RNZ: Mediawatch

A fawning portrait of our PM has been condemned as creepy and sexist hours after it aired in Australia. But while that made headlines here, her part in a recent overseas broadcast marking a political milestone for women went completely unreported here. 

Voice-activated ‘smart speakers’ now on the market mean you can get news online without lifting a finger. Our big media companies are all on board, but will this change the nature of our news? Or will Kiwis give the hands-free habit the finger?

Do chips make your hair grow back? No. Is cleaning the house as bad for you as smoking? No. But our click-hungry news websites keep running truth-bending beat-up news stories from British online outlet The Mail.

Little local papers culled by big publisher Stuff; NZME signposts a paywall for premium content; Look - no hands! The rise of 'voice'; time to return the Mail's bogus yarns to sender.

The country's biggest publisher of news is preparing to close or sell many of its rural and community newspapers around the country. Mediawatch looks at the reasons why and what it might mean for the media.

A small story buried on page five of a paper last Sunday revealed MP Chris Bishop messaged youngsters online before the last election. The media questioned the MP’s conduct  - but not the media's handling of the story.

Claims of hate speech and the right to free speech made the news this week in response to racially-charged commentary in the media. One case played out in the court of public opinion, the other in a court of law. What does the outcome tell us about what’s fit to print - and what’s not?

Social media rebounds on politicians; claims of dirty politics in MPs Snapchat story; free speech vs. hate speech in the media.

The closure of Australian-owned New Zealand Newswire means there will no longer be an independent news agency gathering national news in this country. Mediawatch asks editor-in-chief Tony Gillies why it’s closing and what will be lost.

The media described Waitangi as peaceful place on our national day this year, in contrast to years gone by in which reports were heavy on conflict. How did they get to grips with the change in atmosphere?

"To say I'm worried about the future of sports journalism is like Captain Smith saying he was worried about the wellbeing of the Titanic… after it struck the iceberg." A leading sports editor warns, New Zealand media may be walking away from sport, and a crisis in coverage could damage the sports themselves.

No-one has seriously proposed a Cook Strait bridge or tunnel for more than a century - and no expert says one is feasible now. So why was it suddenly front page news this week?

Increasing the peace at Waitangi; is sports journalism on the ropes?; tunnel vision and a bridge to nowhere.

Pat Booth was one of New Zealand’s most respected, effective and inspirational investigative journalists. He died last Wednesday, aged 88. Mediawatch looks back at some of his achievements - and his opinions about his profession. 

Under pressure over misinformation, founder Mark Zuckerberg says he will “fix Facebook” by prioritising “trustworthy and informative” news recommended by readers.