Mediawatch

Some local election hopefuls are already pitching policies publicly. Are media checking them out before putting them in the news? Also: an Aussie once in charge of our papers talks about where the media is heading - and a play about authoritarian over-reach in 1950s America echoes what's happening now. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Coverage of the aggro in LA; media feel the heat from advocacy ads, why David Seymour snubs Morning Report, the controversy created by dangerous combat-type cash prize contests Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The same day Stuff twinned up with Trade Me, its big rival NZME overhauled its board and ushered in a self-described 'agitator' from overseas. But both are banking on profitable property platforms at the heart their business. Good thing for media that need money - or a plague on both their houses? Also - the backlash against the backlash against dangerous games. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Stuff/Trade me marriage, NZME settles board stoush. Also - teething troubles at the Herald's new show, the pivot to video - and the power of the edit in politics. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The state of climate change reporting in a changed political climate - and a time when the media have their own existential emergency. Also - how the Run It Straight went from social media phenomenon to national news media controversy. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Herald's new streaming news show, RNZ National listeners tuning out, David Seymour's political past under the spotlight. On Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Emile Donovan Nights this week on RNZ National - the Herald's new streaming news show, RNZ National listeners tuning out, and David Seymour's political past under the spotlight.This Midweek Mediawatch also discusses developments in the bid to reshape the board of NZME, whose shareholders vote on that on June 3.One of those nominated for a proposed editorial board at NZME, lawyer Philip Crump, sparked debate among journalists recently with 'Six Challenges Undermining Media Trust' on Substack.That sparked a critical LinkedIn response from NBR journalist Tim Hunter, in which he highlighted Crump's claim that descriptive words used by journalists can be “cheap shots.”“Often these labels are abused and reveal the biases of the journalist deploying them rather than enlightening the reader. Over time, these cheap shots can erode the value of the masthead," Crump wrote on Substack.He cited the example of “embattled” to describe a politician, but in this Midweek Mediawatch that was misinterpreted.To correct the record, Philip Crump did not suggest that using the word "embattled" could erode trust or indicate bias on the part of a journalist. He said it could legitimately add colour and provide meaningful context.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The media make a big deal of the Budget every year, even though the big money's already been announced. But what was in it for the media this year? Also: vanguard vs the rearguard on AI in the media; political push-back on social media and more bad language - and the perils of cold-calling folks live on air. Read more about this episode of Mediawatch on the RNZ websiteThe media make a drama out of Budget Day every year, even though the big plot twists have been revealed in advance and big bits of the backstory aren't in the script. How did the critics rate this one? And what was in it for the media themselves?There's a vanguard in the media that wants to embrace the latest digital technology - and rearguard that resists it. Will the media ever see eye to eye on AI?Also: political bids to push back social media, more bad behaviour in politics - and bad language in the wake of the ‘c-bomb' affair.In this episode:Budget coverageWhat was in the Budget for the media? And what got cut?The BBC's Laura Ellis on the media's split over AI.Learn more:Mediawatch: How a Budget is covered | RNZ NewsGuests:Laura Ellis - BBC head of technology forecastingIf you have any thoughts for us - or ideas for us to follow up - get in touch. E-mail mediawatch@rnz.co.nz. You'll also find us @MediawatchNZ on X.Follow Mediawatch and listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.Find more RNZ Podcasts at the new section of the RNZ website at rnz.co.nz/podcastsGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

After days being berated for deploying the c-word, Andrea Vance was named political journalist of the year. Meanwhile Stuff took on Stuff, and Winston Peters' pre-Budget announcement went off the rails at a railway station Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Coverage of the outcry sparked by the sudden change to legislation for pay equity claims - and how one rude word in one newspaper column derailed the debate. Also - AI at the BBC: how the world's biggest broadcaster is using AI in news and programmes. Read more about this episode of Mediawatch on the RNZ websiteThe sudden change to legislation for pay equity claims sparked a huge political outcry pumped up when one columnist used one very rude word in one newspaper column. How did the media sift the facts from all the political friction?Also: this week the BBC's top boss said social media platforms and disinformation endanger democracy – but the world's biggest broadcaster could help reverse this.Cutting-edge AI technology will be blended with BBC journalism for “a healthy core of fact-based news” that could benefit the world.The BBC boss tasked with looking into the future of technology tell us how the BBC already puts AI into news and documentaries in ways you might not expect.In this episode:01:10 – Hayden Donnell on coverage of pay equity legislation sidetracked by the party political spin.12:17 – Colin Peacock on the so-called c-bomb in the Sunday Star Times also derailing the debate. 20:00 – Laura Ellis tells us how the BBC is deploying AI for news and programmes.Learn more:Mediawatch: Political rows and newspaper column blur focus on pay equity | RNZ NewsMediawatch: AI and the BBC | RNZ NewsGuests:Laura Ellis - BBC head of technology forecastingIf you have any thoughts for us - or ideas for us to follow up - get in touch. E-mail mediawatch@rnz.co.nz. You'll also find us @MediawatchNZ on X.Follow Mediawatch and listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode.Find more RNZ Podcasts at the new section of the RNZ website at rnz.co.nz/podcastsGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Midweek - Sunday Star Times C-bomb dropped on ministers rocks the House, and the issue that sparked it - gender pay equity. Also - the government's move to ban social media for under-16s got big backing this week - and the possible truce in the NZME boardroom battle. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

An entire generation's grown up with little regulation of their digital world. But this week there was a sudden surge of political concern about social media for teens. Also: NZ Rugby's in the red even though its income from TV's topped $100m. But netball's got no broadcaster beyond this year for its top comp. Is it a warning for sports that need TV money to pay players? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A new compromise candidate emerges to lead NZME - along with some undisclosed outsourcing. Also: 1News scoop about Erica Stanford's emails draws fire from talk radio, a politics podcast podcast's sudden self-destruction - and NZ climbs media freedom ladder by default. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Media assumptions about election outcomes were upended in Canberra and Canada this week - and guessing the result of upcoming ones in Wellington and the Vatican suddenly seem risky. Is picking political winners now a fool's game? Also: cranky calls for military service based on bad stats - and the latest on that bitter boardroom battle at NZME. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A controversial documentary series by TVNZ's John Campbell - which didn't quite kick off like it was meant to. Also: 'Peoples Pope' farewelled, US media's annual White House party fall flat. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The health sector throws up stories of serious crisis almost daily, but journalists find hard data hard to get. Also: media freedom worries increasing around the world - and Winston Peters' 'threat' to RNZ. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Pope Francis's death prompts breaking news weirdness, Winston Peters butts heads with RNZ, identical Aussie twins go viral with synchronised eye-witness account, a Wellington councilor's on-the-record outburst - and a housing headline excluding renters Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Jailed journalist Peter Greste tells Mediawatch about the worst times in his life up on the big screen in 'The Correspondent.' Also - the country's main Christian broadcaster Rhema is bucking the trend of media contraction - even though its target market's shrinking and appealing to a broad church is tough in these polarised times. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Does TV doco Polk live up to the hype - or live down to the claims of tabloid clickbait? Also - further feedback on 'trust in news', new unofficial register lifts the lid on lobbying a little. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Another year - another drop in trust in the news here, according to the biggest annual survey of it. But the slump seems to have stalled and some outlets have even gained trust this time round - though we're still world leaders in ‘news avoidance.' Mediawatch looks at all this - and talks to a Canadian confronting the same trends there. New Zealanders' trust in the news has been falling for years - five years in a row according to the most comprehensive annual survey of it carried out that's carried out here. And we've also been leading the world in the proportion of people who say they actively avoid the news.So no wonder our news outlets fear the worst when the AUT's Trust in news in Aotearoa New Zealand report comes out. But the latest survey shows the slump trust in our news media has stalled - and local outlets are actually more trusted this year. How come? Also Mediawatch talks to a longtime journalist striving to restore trust in local media in Canada with the help of fellow 'Ink-Stained Wretches. And they're also coming to terms with the turmoil of Trump turning on former friends north of the border in a big way.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

An outdoor ad company buys the country's largest radio network, NZME launches a positive news campaign - and Hayden launches an unauthorised theme tune. Also -Green MP Benjamin Doyle speaks out about a toxic online campaign against them that garnered widespread media coverage - and dire fake news about wolves. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Just two companies have carved up most of our grocery bills for years. The government says change is coming - but many in the media don't seem to believe it;s possible. Also - our media's slumping share of ad income, and local papers' paper dispute.Just two companies have carved up most of what we've spent on grocery shopping for years. Now the government says change is coming to the duopoly - but that was met with undue apathy by many in our media.We look at the latest figures for advertising income, the lifeblood of the media industry. Overall revenue's up by a almost a quarter of a billion dollars - good news in tight economic times.But the bad news? The proportion going to our media is down while many more millions are going offshore to the tech titans that dominate the digital world. Where will this end up?Also two local papers in a row over. . . paper.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Green MP's social media spark controversy - and claims the media ran shy of the story. Also: NZME's bitter battle for control rumbles on, and the broadcasting watchdog sanctions Stuff for a ThreeNews scoop that fell short on fairness, balance and accuracy. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Are media confusing us with claims of green shoots in the economy at the same time as headlining more dire data? Also: the epic security fail at the top of the Trump regime that gave a journalist the easiest scoop he'll ever get - and the battle for control of NZME ramps up with a flurry of letters. But first -- it's not news that our economy;s been going backwards - and the numbers on that don't lie.But now some new numbers are on the way up - and that is news.But other economic numbers in the news are still bad news.We look at the the dire data and the claims of green shoots - and ask if the media might be mixing its messages - and confusing us all:Mistakes happen. Everyone makes them. That's why security protocols exist—Security systems are only as effective as the people who use them.But looping a senior journalist into top level chat about imminent military strikes?easiest scoop ever That didn't stop the MAGA-men playing a lame blame game with the media.The bitter battle to control NZME - the company that publishes the Herald and owns NZTB - rolls on, mostly in exchanges of letters.Also - how producers behind the scenes can keep their presenters on the mic on the straight and narrow.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Billionaire Jim Grenon's letter-writing spree as he tries to take control of NZME's board & a click-driven incentive scheme at the company. Also - more journalists are killed in Gaza & an Oscar-winning filmmaker assaulted; Stuff quietly drops a disclosure commitment from its AI policy.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A Kiwi lifting the lid on Facebook's been gagged before she could talk to RNZ. Why? And what did she say before Meta called its lawyers? Also: news publishers' ownership in play & lifestyle journalism's being squeezed by our cash-strapped media, but RNZ's boosting it and the country's oldest magazine is shifting its focus. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Rivals appeal to NZME shareholders as Stuff carves its chief's one share into a million. Also: MAGA-powered podcasters control the zone - and have we lost the appetite for school lunch scrutiny? Rivals appeal to NZME shareholders as Stuff's chief turns one share into a million. Also: MAGA-powered podcasters control the zone, have we lost the appetite for school lunch scrutiny?Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The PM's got plenty on his plate right now - including media hinting his time is up in the top job. Is that true - or fair? Also: a new move to use the media to improve integrity in public life and push back at vested interests. Sounds good, but are things really that bad? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A new poll piles pressure on the PM and his party, the billionaire bidding to unseat NZME's board hits back at claims about his intentions, a Paddington clarificationGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Concern over a sudden change of editorial direction at NZME as a billionaire bids for control. Also: reporting Wellington's water woes and a sudden rush of top-level resignations. The publisher of the Herald and owner of Newstalk ZB has told its investors it's going to set “a new tone” for New Zealand and “share stories of economic success and positive momentum.” NZME also plans to roll out AI to shape the Herald homepage.All this will change what we see and read in the future. But NZME's top brass now have another problem - a billionaire who's backed alternative online outlets has bought a big chunk of the company and now James Grenon wants to control it. Also this week: how the media handled a rash of resignations from top public jobs and Wellington's water woes - no resignations yet but plenty of headlines.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Midweek: The ever-present US President makes the most of set-piece media events. Also -billionaires seeking stakes in our media & rights to air rugby - and TV shows about life in NZ fifty years apart. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Chinese warships in the Tasman Sea promp big calls to bump up the budget for defence ASAP. Also - the super-heated headlines about factory-to-school lunches and we talk to the international outfit defending public broadcasters from de-funding. Chinese warships appearing in what we like to think of as our ‘benign strategic environment' sparked something of a media frenzy lately - culminating in commentators claiming our defence spending's going to have to go up ASAP.Right now the two main public media networks in the US face bids to de-fund them - even though their federal funding is tiny. They also face MAGA-driven inquiries into bias and how they stay in business.Public broadcasters elsewhere in the world also face more political pressure on their funding and even their legitimacy these days. This week ask the boss of the outfit that represents them around the world: how do you defend against de-funding?Also: school lunches have been in the headlines ever since the new cheaper factory-to-classroom ones appeared this year - or not, in some cases. And isolated cases of things going badly wrong have certainly been seized on by the media. Just teething troubles blown out of proportion because of politics? Or are our media rightly demanding more transparency? (more than on the cellophane lids of those boxes of burnt bolognese we've all seen in the news . . .)Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Media go forensic on Andrew Bayly's ministerial resignation, the PM's ZB stumble, NZME's revealing annual results - & the real story of Golriz at PaknSave Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Surviving 2025 in the intertwined industries of media and advertising. Should our government follow Australia's media policy - and beware of billionaires? Also: decoding Destiny and the tricky task of luring Aussie tourists. Can the intertwined industries of media and advertising survive 2025 - and even thrive? That was the theme of a gathering in Auckland this week. One day later, the hosts of it confirmed 30 of its journalists jobs have gone.Our government says - again - its waiting to see what Australia's government does when it comes to media policy. Mediawatch asks an Australian media expert if that makes sense - and if should media in both places beware of the billionaires. Also - this week our government unveiled a new slogan to tempt Aussie tourists across the Tasman. Everyone Must Go seems to have gone down well over there, if not here at a time when many Kiwis are going there for good. We look back at previous efforts to lure tourists across the Tasman. But tricky timing here when record-number of Kiwis have decided they must go over there for good.But some of the past efforts to attract Aussie visitors haven't dated that well either:AUDIO: 23 feb 2025 TRAIL 02 champagneThat;s later on in the programmeBut first - what happened after Destiny Church supporters disrupted Pride events in Auckland last weekend:Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Big names at the Herald lose their jobs in a major news rejig, a Wellington ginger group getting a helping hand - and attracting Aussies in 1962. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

How plans for wealthy foreign investors hit the headlines this week - and how did paid-for propaganda end up on a major news website? Also: two business journalists want to make the most out of much-needed money for important investigative journalism Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Comedian Guy Williams' Waitangi run-in with David Seymour - and the Act leader's pushback at the Herald; a new video channel proposal by NZME - and new government plans to help local media. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Trump's alarmed the world with trade tariffs, turning off aid and proposing to take over Gaza. But New Zealand's had its own diplomatic dramas in the news - with the media in the middle of them. Also: new news outlets popping up to push back fear of 'news deserts.' Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The 'fake news' from Israel that strained our relationship with the US - and a long-suppressed offender's name finally comes out. Also: Tributes to Jonah Lomu and Marianne Faithfull which missed the mark - and two reports on transport which didn't. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Summertime - and the living is easy, the old Gerschwin song says. But he didn't have to keep Kiwis tuned in during the summer news drought. Meanwhile the outside world has changed a lot since Christmas - and the media industry's problems here haven't taken a holiday either. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

NZME's plan to cut nearly 40 staff including some big names, a s spiky editorial response to a reader questioning coverage - and a belated Mediawatch award for misinformation in 2024. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Mediawatch looks at how the media fared against the forces they faced in 2024 - and how one part of the media seems to be bucking the trend of decline. Also: Hayden Donnell's media Christmas wish.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Mediawatch's not-very-prestigious and not-at-all coveted annual media awards - including biggest flip-flop; best and worst jingle and nickname; state-of-media analysis of the year, the awrd for pushing musical boundaries - and the Billy Connolly Trophy for a single animal making national news. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details