RNZ: Mediawatch

PM's honeymoon cut short; who killed the Sevens?; Up against the Great Firewall of China; overestimating our appetite for ice cream

"Who killed the Sevens?" asked  the media when crowds fell to unsustainable levels in Wellington last weekend. Some said it was the drunks, some blamed the wowsers. And some said the media must look at itself. 

How can news be controlled with more than 600 million citizens of mainland China now online? A veteran journalist and media freedom advocate in neighbouring Hong Kong tells Mediawatch about working with - and around - the Great Firewall of China.

Plenty of people like ice cream - especially if it’s free. But lately, the media have overestimated our appetite for sickly sweet stories about it.

The media and Donald Trump got off on the wrong foot in week 1 of his presidency. How will they respond to his 'declaration of war'?

Donald Trump's staff put "alternative facts" into the headlines lately, but Mediawatch found plenty of other stories in the news this summer that didn't stack up.

Trump and media draw battle lines; no shortage of summer silly season fake news; trans-Tasman films on demand

A new service offering only Australian-made films launched with a patriotic hiss and a roar on Australia Day this week. We already have such a service for Kiwi films - but who knew?

Fake news, filter bubbles and Facebook undermine the media in 2016; expect endorsements and blurring of ads, news and programmes in 2017.

Fake news, filter bubbles and Facebook combined to undermine the media’s credibility and viability this past year. 

Big brands, broadcasters and personalities will work more closely than ever in the media in 2017. Expect intense endorsements of products and politicians alike - and more blurred lines between ads, news and programmes. 

"I didn't see that coming," said many in the media when John Key quit suddenly this week, before musing on his place in the political pantheon. But not everyone claimed to be taken by surprise.

“Extending the runway” was the concept of choice this week as New Zealand's two biggest publishers of news tried to convince the competition watchdog to give a green light to a merger.

Radio Sport has a top prize for listeners to see a Lions test match next year in the luxury of an All Blacks hospitality box. But the suggested guest list of one Radio Sport host might not reflect well on the brand. 

The latest push by publishers for a merger that would change the media landscape. Also: a potential PR hiccup for rugby - and how John Key's sudden exit took the media by surprise - mostly. Produced and presented by Colin Peacock and Jeremy Rose.