Mediawatch

Presidents and Prime Ministers happily hogged the screen in TV specials this week - but not our PM. Ex-top cop Andrew Coster broke his silence at length - and big deals are being done in overseas media. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Australia’s banning social media for teens, and there’s a slick media campaign for the same here. The PM’s onside, but will the government follow? And why is a social media pioneer resisting this? Also: the media’s fever for foreign flatpack furnishings. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

PM pushes back the rumours of a rolling, but Dallow leaves TVNZ. Also: the ethics of intimate image exposure, RNZ's numbers boost - and when is it too soon to wrap up 2025? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The government pledged to ‘build the future’ with its first election policy this week - and TVNZ aired a special about our economic problems. Do our media give us the big picture on our economy? Also: fact-free stories about rolling the PM - and Covid-19 hindsight flip-flops. In this episode: 1:12: Even as he launched his first election policy this week, pitched to ‘build our future,’ Christopher Luxon faced a flurry of reports his own future as PM and party leader was in doubt. But they were high on rumour, chatter and opinion - and almost fact-free. 15:30: TVNZ aired a special show - ‘You, Me and the Economy’ - this week, zeroing in on the problems and possibilities in our economy. 17:48: Bernard Hickey, founder of independent outlet The Kākā on media coverage of our economy. and if the ‘burps and farts’ of party politics obscure important issues. Also: how subscriber-based public interest journalism can flip the script. 35:46: The report from UK’s Covid 19 inquiry has slammed the former government there for indecision and confusion, and delaying lockdowns that cost lives. One broadcaster seized on it to slam the government here, even though he changed his own position several times. Read more about this episode of Mediawatch on the RNZ website Guests: Bernard Hickey 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/podcasts Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Field family's funeral livestreamed, newspaper readership rebound, Press shines a light on who owns Christchurch, but Stuff slips up on the story of a jobless man. Also: why did the chickens cross the road in Tāmaki? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

EVs were a booming business here - but incentives have been stripped back and recent reports of fires have fueled fears. Is media coverage amping up the danger? Also: a year ago a NZ Geographic revealed its own flaky finances to stay in print' One year on, how did that work out? Read more about this episode of Mediawatch on the RNZ website In this episode: 1:06 For a while the EV market boomed with incentives in place, though they came at a cost. Now the incentives have been dialled down - and so has demand. And a steady stream of stories about the fire hazards have spread like wildfire. 13:18: Dr Troy Bailsden on how to ‘pre-bunk’ alarmism about EV safety - and where to find facts on the real but remote risks of batteries. 19:51: Magazines devoted to longform journalism are struggling to stay in print. A year ago award-winning NZ Geographic urged subscribers to up their backing to keep it going. One year on publisher James Frankham on how that worked out - and what’s next. Learn more: Mediawatch: Angst about EVs blows up in the headlines | RNZ News Guests: Troy Baisden, James Frankham 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/podcasts Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Trump vs BBC escalates, Irish and Scottish footballers - and Ronaldo - make epic media moments, Emile's Irish podcast slapdown. Also - Tararua tavern tension, Mercep rocks out at Metallica for 1News. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

One edit in one episode ended up at the epicentre of major crisis for the world’s biggest public broadcaster. Trump might take the BBC to the cleaners over it while media rivals crank up the damage to its reputation. But is the BBC’s real impartiality problem internal? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Two top BBC bosses quit in wake of Trump editing scandal, Police top brass blasted by damning IPCA report, Te Pāti Māori meltdown prompts more media criticism. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Surveys say our trust in the news is slipping seriously, but the latest one asks Kiwis why and what might get it back, and an RNZ editor’s new book zeroes in on how to repair the relationship. Also: the downfall of the ‘Duke of Yuck’ yields unexpected local angle. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Police back away from taking Stuff to court - but issue a warning. Also: Dame Noeline Taurua blows the Silver Ferns saga open again with a media blitz on Monday, and NBR goes legal on its own subscribers. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Labour bit the bullet on capital gains tax this week, but the political point-scoring was a zero-sum game. Also: a big rejig of Māori news & current affairs funding - and while our leaders have been on the world stage, we’ve been accused of punching below our weight on global media freedom. Read more about this episode of Mediawatch on the RNZ website In this episode: 00:45 The media have been telling us for years any political party offering a CGT is DOA at the polls. How did they react this week to Labour saying they’ll do that next year? 8:00: New Zealand’s leaders have been talking up our country in Asia and in northern Europe this week, but this week we were cellar dwellers in a new ranking of develeped nations supporting media freedom around the world. New Zealander Melanie Bunce, director of the Centre for Journalism and Democracy in London, explains why. 21:03 A big rejig of funding for Māori news and current affairs means less spent on the established TV news programmes and more on news from the regions and digital-first content, available via a new national news hub. Te Māngai Pāho’s The long-serving kaihautu Larry Parr explains the plan. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Severe storms bring the best out of media - but climate change mentions raise hackles. Also: netball's top-brass keep exasperated media out of their internal business - while the Silver Ferns do the business on the court, and RNZ's new podcast 'Nark' uses AI to give voice to the dead. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Lawyers went toe-to-toe in court for weeks over a series of TVNZ news scoops about health and safety - and the broadcaster’s own newsgathering. What can we learn from this high-stakes defamation case? Also - the government fired up a confrontational PR campaign to tell the public this week’s ‘mega-strike’ was about politics, not pay. Did the media get the memo? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

One complaint to the BSA has the PM claiming 'overreach' and his minister pledging reform - while politicians and lobby groups call for the watchdog to be put down. Paula Penfold ponders personal impact of reputation-ruining scoops. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The broadcasting watchdog has told alternative online outlet The Platform it can consider complaints about it - just like TV and radio. Part of the problem is out-of-date media laws. Mediawatch asks the media minister and his opposition counterpart: what counts as broadcasting these days? And how should it be accountable? Also: how Te Pāti Māori’s tensions played out very differently in different media. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Media coverage of the Gaza ceasefire, Platform's Plunket pushes back on broadcast watchdog, Metro magazine 'restructures' its full-time staff - and should self-selected polls be allowed in news? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Netball’s a national sport - and it's natural the media want to know if something’s going wrong at the top. But have media made the game’s current coaching drama worse- at the worst possible time? Also - what to do about online harm was aired in a Parliamentary inquiry this week. But was the purpose of this to prevent regulation that could make it safer? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Row over Gaza protest targeting foreign minister's house gets political - and an actress is cut from an ad. Also: RNZ picks new audio chief as two stalwarts depart, Police Ten-7 star Graham Bell, quake clarification for Emile. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The rules are changing for earthquake-prone buildings - and many in the media are praising the savings. But the devil is in the details. Also: how the media responded to our position on Palestinian statehood - and a year and a half after huge cuts to TV current affairs, what’s left - and what next? SHOW NOTES Read more about this episode of Mediawatch on the RNZ website In this episode: 1:07 Owners, councils and the government all celebrated the savings from new rules on earthquake-prone buildings this week - along with many in the media. 16:09 How the media responded to the announcement at the UN of our position on Palestinian statehood - long after it was actually decided. 25:05 It’s been a year and a half since huge cuts were made to TV current affairs on local TV. Miriama Kamo and Mark Crysell of TVNZ’s now-defunct Sunday show about what happened after that, what’s left - and what’s next. Learn more: Guests: Mark Crysell, Miriama Kamo If 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/podcasts Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details