermining James Shaw’s leadership after last week’s AGM. But only a few of the many reports and commentaries sounded out the people at the heart of the issue. 

A media report this week suggested TVNZ allowing some personalities to promote products online could cause conflicts of interest - and pose a problem in future within the new media entity replacing the broadcaster.  But the strongest concern about that came from a surprising source.

Revolt among Greens' grass roots excites media; new public media legislation takes another step; conflict of interest claims; shock of the news - the art of short, sharp theme tunes.

What makes a good tune to go with the news today? Big, bold and bombastic? Subtle and smooth? Trad or mod? Mediawatch asks a journalist with world’s biggest collection of news theme music - and get his picks of the world's best and worst.  

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about a big resignation at TVNZ, media outlets getting it right on climate coverage, news stories vanishing without trace, and Christopher Luxon's Hawaiian holiday timeline tangle.

Why did criticism of a modest sum spent on a single mini-documentary made two years ago suddenly spring up in the news in two national networks this week - and then disappear? 

An effort to shield the under-fire All Blacks coach from a media mauling last weekend fired up commentators already cranky about the high-handedness of rugby bosses. But given the intensity of some media calls for heads to roll, Mediawatch asks a veteran sportswriter if the move made sense.

Media go in boots 'n' all on All Blacks coach - and comms; latest women's sports coverage stats reveal good and bad news ;criticism of mini-doco funding hits a dead end

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about an outpouring of grief and opprobrium following the All Blacks' home series loss to Ireland, an uproar over a comedian's venture into political coverage, and a threat to free speech we hardly talk about.

Covid has now killed around 1700 people in New Zealand, but much of our news reporting and commentary has focused on how we're learning to live with the virus. Why is there such a mismatch between the media coverage about "moving on", and the reality of a pandemic that's inflicting more suffering and death than ever before?

Property prices are sliding after decades of big returns for investors - and property stories and ads have been highly profitable for the media in that time too. Recent warnings the ‘one way bet' on property could be a thing of the past have made headlines - but property investors with a media presence are still saying it's safe as houses.

Sick and tired of the Covid sickness; property price predictions run hot in the media; the rugby clash that didn't make headlines.

The men in green won in a classic decider this weekend - after a win last weekend in which two men in black were carded after clashes of heads. Rugby writers and fans here complained the rules spoiled the spectacle - but overseas coverage carried much more concern about brand new rules to protect players’ brains being flouted.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about an unvaccinated nurses intervening in the current crisis in healthcare - and another batch of journalism jobs and content funded from the public purse. Also: a road rage TV show pulled off the air - and a blunt assessment of a TVNZ dating show yet to screen.   

There‘s plenty of worrying news around at the moment - alongside crisis claims in the media about imminent economic recession and even collective national depression. Are the media helping us identify the structural stuff we really need to confront - or over-egging short-term problems that will come right?

The bombastic tunes broadcasters use for news become so familiar we barely notice them - until they change. RNZ is being criticised by local musicians and their industry bodies over its decision to outsource the $43,000 contract for new theme music to an Australian outfit. 

Hospitality's acute shortage of workers made headlines again this week after one minister told operators to up their game on pay and conditions. While bosses told media they can’t find workers no matter what they offer, the media couldn't seem to find any workers for their coverage - or useful facts for the audience about what’s on offer.

The worst of times?; Hospo can't find workers - but neither can the media; RNZ changes the tunes for news.

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talks to Bryan Crump about a Country Calendar episode some thought was a spoof (it wasn’t) - and satire deployed to tackle two topics that are no laughing matter. 

Legislation to create a new public media entity entered Parliament this week. Mediawatch talks to the new broadcasting minister Willie Jackson about how that will work, the future of Māori media - and how he has given mainstream media a hard time as a broadcaster himself down the years.  

Some said the US Supreme Court’s controversial ruling on abortion was none of our business, because we don’t have the same legal or political set-up, let alone its religious cleavages and cultural conflicts. Opinion leaders in our media didn't agree - and provoked a significant political response.

Abortion angst in America triggers media reaction here; Willie Jackson: new minister in charge at pivotal media moment.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about the lessons ZB's Kate Hawkesby learned from a bad bout of Covid - and National leader Christopher Luxon squirming under the media spotlight following the US Supreme Court's decision on abortion.

In the wake of one of our deadliest car crashes, the media upset some by lingering on the aftermath. Pundits and radio hosts claimed costly advertising campaigns came at the cost of safer roads - but deeper reporting revealed the real causes of deaths on our roads are much more complicated.

Draft legislation for a new public media entity was finally made public this week - and the new broadcasting minister also made his first appearance in that role in Parliament. But while MPs were supposed to scrutinise how pumped-up public media funding will be spent, Willie Jackson faced mostly party-political claims of 'buying' the news media.

A platform that promises academic rigour and journalistic flair is marking a major milestone, and making plans for bigger things to come.  

Tragic crash sparks muddled media reaction; New public media details revealed - but new Minister faces old questions; The Conversation is five years old.

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about matters of life, death and health in the media lately - the strong reaction to a terrible tragedy on the roads; a follow-up to ‘Patrick Gower on Booze’ - and another TV show seeking to improve our health- ‘Match Fit.’ Also - the curious case of the vanishing BoJo scoop. 

“Just a minor reshuffle” the PM said on Monday - angering political reporters and pundits always on the alert for ministerial downfalls.  But it was definitely a major for broadcasting, where a minister making more time for his family has made way for a new one who’s given mainstream media a hard time in the past.

Workers and employers took up predictable positions over legislation to usher in Fair Pay Agreements now being scrutinised in Parliament. A concerted campaign to have them declared illegitimate has been labeled as ‘misinformation’ by critics - and it’s given the media a problem too. 

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A self-styled 'bad boy of Brexit' who promised to make "mayhem and mischief" in politics here has lost a long-running libel case against a journalist who alleged he had ties to Russia. Media freedom advocates are hailing it as a win for journalism. But is it?     

'Minor reshuffle' sparks major media reaction; Brexit bad boy's legal loss hailed as media victory; media grapples with misinformation in fierce fair Pay fight

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about new revelations on Gloriavale from John Campbell, a deeply personal take on booze culture from Patrick Gower, and the 'soft on crime' narrative that spelled the end for police minister Poto Williams.

The Protected Disclosures Act was updated for the first time in 20 years recently with little fanfare or media attention. The government says it better protects whistleblowers who stick their necks out to report wrongdoing where they work - but not if they go to the media with it. Why not? Does this matter?

Several journalists over the years reported the flaws in the case against Alan Hall, whose conviction for the murder of Arthur Easton was finally quashed this week - 37 years after he was first arrested. Does this show the power of the media to expose wrongful convictions - or the limits?

Miscarriage of justice under the media microscope; whistleblower law leaves media out of the loop; speed limit slowdown revs up radio rancour.

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talks to Bryan Crump about a Christopher Luxon profile that fired up critics - and how the Internet turned on Sweden - while the UK got a glut of good global PR from the BBC’s ‘Platty Jubes’.

Presenter Kamahl Santamaria quit TVNZ in scandalous circumstances after just a month on air, making awkward headlines in the news all week. The company's mishandling of the news echoed other dramas from the broadcaster's past.

Despite scientists issuing dire warnings about us being us on a path toward an unliveable world, climate action is often met with shock and concern in the media. This week The Dominion Post decided to flip the script.

TVNZ struggles with Samtamaria saga; photojournalist compiles classic collection for a good cause; Dom Post campaign cuts across car culture to cut emissions.

When former Herald illustrations editor Rob Tucker put out a call for photos to auction for charity, photographers around the country responded with a stunning array of images which will be sold off in September. Not only are they vivid vignettes of our past, they’re also examples of an art form we won’t see again. 

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about how TVNZ reporters are covering the sudden resignation of star host Kamahl Santamaria after just one month - and a mauve-tinged rebrand at Stuff. 

The Internet hasn’t just disrupted the media business in this millennium so far: it’s transformed it - and, in some cases, overwhelmed it. As he steps down after two decades at Internet NZ, Jordan Carter looks back on how the web has become now the main means of reaching people - and the problems that brings with it. 

The government’s planned new Public Media Entity - backed with $109m a year in last week's Budget - was debated in a virtual meeting this week. But beyond expanded public funding for three years, little more is known about how it will be run, by whom and what it will produce.  

PM in USA; two decades of Internet disruption; more questions to answer on public media plan; motoring money gives media climate conundrum.

New car sales have never been higher with more being spent on slick ads and sponsorships to make vehicles visible via the media. But for our media that much-needed money jars with commitments to cover the climate emergency. One outlet's drawn a line in the gravel with a clear commitment to give petrol power a swerve. Could others follow? 

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Anna Thomas about some kooky Australian election coverage, a bold new stance on car reviewing from BusinessDesk, a memo from Stuff on the 'C word', and war coverage with a difference from The Listener.

Big tech and social media bosses pledged to eradicate online extremism in Christchurch Call three years ago in Paris - and today they claim atrocities which echo the 15 March massacre don't go viral online anymore. But their algorithms which amplify extremism and radicalise people in the first place still operate unchecked.

After months of behind-closed-doors planning, Budget 2022 has at last put some fresh figures for the government's planned public media entity into the public domain. The increase in public funding is substantial, but the precise mix of commercial and public revenue is still unclear - as is the future beyond 2026.  

Slaves to the algorithm - big tech's mathematical maximising of engagement undermines the Christchurch Call three years on; Budget 2022 - public media entity's funding finally made public; Budget 2022 - more for Maori media, but where's the strategy?

Māori media got a $40m boost in Budget 2022, following a similar increase to fund more content and jobs last year. But where the strategic review of the Māori media sector that kicked off nearly four years ago?

This week Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about coverage of the climate change budget within a 'Budget'. Also: a local paper cartoon condemned as racist; health workers' ongoing disputes  - and is this country really listed among the worst for labour law breaches?

Sean Plunket has launched a new news outlet for himself - and other broadcasters edged out of talk radio in recent years. The Platform proudly proclaims it's editorially and financially free from any government influence and finance - and is urging listeners to ‘join the resistance.’ Mediawatch looks back on its first week of live output and asks the founder if it's really any different to what’s already on the air.

Re- Platformed - Sean Plunket launches new live outlet urging listeners to 'join the resistance'; outgoing censor on plans to re-jig regulation of media content.

The Chief Censor’s Office used to worry about the odd boundary-pushing book, film or video game. These days it's  extreme stuff published online that forms the bulk of the work. David Shanks leaves the top job as the government embarks on a re-jig of regulating all media content to “better protect us from harm.” Could that compromise the media’s fundamental freedoms?

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about iffy info about the new Dr Who, a journalist making a change in policy on climate change; and an article echoing homeowners' fears of new houses - alongside one lifting the lid on the damp reality of renting rotten old ones.

Recent reports about gangs and an upswing in gun crime echo a similar panic 25 years ago which prompted a political backlash and hasty changes in the law. A new report looking back at that says most changes didn't work - and the media was part of the problem. 

Anyone reading the headlines on ram raids in recent weeks could be forgiven for thinking youth crime has hit crisis levels. But data shows that's not the case, and some say the media could do better at putting the robberies in context.

A year ago, the country’s top cop show - Police Ten-7 - was under fire for racial stereotyping. The show's makers rejected that - and so did their partners in the Police.  But broadcaster TVNZ ran a review and re-formatted the show as a result. It was back on air this week. What's changed?

Headlines about youth crime surging and ramraids distort true picture; a warning from history over gangs-and-guns coverage; top TV cop show back after racial stereotyping review.

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about taxing the rich becoming a hot topic for political reporters - and one who says it's time to cut out 'rule it out' questions. Also: Simon Bridges bowing out with a shot at the media, a poll picking out public suspicion about public funds for private media, tough times for data journalism - and two Kiwi sportswomen telling it like it is.   

Some are already calling the invasion of Ukraine a turning point in world history. How we react is shaped by the media coverage - and most of what we get comes from outlets in countries that have taken sides. Does this matter? And how are both sides making the media a part of the battle plans? Mediawatch asks two offshore experts in international journalism and conflict.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a murderers' row of interviews for National leader Christopher Luxon and the free speech implications of Elon Musk's Twitter takeover.

Two years ago this week the country's media chiefs told MPs Covid had crushed their cashflow and the viability of the news media was in doubt. Two years later, Mediawatch asks one boss: is the crisis all over now? Also - Tracey Martin, newly appointed as the chair of the transitional board forming the new public media entity - and Mike Noon, the main voice for motorists in the media for a decade and half.

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about an Aussie politician whose ‘Google it, mate’ riposte to a reporter’s ‘gotcha’ question struck a chord recently - and the otherwise invisible (so far) Aussie election. Also: how some media seized on an off-the-cuff comment on public transport - and dumped on the Te Huia train.

‘Not worth the paper it’s printed on' is a common jibe at sub-standard journalism - but paper’s worth a lot these days and one of our biggest printing plants has closed citing shortages offshore. How did that happen in a country full of trees? And where does it leave local publications that struggled through the Covid crisis?

The easing of restrictions on pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants after the Covid traffic light went 'Orange' this week was celebrated by media urging us to 'put on our dancing shoes'. Owners and industry reps' approval was also front and centre - but not the people working at the front desk or front line.       

Print and paper problems for publishers; missing voices as media mark the orange traffic light switch; MP's exit excites media.

Louisa Wall left Parliament this week after condemning the colleagues who manoeuvred her out as a candidate - and telling the media the PM didn't want her as a minister or an MP. Several pundits and political reporters insisted this was a sign of wider rancour in the ranks of the government and intolerance of dissent. But that wasn't where the real public interest lay.

Midweek Mediawatch: Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about alternative approaches to stories about our housing and transport problems - and news media getting a green light to try and get Facebook and Google around the table.

Last year the biggest annual survey of Kiwis’ trust in news found it was on the slide, though it wasn’t quite clear why. Since then there’s been plenty of anti-media sentiment at anti-government protests - and record levels of online misinformation misleading ever more people. So what's the story now? 

The media has for the most part accepted climate change is a crisis, and time is running out to implement fixes. But climate solutions, particularly when it comes to transport and housing, are still often framed in the most negative terms.

Planes, trains and automobiles vs. climate change; measuring media trust gets tricky with sus pickups minds; pundit's claim of compromised coverage undermined.

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately on RNZ National. Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about new moves in the ‘post-Covid’ media; a new job for John Campbell; and an unusual censorship decision here that’s made headlines overseas.

Google and Facebook have distributed New Zealand media outlets' news online for years - for free. Local media companies joined forces last year in a bid to get them to pay for it. But one of the biggest - NZME - has now pulled the rug out from under it by doing its own deals.

Online abuse of politicians is on the rise - especially for women, including the PM and local councilors. This week one was able to unmask her anonymous abuser and the media played a part. But this weekend The Dominion Post showed vividly that there's plenty more where that came from - and the media face awkward choices about online trolling designed to damage political opponents.

Pushback against the upswing of political nastiness; NZME undermines collective bid to confront tech titans; Today FM's Dallas Gurney .

Before its launch, the boss of new talk station Today FM promised a new approach eschewing anger and antagonism just for the sake of engagement. The first fortnight's been a mix of some of that - as well as some old-school contrarianism from hosts notorious for it in the past. Mediawatch asks Dallas Gurney where it's all heading.

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately on RNZ National. Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about TVNZ keeping allies abandoned in Afghanistan on the agenda; a revealing front page exclusive with a fallen sports star; and the Oscars slap heard  - and seen - around the world. 

Even after the government announced it was relaxing Covid restrictions on Wednesday, business leaders responded with a familiar call for more freedom. But looser restrictions haven't shored up their bottom line so far - and some businesses aren't comfortable with the dominant media narrative.

MediaWorks launched its latest talk radio network this week - Today FM - promising a constructive approach in contrast with its predecessors and its rivals. It sounds like an upgrade, but there’s still plenty of opinionated bluster for familiar names from the past. Mediawatch listens in on the first week.

Covid countermeasures canned amid chorus of commentators urging us to 'open up'; new talk station offers new approach - but also same old bluster; new TV channels add entertainment options.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a good start for Tova O'Brien and a not-so-good one for Duncan Garner on new talk station Today FM - and the weekend papers airing more of the grievances of the Covid convoy crowd at Parliament.

After the media seized on 'pain at the pump' the PM was pressed to concede sudden spikes in prices constituted 'a crisis.' She eventually did, but - like a pricey petrol - that only gets us so far.

Younger Kiwis have been turning away from traditional news media outlets and bulletins for years, and the media they’re using most heavily have little news. But podcast listening is growing fast among the young, and two journalists have created a new one to bring news to their peers.

Fast-rising prices and loud cries of 'crisis' ; pulling young Kiwis into the loop with news; new talk network's soft-launch opinions.

Today FM is set to take on Newstalk ZB in a battle for talk radio supremacy. But in contrast to its controversy-courting crosstown rival, its website is demonstrating a surprisingly tranquil approach to opinion-making.

Midweek Mediawatch: Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about foreign correspondents bringing Ukraine’s war to the small screen; big issues the backdrop to the big public media shake-up; groupthink on political polls - and a new radio network nearly ready to roll.

The government has confirmed it is creating a new public media entity next year to incorporate RNZ and TVNZ. It's the biggest shake-up in broadcasting for years but unanswered questions remain. So what's the plan, how will it work, what will it cost and what will New Zealanders get out of it?

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a 'graph crime' amplifying anxieties about mental health - and what happened when the Herald's editors fronted up to readers' questions about media funding, corruption and bias.

A few days before the occupation of Parliament dissolved in a wave of fire and violence, Newsroom published soft-focus vision of it in a report called 'A visit to Freedom Village'. It's now being accused of falling for the PR strategies of professional purveyors of misinformation.

There were lots of were warning signs over recent months - and Russian-backed forces were already fighting in parts of Ukraine from 2014 onwards. But Russia's invasion this month still seemed to take many in the media by surprise.

Soft-focus protest portrayals jar with violent end to occupation; shock and awe-ful takes on Ukraine's catastrophe; broadcasters 'flying blind' on public media plan.

What could be the biggest shake-up of public broadcasting for 30 years reportedly got a green light from Cabinet ministers last month. But the public’s still waiting for the government to announce what's been decided behind close doors - and so are the broadcasters, with TVNZ's chair telling MPs this week are they “flying blind.”

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Colin Peacock talked to Karyn Hay about reporters targeted again at the flashpoints in Wellington - which jarred with with earlier soft-focus accounts of life at 'Camp Freedom.’  Also: why Sky TV dumped the '24-hour Putin People' channel.

The occupation around Parliament has become the most heavily-covered protest since the ‘81 Tour- in spite of the considerable hostility reporters have faced documenting it. But arguments still rage about what’s really happened - and what it all means. 

The occupation around Parliament has become the most heavily-covered protest since the '81 Tour- in spite of the considerable hostility reporters have faced documenting it. But arguments still rage about what's really happened - and what it all means. Also - big changes are afoot for state-owned media and the regulators - but they have barely been discussed so far at their annual reviews at Parliament.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about Mike Hosking's regrets about being boosted, NZME's financial comeback from Covid - and emotional scenes as pioneering TV news show Te Karere turns 40.

Dominion Post editor Anna Fifield says after 20 years reporting offshore - she’s shocked at the “communications industrial complex” she says shields our government and public service from media scrutiny. It’s not a new complaint - but is it really worse here than in any other modern democracy?

There was plenty of condemnation of the occupation of Parliament in the media at first - but this week some media painted a much more palatable picture of the protesters and their motivations. Those who track the far-right and the media channels they use warn that ignores and obscures the protest's dark undercurrents.

Mixed messages from media on Parliament protesters; extremism and the media; DomPost pushes back on public service obfuscation; sweary dad's live TV f-bomb double.

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Colin Peacock talked to Karyn Hay about mixed messages in the media about those protesters at Parliament. Also:  the value of public money for media questioned - and can spoken word songs count as journalism? 

Covid skeptics occupied Parliament grounds this week under the banner of ‘freedom’ - and many other things. Did media coverage amplify their fringe views? Should media do more to understand them and what motivates their movement - in spite of their obvious hostility to the media themselves? Mediawatch asks an editor wrestling with those dilemmas.   

Everyone wants to know how bad our Omicron outbreak might get - and when. But experts running the numbers on that have copped flak in the media when scenarios they’ve been told to scope don't pan out. Meanwhile, media pundits who’ve been wrong in the past don't hold back on predicting the future.

Convoy conundrum confronts editors; quest for certainty undercuts Omicron analysis; sweary Dad's minties moment.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about commentators reading the tea leaves over the latest political poll, Sean Plunket's new online talkback station, and a start date being set for Today FM.

For years Māori  journalism leaders warned not enough training, investment or opportunities meant Māori  people and perspectives were mostly missing in our mainstream media. This Waitangi Day he looks at a big publicly-funded push to address the problem.

For years Māori journalism leaders warned a lack of training, investment and opportunities meant Māori people and perspectives were mostly missing in our media. But more effort and money than ever before is now being put in. On Waitangi Day, Mediawatch talks to some of those involved in a publicly-funded push to address this  - and some of the problems.

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately on RNZ National.  This week Colin Peacock talked to Bryan Crump about the fallout from broadcaster Charlotte Bellis’s media campaign against MIQ. Also: over-the-top overseas coverage of our Covid response; the first big political poll of the year zeroing in on party leaders’ popularity . . . and do presenters ever sneeze live on TV?

That epic undersea eruption in Tonga was heard around the region - and recorded and analysed in minute detail, even from space. But a comprehensive communications wipeout cut reporters off from sources for days. So how do they cover a story with almost no access to basic facts? 

Covering Tonga's crisis - without communications; summer silly season gets serious as Omicron arrives; reputations trashed in summer scandals.

It’s business as usual for the media again: all Covid, all the time with the whole country back in the red (traffic light). But even before Omicron inevitably broke through, anti-vaxxers and their fans provided rich pickings for our news-starved media - in spite of the fact they're now more of a minority than ever.

While Brian Tamaki behind bars made headlines here, the world’s biggest anti-vaxxer created bulletin-leading drama round the world when he was detained across the Tasman. Meanwhile in the UK 'Partygate' revelations forced Britain’s mockery merchants to up their game. But a former Aussie hell-raiser is showing them there is a way back for trashed reputations. 

Covering Tonga's crisis - without communications; summer silly season gets serious as Omicron arrives; reputations trashed in summer scandals.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about the employment dispute keeping Tova O'Brien off the air and creating bad blood between broadcasters. Also - non-commercial RNZ falls foul of the advertising watchdog, good and bad in the latest North & South - and Hilary Barry cops a big bill for chocolate fish.

2021’s almost gone - but not forgotten - though it would be nice to be able to forget large parts of it.  Before we flip into 2022, Mediawatch looks at what's coming up next year - and some more acknowledgement of stuff in the year gone by which was outstanding . . . one way or another.

2021 - media in the year of the vaccine; NZ news media in Oz-style ideological drift?

Midweek Mediawatch With Hayden Donell.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about a sympathetic story on the plight of the unvaccinated, a new doco from TVNZ, and anger and anxiety directed at a caller to Newstalk ZB. [image:283042:full]

The recent death of entrepreneur Jake Millar  - at the age of 26 - prompted an angry backlash against the media - over coverage of his failed venture Unfiltered. Some in business cited tall poppy syndrome and claimed the media scrutiny of risk-takers and innovators must change. But what sort of coverage should they expect?   

Young entrepreneur's death sparks media backlash; angst over 'iwi checkpoints' obscures big picture.

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about style over substance in the coverage of Chris Luxon's first question time as leader, a Stuff column for the ages, and some new hires at Sean Plunket's online talk station.

RNZ’s previous plan to reach younger people collapsed in early 2020 after opposition to RNZ Concert cuts - and pushback from commercial broadcasters. This week RNZ fired up Tahi - a more modest effort for the under-served youth audience. What’s the plan this time?

The National Party has new leadership, after an intense focus on the outgoing leader Judith Collins. But while no-one will forget her in a hurry, the name of her successor still seems to confuse the media. 

Opponents of the bipartisan bill aimed at enabling housing blitzed the media over the past few weeks. Many of the reports failed to include relevant context and balancing opinion.

Spotlight swings onto new National's new leader; an anti-intensification housing media blitz; RNZ's 'Tahi' - 'the one' for rangatahi?

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about the barrage of tough questions that met Chris Luxon upon his ascent to the National leadership, a media acquisition, and the launch of a new youth service.

Late on Wednesday night’s not prime time for political news to break, but Judith Collins' late-night kneecapping of rival Simon Bridges kicked off the chain of events that left her on the backbenches - with the media following every step.

The umbrella group representing locally-owned news media wants to negotiate with Facebook and Google for "fair payment” for the local journalism appearing on their services. Australian news media have struck substantial - but confidential and individual - deals with the tech titans - but a former news boss in both countries tells Mediawatch it may be a bad idea.

Groundswell took over about 70 centres nationwide - briefly and pretty peacefully - in last weekend’s Mother of All Protests. But the picture the media painted of who they really are and what they really want was confusing - and overlapping anger about the government and Covid-19 made the mix more murky.

Bridges burned, Collins crushed, Reti takes the reins; Just fed-up farmers - or 'the radical right in gumboots'? ; New bid to get tech titans pay for NZ news.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a Cold War brewing between Newstalk ZB's political editor and the PM, misinformation in local papers - and the need for better oversight of opinion pieces.

Radio in New Zealand marked its centenary this week with tributes to its staying power in the past - and confident claims it’s here to stay for the future. Several stations now have bigger audiences than ever and radio is the most profitable part of some commercial media companies.  But soon after he became RNZ boss back in 2013, Paul Thompson declared radio was a “medium in decline.”  Does he still think that?

Facebook’s all-powerful founder has rebooted his trillion-dollar company as ‘Meta’ and he’s planning for a new virtual ‘metaverse’ for us in five years. But the real world mess Facebook’s made in the past was recently compared to ‘Chernobyl’ by a respected AI expert.  Rory Cellan-Jones has covered technology for the BBC since the time before Facebook. Where is all this heading?

Radio in NZ is 100 not out: RNZ's Paul Thompson on what comes next; looking back on tech titans' takeover of media with Rory Cellan-Jones.

Analysis: News organisations have devoted plenty of space to the unvaccinated healthcare and education workers being stood down this week. But many of those stories are missing vital context.

In this week's episode of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a glaring lack of context in vaccine mandate coverage, a doco looking into our toxic alcohol culture, and a social media struggle at the Herald.

Tuesday’s Covid protest at Parliament was a spectacle that had to be covered, but reporters who did so were targeted by protesters - and not for the first time. Does coverage risk ramping up the impression that resistance is more significant than it really is? And is the mounting hostility to the media a risk that editors and bosses now need to confront?

A fresh analysis of Covid misinformation says it intensified after Delta arrived - and leading public figures and officials have “received specific targeting and abuse” online. But you don't have go down any digital rabbit holes for denigration of the experts. There's plenty of on top-rating talk radio too. . .

The climate talks in Glasgow are the big global story right now - but it doesn't always feel like it in our news. A climate change reporter tells Mediawatch every journalist should now be one too - and the lack of focus on this is a worry.

The risks of reporting displays of discontent - and amplifying aggro; experts denigrated by conspiracists - and radio hosts; all journalists are climate reporters now.

In this week's episode of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about Discovery announcing a pair of new TV channels, media coverage of an anti-vax march on parliament, and a valuable weekend interview with the prime minister.

Facebook - freshly rebadged as ‘Meta’ - gives local news media content huge extra reach, but it covers none of the cost of creating it while snaring the bulk of the digital ad revenue it attracts. This week the trillion-dollar company unveiled a programme to help sustain our news media - but some experts and editors are underwhelmed.

During the homosexual law reform campaign 35 years ago plenty of inflammatory, derogatory and sometimes downright bigoted portrayals of gay people were published and aired in our media. Some have apologised for that since then. Are our media repeating the same mistakes reporting controversies over transgender peoples' rights today?       

Another Monday, another review of alert level condition for Auckland and other areas this week -  along with ample evidence in the media that the change can’t come soon enough for Aucklanders who are over it. Including radio hosts . . .  

The owners of Facebook - now known as 'Meta' - announced a plan to boost news publishers here this week. Mediawatch looks at the media's response to that. Also: how media angst about upcoming alert level changes is not levelling off just yet -- and are our media getting it right when reporting on transgender peoples' rights?

Midweek Mediawatch - our weekly catch-up with Karyn Hay on Lately.  This week Colin Peacock talks to Karyn about a shake-up in news radio that made headlines - while another went under the radar. Also: covering COP-26; deep-dive but highly-readable Covid journalism, the dangers of allowing people to grandstand on air - and is the number of the beast actually 616?

Did our media keep calm and carry on when Covid came to Christchurch this week? Or amplify anger and confusion about loose borders and unvaccinated travellers? Bit of both . . .

We’ve had too few journalists of Māori, Pasifika and Asian origin in our newsrooms for decades - and now there’s a new publicly-funded push to turn that round. Four established outlets are backing the Te Rito Journalism project. How will this work? And what’s the endgame?

Keeping calm as Covid comes to Christchurch - and not; a new bid to boost diversity in our news; Australian media straying into fake news about NZ.

One Australian news outlet seized on a Kiwi commentator's claim this week that our media is 'fully controlled' by the PM - while a big name broadcaster here seized on fake news from another Aussie outlet to hint at the same thing.

In this week's episode of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about anti-vax messages finding a media platform, some outstanding local investigative reporting this week - and confirmation that you can't grow concrete, in spite of what talk radio tells you.

As the Covid crisis deepens and lockdown levels give way to traffic lights, the mental health effects of it all are being aired more than ever in the media - sometimes along with assumptions that don’t always stack up.

Last weekend’s hastily-organised eight-hour Vaxathon TV extravaganza silenced most critics after a record number of jabs last weekend - but not all.  We ask the brains behind the broadcast - Bailey Mackey - what we learned from the effort, and why few opposition politicians were seen on screen.

The media marked a quarter of a century of MMP with a lot of mixed reviews on how it has changed our politics - and our country. Mediawatch talks to a documentary-maker who created one of the most vivid vignettes of MMP in action 25 years ago - and asks how it's changed the media.

Media mull mental health impact of lingering lockdowns; wrapping up the Vaxathon, MMP in the rear view mirror.

Analysis: Our epidemiologists and Covid modellers have faced an increasingly bitter series of barbs from commentators and columnists over the last month, and it's making their often thankless task even harder.

In this week's episode of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about an escalating series of media attacks on epidemiologists and layoffs at Newshub.

Super Saturday’s vaxathon was the biggest and longest local live TV broadcast we’ve seen for years. While some critics carped about the entertainment value, all that mattered in the end was pumping up the jabs. 

Big tech platforms have failed to tackle the misinformation and toxicity they spread - and their dominance of the market for digital media revenue is becoming increasingly obvious. Australia's government has confronted them on both fronts and the news media have benefited. Can others - including ours - follow their lead?

Nine out of ten people think funding expensive new medical treatments is more important than Covid vaccines, according to news reports this week. That's pretty surprising when you consider how critical the vaccines are at this point in the pandemic - but not so surprising when you look at the survey at the heart of the story.

Vaxathon rolls back the years to roll up our sleeves; tech titans under pressure as Australia squeezes them from the top; Patients pressure group's starling survey claims.

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Karyn Hay on Nights. This week Hayden Donnell talked to Karyn about the media blame game as the country moves away from elimination - and an explosive live on-air allegation from Winston Peters. 

This week's call that Auckland must linger longer in Level 3 - but with picnics and double bubbles - upset those who wanted more freedom, those who saw it as waving the white flag and those demanding a roadmap out of lockdowns. Then rule-breakers putting Northland into Level 3 gave the media more anger to channel - and rumours to report.

Many songwriters turn inward for inspiration. Anthonie Tonnon turns to the newspapers, writing about toxic waste in the Mataura Paper Mill, the housing crisis, the decline of regional rail and even an ancient Australian air crash. He was shortlisted for a Silver Scroll for a song about irrigation on the Canterbury Plains. Can current affairs be done in song?

Five years ago, hundreds of reporters turned The Panama Papers into stories spotlighted the corruption and tax-dodging of some rich and powerful people all over the world. It eventually led to changes to the rules for offshore trusts held here in New Zealand. But publication of the The Pandora Papers this week proved the mega-rich and corrupt are still concealing their cash around the world wherever they can.

Anger management, rumours and roadmaps to nowhere; Pandora Papers highlight deals done in darkness; Anthonie Tonnon: singing the news.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about an incisive question at the daily 1pm press briefing, a backlash against NZME's premium product; Hilary Barry's sweet treat for vaccinating viewers - and an ex-employee turning on Facebook as an outage for the platform sparks joy for its critics.

Opposition parties’ plans for lockdown-free Covid management and re-opening our borders made headlines this week - kicked off former PM John Key last weekend. All of them dangled the prospect of free travel by Christmas and an end to ‘MIQ misery’ - but the devil was in the details which were missing.

110 new journalism jobs have been bankrolled by the Public Interest Journalism Fund - the biggest investment yet from this recent government initiative. News media companies welcomed this big boost but critics claim giving the fund $55m of public money undermines editorial and financial independence. What will we get from the new roles paid for by the public purse?

Political Covid plans overpromise: huge journalist jobs boost from public purse; moving on from fast-food frenzy

History repeated recently when our media joined the fast food frenzy when Auckland switched to Level 3 recently. But some in the media are getting sick of it and others say the real story should be the return to work  - and those who never stopped working.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about John Key's media blitz, dueling Covid recovery plans -  and some change-making stories from Metro and RNZ.

This week the big commercial radio broadcasters boasted of record-breaking audiences for their big brands when the latest audience figures came out. But at the same their bosses were also urging our MPs to rein in RNZ’s scope to reach new people - particularly younger ones. We ask the spokesperson for their mutual interests why.

A new campaign is urging people with possible symptoms of cancer to get a diagnosis - and never mind the lockdown.  This week two media outlets claimed  'almost half of new cancers' went undetected because of the Covid lockdowns last year - and it could be happening again now. Is it?       

Worrying breaches of Auckland’s Level 4 border fired up the media this week - just as the Government prepared to green-light a risky shift to Level 3 in the supercity. Meanwhile the media also channeled South Islanders' irritation over Level 2  - and expats' MIQ misery over the new 'unlucky dip' lottery system.

National's embattled leader surprised the media by spurning some interview opportunities this week - and the public exposure that would have come with them. But while political reporters often criticise the party for a failure to focus on the things that really matter, the same seems true of the news media when National MPs actually do.

Covid complications confuse the media; Collins' snubs startles media - but it cuts both ways; confused claims of Covid-compromised cancer care; Collins' snubs startles media - but it cuts both ways.

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Bryan Crump on Nights. This week Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan about media angst over whether ‘elimination’ is still our Covid strategy - and the Herald aiming high for vaccination, but with one big name conspicuously off-message. Also: anti-vaxxers fooling Facebook; and former broadcasters hired as columnists by NBR, whose owner once pledged to purge opinion from the outlet.

As the lockdown in Auckland lengthened, the exposure of one couple’s rule-breaking prompted a predictably intense pile-on. Ironically, that actually helped to keep their names out of the headlines - briefly - and it also fired up long-running arguments about the right to know, privilege and fairness.  

Mediawatch looks at how the media zeroed in on our social cohesion this week - as the current lockdown in Auckland became the longest we've had so far. Also: Mediawatch talks to the BBC's Peter Taylor, a reporter with 50 years of experience reporting terrorism and violence - and how it can be overcome

Few journalists on the planet have more experience of reporting terrorism than the BBC’s Peter Taylor. He has spent half a century covering Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles - a consequence of the partition of Ireland 100 years ago. He’s risked his own life meeting face-to-face with terrorists  - and also the terrorised and those working for peace.

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Bryan Crump on Nights. This week Hayden Donnell talked to Bryan about the media facing accusations that they're undermining the Covid response by airing the claims of critics of the elimination strategy. 

Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks prompted the US to invade Afghanistan, the Taliban announced they’ve taken the whole country again this week. Journalists who remain there are at risk in spite of assurances media freedom will be respected. Will proper journalism be possible under the Taliban? 

In the midst of a bid to move away from its troubled internal culture, MediaWorks hired new people for news and talk radio this week. But the sudden retirement of controversial veteran host Peter Williams was the talking point for listeners  - making it a rough ride for his successor when the news broke. 

Reporting Afghanistan after abandonment; MediaWorks rings changes and fires up fans of outgoing veteran

Mediawatch’s weekly catchup with Bryan Crump on Nights. This week Colin Peacock talked to Bryan about where the media focus fell after the LynnMall attack; Patrick Gower ‘On Hate’; some in-depth Covid reporting; that Seymour tweet's insulting response  - and a sports stalwart starting anew.

When a terrorist struck on Friday, the media were confronted with shocking reports and images - but also thorny questions about what happened and why - and how much they could reveal. 

The opposition’s unhappy about the scrutiny the media are applying to the government, especially over vaccines - but some reporters pushed back at criticism of them this week. 

How the media reacted to another shocking act of terrorism at home. Also: political pressure for greater media scrutiny of the Government - and TVNZ's boss giving up the top job.

TVNZ chief executive Kevin Kenrick will leave the state-owned broadcaster next February after almost a decade in charge. TVNZ will now have to find a new leader as the government progresses plans to create a new public media entity incorporating TVNZ and RNZ by 2023.

Mediawatch’s weekly catchup with Bryan Crump on Nights. This week Colin Peacock talked to Bryan about the media reflecting on the fairness of the scrutiny they apply to those running our Covid response - and some of the criticism coming back at the journalists. Also: journalists facing a surge of state sector spin doctors - and how Ed 'Lou Grant' Asner put the newsroom on the small screen.

Mediawatch looks at how our media covered the struggle to contain the Delta variant -- and how media reports of Covid clusters in Auckland this week sparked racist responses and claims that the reporting itself made the problem worse.

Mediawatch's weekly catchup with Nights. This week Colin Peacock chats to Bryan Crump about the media in the middle as reports about Covid clusters spark racist reactions - and offshore opinions about our elimination strategy raise hackles here. Also: a big name in TV journalism signs of suddenly - and Facebook tries a little transparency for once.

Media react to level 4 lockdown and the dawn of Delta; the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about the media back in Covid-emergency mode; a business editor slapping down Covid complainers - and a truly clueless TV game show. 

The first comprehensive IPCC stocktake of the global climate trends for years was easy to read and its confronting conclusions were clear. But after hitting front pages and headlining bulletins the day it landed, it didn’t make much of an impression on our media - or prompt much political debate.

A proposed walk and cycle bridge over the Waitematā provoked a furious media backlash over the goverment's wasteful spending. Why don't roading projects get the same treatment?

Unknown cyber-criminals sent stolen information to the media to pile on pressure to pay a ransom. RNZ subsequently aired a scoop sourced from it before a court ordered all media to dump the dodgy data. The Privacy Commissioner tells Mediawatch RNZ was unethical and he wants action - but RNZ insists the public interest was well served.

Landmark climate report lands - but makes little mark on media; double standard in bike bridge backlash; RNZ challenged on turning stolen data into news.

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately. Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about what the media made of an Olympics that turned out better than many expected in Tokyo - or did it? National Party members overlooked in coverage of the conference; reports of an MP's social media slip-up that prompted criticism  - and a student lifts the lid on the far-right.  

While Lisa Carrington struck gold and set records, Laurel Hubbard struck out in competition but still made history and headlines as our first ever transgender Olympian. She also won hearts and minds speaking sparingly, but with dignity to the media about the controversy surrounding her. 

The recent Groundswell protest put farmers’ grievances about the government’s environmental policies front and centre. Good timing for a new six-part documentary series exploring the dairy industry, and its future in the midst of a climate crisis. But ‘Milk and Money’ is no ‘Country Calendar.’

GOAT in a boat - and a trans trailblazer at Tokyo 2020; MediaWorks’ accountability still in question; making sense of ‘Milk and Money’; big-name broadcasters boosted by watchdog’s verdict.

A review of the working culture at MediaWorks released this week is by far the most comprehensive airing of the internal problems of any New Zealand media company.  But its leaders and governors have not yet answered questions about it - and it’s far from clear if anyone is accountable. 

In this week's episode of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a mainstream media outlet getting kicked off YouTube, a court judgement against RNZ, and a harrowing culture review at MediaWorks.

ZB’s Mike Hosking called Meghan Markle “a hussy” on the air earlier this year. It was a rude and sexist slur on someone he didn’t know at all  - and it prompted formal complaints to the broadcasting watchdog. But the BSA says it wasn’t a breach of broadcasting standards.

Kiwis finally struck gold in Tokyo this week - but the media didn't always get the colour they were looking for.

A year ago, a trial of armed police teams was scrapped with opponents adopting the slogan ‘Arms Down.’ One year on, some in the media are now amplifying calls for arming all officers after the death of PC Matthew Hunt and an increase in officers being confronted by guns.

Kiwi strike Tokyo gold - and give media plenty of colour; ramping up angst over arming police; 'hussey' is OK says BSA (in context)

On this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about an error-strewn academic report, a prominent radio host's abrupt departure, some less-than-sympathetic accounts of people stranded overseas by Covid 19, claims that climate change was missing from reports of the recent floods - and a call to close down 'open letters' by columnists trying to make a point.

At the biggest national protest for years last week, farmers made it clear they're unhappy with the government and they feel unloved by the country - and the media. The media coverage also revealed a rural / urban divide itself.  

A group representing our major news media have agreed a set of principles for reporting terrorism and “national security events." It's a response to fears extremists could use the media for their own ends and that disclosures during an emergency could put lives in danger - especially when information is unverified. But does giving ground on this mean the media surrender their right to publish in the public interest?

The data is clear: economists' forecasts are often wrong. Given their track record, shouldn't these prognostications come with more caveats and disclaimers when they're broadcast by the media?

Protests expose urban/rural divide in media; government and media on same page over terrorism reporting; the problem with economists' forecasts.

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately. Colin Peacock talks to Susana Leiataua about surprises in Gerry Brownlee’s ‘Backroom’  while James Shaw jams with Brian Eno. Also - talk radio ringing the changes; ‘anti-woke’ UK TV news channel turns to Farage after viewers tune out.   

The first tranche of the government’s $55m journalism Fund has been allocated - against a backdrop of criticism it could skew reporting of political issues. Māori journalism projects and a new training initiative are the major beneficiaries of the first $10m, but some of the money goes to things already funded from the public purse. Mediawatch asks talk to NZ On Air’s head of journalism about that - and what the public will get for their money.

A regional paper’s scoop about $2.75m in public funding for a drug rehabilitation programme with Mongrel Mob connections kicked off a political controversy - and so did $200 koha. 

Employers have put their hands out for more migrant workers to fill gaps in their rosters over the last two weeks, but their campaign may have hit a sour note.

Labour market's mixed messsages; new journalism fund unveils first projects; angst over money and the mob; good, bad and gruesome of sport.

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately. Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about controversial sportscaster Martin Devlin reportedly returning to the radio; the Forever War in Afghanistan; football not coming home after all - but dominating the media.  

Twenty years after the US invaded Afghanistan in pursuit of Al Qaeda, it suddenly pulled its troops out this week.  It’s the end of the longest war in modern history in which 3500 New Zealanders also served and 10 died.  Will it be out of sight and out of mind for the media now the country is on its own again?

Naomi Osaka will be a star at the Tokyo Olympics after taking time out for her mental health. Some say giving stressful press conferences a swerve was no-one else’s business, but those in the business of selling sport saw the seeds of doom in the tennis star’s stance. After all the noise, has she changed sports media for good - or for the better?

A story about a little-known sports journalist losing a brand new job on a radio network that’s not even on air yet surged to the top of the ‘most-viewed’ lists on news websites this week. Why was producer Sam ‘Lashes’ Casey sacked for something he wrote for another media outlet?

Afghanistan's war dropping out of sight; a sexist sports spray sparks a startling sacking; does star power trump media power in sport?

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Susana Leiataua about a sacking prompted by a sexist column, some illuminating commentary on proposed hate speech legislation, and some missing voices in  thhe media's coverage of a restaurant industry campaign.

A discussion document on proposed hate speech laws generated plenty of discussion in the media - and spurious claims that merely insulting people could be criminalised. Some senior journalists seized on ministers muddying the waters - but did they give the public a clear picture of what’s actually at stake

The media has sometimes been guilty of sidelining, shrugging off, or silencing sexual assault and harassment victims. Stuff's Kirsty Johnston talked to Mediawatch about how to centre those victims in reporting.

Most of us waited out this week's winter storm indoors, with heaters set to high. Not so the nation's journalists, who instead sought out the most miserable places in the country, and stood in the middle of them.

Media turn up heat on hate speech; victim-cantered reporting; reporters weathering the storm.

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately. Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about new data on the media and misinformation in New Zealand - and a new podcast airing anxiety about China’s influence here. Also: a southern stalwart honoured by the ODT and a new talkback takedown on TV. 

How did our media react when a Covid case imported via the trans-Tasman travel bubble compromised this country’s long run without cases in the community?

The clock is ticking for the government’s proposed new public media entity. The next step is a business case and a new charter being drafted behind closed doors. But RNZ already has a charter that’s now under review  - and could mean more scrutiny of government's plan.

The shock - horror response sparked by news of a publicly-funded ‘sex scandal’ TV drama was almost as stale as the decade-old affair it was based on.

Covid in the capital fires up media; government media plan enters un-chartered waters, more sport on air for free around the corner, angst over sleaze on screen is old news

A new national radio network dedicated to sport will go live on air on Monday 19 July - just in time for the Tokyo Olympics. Australian-owned SENZ will fill a void left by the closure of NZME's Radio Sport in April 2020 during the Covid lockdown. Meanwhile TVNZ and Discovery have done deals with Sky to get the Olympics and Wimbledon on screen for free. 

On this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about media angst over the Ministry of Health's communications concerning the Covid case in the capital, sensitive and insensitive reporting on Laurel Hubbard - and a New York Times headline for the ages.

A counter-terrorism hui intended to help heal the wounds inflicted in Christchurch two years ago sparked a walk-out which hit the headlines. 

When Jacinda Ardern changed her media schedule earlier this year, it raised heckles from commentators who felt she was ducking scrutiny. But what have the changes actually meant?

The Herald's dedicated property section printed 64 articles under the banner 'Our New Auckland' without declaring they were sponsored by Kāinga Ora, prompting NZME to review its processes on sponsored content.

Media under the spotlight at Christchurch hui, running the numbers on the PM's media diary; Undeclared SponCon causing political and editorial headaches.

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately. Colin Peacock talked to Karyn Hay about the launch of the new news channel labelled ‘Fox News for the UK,’ the bike bridge beat-up that’s still creating comment - and how a football game turned into a life and death dilemma for broadcasters.  

When the Climate Change Commission released its first blueprint for cutting our carbon emissions earlier this year, there were plenty of spurious stories about the end of gas-fired barbies and private cars - and a slump in meat and dairy production. But there was a lot less of that when the Commission's final advice to the government was made public this week.

The big budget for a new non-car harbour bridge in Auckland sparked a big 'bike-lash' in the media last week - and how we build and use our roads has become a huge wedge issue all around the country. Mediawatch asks a journalist dedicated to covering transport: do the deep divisions and inflamed opinions make it hard to report all this effectively?

Climate message cutting through; too much heat makes transport fraught; wrong numbers dial up anxiety over vaccine supplies.

Against a backdrop of news reports about shortages and anger over delayed Covid-19 vaccinations, a Herald opinion piece this week claimed our supply would run dry within days. But swift fact-checking elsewhere established it was based on the wrong numbers. 

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately. Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about journalists hitting out at government spin and information  control - and unhappiness over the release of a major climate report. Also: an odd documentary about a celebrity accused of harassment who’s accusing his accusers of manipulation.

While record-breaking floods threatened to sweep away bridges in Canterbury, the inundation of the Auckland Harbour Bridge by cyclists  made headlines too - and sparked a big backlash on talk radio. The subsequent announcement of a new big-budget bridge just for cyclists and walkers further inflamed the divisive urban issue of ‘bikes vs cars’.

Stories about local issues, from housing developments to cycleway constructions, are nearly always illustrated the same way. Mediawatch asked a Voyager-winning photographer why angry people with their arms folded are so ubiquitous in our media.

For whom the bell trolls - cyclists; the NIMBY photo formula; Aussie China crisis report falls flat.

Last week a comically overwrought ad for Australia’s 60 Minutes TV show hit headlines here, promoting an item suggesting ‘New Xi-land’ had gone soft in China. It aired across the ditch on TV this week. What was all the fuss about? Not much . . .

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately. Colin Peacock talked to Susana Leiataua about who won what at journalism’s night-of-nights - and how it matters more to the companies than their journalists. Also - the wealth and health of top-level tennis under the media spotlight

More than a year after Radio Sport shut down, an Australian outfit wants to set up a new national network here - and it's hired some big names to get it off the ground. But who is driving this across the Tasman? And what's their plan?

Most of the media stories on Willi Huber focused on his work founding the Mt Hutt skifield. This month, North & South finally unravelled the other central event of Huber's life: his role in one of the most brutal divisions of the Nazi army.

Did you know Bob Dylan turned 80 this week?  You did if you were tuned in to RNZ National last Monday.

The Aussie outfits rebooting 24/7 sport on radio; a belated investigation into a skifield founder's Nazi past; Bob's big birthday goes round the clock.

In this week's episode of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a run of bad headlines for radio networks, an AP journalist's controversial firing, and an about-turn in the media's coverage of the Samoan election.

A new analysis finds media coverage is more important than ever after Covid in shaping our perception of leaders’ success, trustworthiness  and transparency (or a perceived lack of them). But - as we hear so often these days - trust in the media themselves is falling fast.  So how does that work?

Newstalk ZB sports host Martin Devlin was back on air this weekend, after he apologised for lashing out at one junior colleague - and sending inappropriate messages and unwanted invitations to women in his newsroom. The  incidents went unreported for ten days - but they're not the only ones that raised alarm about the culture in our media companies this week.

Political reporters and pundits confidently claied the end is nigh for Judith Collins’ National Party leadership - following another opinion poll showing she’s not particularly popular right now - and neither is her stance on race. But the relentless focus on her grip on the job is obscuring other issues.

Sportscaster's conduct put spotlight back on media culture; poll piles pressure on party leader - but do we care?; media make and break leadership in volatile times.

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about the media targeted in Gaza live on TV - and the Gaza crisis spilling over into sport on screen. Also - an epic US broadcasting deal that could change the game here, a front-page foul-up and a brutal book review.

That shocking knife attack in Dunedin’s central city this week came out of the blue - but the coverage also revealed the ranks of reporters there are thinning out. One major TV broadcaster had to cover it from Christchurch on the day -  and the other is set to scrap its office in Dunedin altogether.

An online investigation that exposed Oranga Tamariki tactics - and prompted five inquiries and significant changes in policy and practice at the agency - is now being investigated by the Police. The publisher has also been ordered to pay thousands of dollars in costs incurred when Crown Law sought an injunction to take it offline, raising concern about media freedom and a chilling effect on journalism exploring the state’s use of its power over people.

The Access Radio movement is 40 years old and today 12 stations broadcast locally and online. Some fill local gaps left by stations hooked into national networks - and some produce programmes up for national awards. But low-budget broadcasting isn’t the only way to reach communities with content these days. Does access radio have a digital-age future?  

Top-rating talk host Mike Hosking apologised recently after he slammed political reporters for missing a big story  - and a colleague publicly pointed out he was wrong.  It didn’t stop Mike Hosking hitting out again this week  - but being wrong, again.

Shocking news reveals southern reporting cutbacks; Crown Law takes aim at Newsroom; Access all areas? Community broadcasting turns 40; host takes swing at slack media - but misses.

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Hayden Donnell talks to Karyn Hay about a magazine telling the full story of an SS soldier who became a "hometown hero" and a tourism pioneer here - and another mag's in-depth account of Tom Scott's piles. Also - reporting Covid vaccines without fueling doubts and the doubters; the government pushing back on reports of the 'pay freeze,' and ZB getting a bit more diversity on air.

China used to deny or ignore media queries about the human rights of the ethnic Uighur minority. But before our government debated its response in Parliament this week, China’s embassy held an invite-only briefing for reporters and experts. What did they learn from the event one reporter called “extraordinary to the point of farce”?

“Not good enough” was the verdict of Sport NZ boss Raelene Castle after a fresh analysis of thousands of sports reports across our media found women feature in only about one in seven. But offshore reports of the same results said our media lead the world in women’s sports coverage. What’s the story?  

China's PR intensifies as media focus falls on Xinjang; the state of play in coverage of women's sport; more clarity on online polls.

Mediawatch’s weekly catchup with Lately. This week Colin talks to Karyn Hay about the media unpicking the political strategy behind warnings of “separatism.” Also: ‘Bunny-pocalypse Now’ in the South, diminishing returns for The Apprentice - and anonymous agony advice in print.  

To sell or not to sell a slice of the commercial rights to New Zealand rugby was the squabble that pre-occupied the sports media this week. But the media couldn’t agree on who has the power over the ailing national sport’s direction.

News organisations often report the results of informal polls they carry out by embedding surveys in stories or on social media. Mathematically minded people argue that in doing so, they're misinforming their audience members, and leaving them worse off.

Silverlake buy-in to silver fern triggers sports media; trust on media on the slide; online polls misrepresent public opinion.

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Hayden Donnell talks to Susana Leiataua about change at the top in the Herald's political coverage - sparked by a change for veteran political editor Audrey Young - as the Press gallery marks 150 years.         

New research shows New Zealanders' trust in the news media slipping, even when it comes to the news they choose themselves. That's obviously a bad news story for our media - but what can they really learn from asking us what we think?

On Monday, New Zealanders tuning into the news witnessed something rare: bulletins filled almost entirely with joy, relief, and even a bit of singing.

A core part of your business is screening the world’s sport to customers keen enough to pay for it. Then Covid stops almost all of it stone dead. What do you do? Mediawatch asks a Sky exec how they handled that - and the threat of Covid chaos hanging over the Olympics and this week’s ill-fated effort to fire up an elite European football league.