Stories by Colin Peacock

Warner Bros. Discovery plans to close its Newshub operation on June 30, ending its TV news broadcasts and online news. The company has blamed an economic downturn and decline in advertising. Around…

Last week the great and good of New Zealand’s news media urged MPs to back a law change to make Google and Facebook pay them for their news. They say the income could be critical to the survival of… Audio

Media bosses warned MPs this week journalism is in jeopardy here if they don't back a Bill making offshore tech giants pay for news carried on Facebook and Google. It's based on laws already in place… Audio

Media bosses sounded a warning in Parliament today about journalism in jeopardy and the potential damage to democracy if the Government doesn’t back a Bill making offshore tech giants pay for their…

Sky TV became the big beast of pay TV by keeping a stranglehold on exclusive live rights to the country's most popular sports for paying subscribers. This week it suddenly announced top rugby, netball… Audio

In past years some media outlets were ambivalent about Waitangi Day - some even hostile at times. But new moves by the new government and a strong pushback from Māori gave it an extra edge this… Audio

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Nights. Colin Peacock talked to Emile Donovan about just-announced changes to RNZ National's schedule and an RNZ news story last weekend which… Audio

The summer holidays are usually a dead zone for domestic political news - but the unseasonal and unexpected downfall of Golriz Ghahraman bucked the trend this month. Media copped criticism from some… Audio

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, predictable reports of shark sightings signalled the start of the summer silly season. And with water running out in the capital, and a… Audio

A special edition of Mediawatch looking back on the year in the media - ending with the Mediawatch five-minute mashup of 2023’s news.   Audio

Five years ago Dr Merja Myllylahti warned our news media were becoming dangerously dependent on global digital platforms which gave them online audiences but undercut their income and didn’t seem to… Audio

Wellington’s mayor is under pressure after acknowledging an alcohol problem. Her admission was prompted by media questions about drunken ‘antics’ based in part on a reported recording which no media… Audio

The chief of the country’s most powerful media watchdog says we need new laws now to hold media to account in future. The outgoing government had a plan for one single body to oversee rules for all… Video, Audio

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Nights. Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about the ongoing process of forming a new government testing the patience of political reporters -… Audio

As we wait for a new government, one election did deliver a clear-cut result this week - Forest and Bird's Bird of the Century poll. The winner had considerable offshore input thanks to a celebrity… Audio

Mediawatch - A business lobby group is urging New Zealand to emulate Ireland, which has a GDP twice as big as ours - but is the GDP picture warped?  Audio

The news media see themselves as the eyes and ears of the public - but so far political leaders have mostly turned a deaf ear to their questions about forming the new government. How are they handling… Audio

Protecting people who offer the media important information is a fundamental obligation for journalists. Chris Cooke quit TVNZ after it didn't keep a promise to Erin Leighton, whose off-the-record… Audio

Anger about rules and referees ruining rugby matches ran for days in the media after last weekend's Rugby World Cup final. Players, pundits and even current national coaches have said the game is… Audio

Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Mark Leishman about the media’s mounting problems covering the crisis in Gaza and Israel; TVNZ under pressure over compromised confidentiality; the PM… Audio

Major media organisations all over the world are copping criticism for the way they’re reporting what’s happening in Gaza and Israel. Mediawatch asks BBC news boss Jonathan Munro how they’re handling… Video, Audio

Our new political leaders got off on the wrong foot this week with the political press pack by keeping them at arm's length over their negotiations to from the new government. Was this a genuine media… Video, Audio

The media have been a political football this year - and now some politicians are complaining the media are against them in this election. But hundreds of millions of dollars of public money is spent… Audio

TVNZ is planning significant cuts to content production, programmes and operational spending in response to commercial clients’ reduced spending on advertising. Future projects are under review and…

New Zealand's biggest publisher of news this week joined big global names in blocking Open AI from using its content to power generative artificial intelligence tool Chat GPT. Stuff says it is being… Audio