RNZ: Mediawatch

Bringing the big meth myth mess to light; pokie turn-off turns on the media; news goes to the dogs.

The next election is a long way off and new party leaders are still bedding in. But already TV news networks and their political pundits are predicting what will happen next based on the opinion polls they pay for.  

The government and farming leaders spoke with one voice on the plan announced this week to combat mycoplasma bovis - but many farmers are divided on it. Their genuine anger and anguish has been front and centre in the media but awkward questions about the spread of disease have yet to be fully aired or answered.

Two of the local papers offloaded by Stuff recently have been saved. The Kaikoura Star and The Clutha Leader have been bought by local publishers prepared to take a punt on print.

Energetic editioraliser Mike Hosking angered nurses this week by inflating their employers' pay offer - just after telling the media off for "lapping up press releases."

Reading too much into political polls; M Bovis - The big call on a big cull; local publishers pick up unwanted papers; reckons without research.

In the midst of a national disease crisis, the rural press is being shaken up. Some titles are changing hands and the country's biggest news publisher Stuff is closing weekly farming papers and cutting its reporting. But its rivals say farmers are actually big fans of print and are less likely to get news online.

A machine that writes Mike Hosking opinion pieces was unveiled recently in Auckland. Just a gimmick, but artificial intelligence and machine learning are already at work in our media and could have a profound effect.  

Unseasonably warm weather lately has confused some plants - and journalists.  

Rural media shakeup in midst of cattle disease crisis; AI - coming ready or not; unseasonal coverage.

Face recognition in our supermarkets, algorithms pinpointing our varsity dropouts and robots taking our jobs: artificial intelligence is on the rise in our news. But are the media also to blame for public ignorance and anxiety?

The reporter who won the big prize at last week's Voyager Media Awards says the biggest stories in the world these days are often cracked by reporters working across borders. He wants to put New Zealand investigative journalism into the international frame. But how would that work?

The media kept telling us all how excited we all were about this weekend’s royal wedding. But few people were at the same fever pitch as parts of our media.  

Questions over Budget boost for broadcasting; media report of the rise of AI; putting NZ journalism in the global loop; over-egging the royal wedding.

The government has allocated an additional $15 million in the Budget for public broadcasting, but it is not clear where the new investment will go or when we will see the benefits.