Stories by Hayden Donnell

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Emile Donovan about the departure of broadcasting minister Melissa Lee - and the arrival of the next one Paul Goldsmith. Also: a… Audio

As another report shows another decline in New Zealanders' trust in the news, two editors sat down with Mediawatch to discuss the findings and what could be done to turn things around.

Warner Bros. Discovery has confirmed its plans to shut down Newshub, including its website and all TV news shows by July 5. 294 staff will lose their jobs. The company says no deal is in place yet…

Breaches of the broadcasting standard for discrimination and denigration are rare in news media - but hosts on just one network have now done it three times in the past four years. 

There were howls of outrage when SailGP cancelled racing on Saturday after a Hector's dolphin was spotted on the course. But some of the critics were missing important context which one journalist has…

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Nights. Hayden Donnell talked to Emile Donovan about Winston Peters attacking the news media in his State of the Nation speech - and the death of… Audio

Artificial intelligence tech threatens to take our eyeballs even further away from the outlets which produce news - but it’s also a tool they can use to make more of it. This week Stuff - which has… Audio

TVNZ is shutting down Sunday, Fair Go, 1News at Midday and 1News Tonight in an effort to keep its business "sustainable" in a declining advertising market for broadcast news.

Just a week after Warner Bros. Discovery's shock announcement that it plans to shut down Newshub, TVNZ has announced it intends to cut dozens of jobs.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to shut down Newshub was met with mourning within the media - and also concern about what could replace it in the media ecosystem Audio

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…

A Herald headline this week said Auckland Transport was 'pushing on with $500,000 crossings'. The apparently outrageous expense was also aired on radio and in Parliament as evidence of the urgent need… 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…

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Emile Donovan about Chris Luxon being harangued by the media for copy-and-pasting his Waitangi Day speech, an eye-opening column… Audio

When James Shaw tweeted "James Shaw goneburger" it was the zenith of one political reporter's eight-year effort to goneburger every departing politician in New Zealand. But Jo Moir is now leaving… 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

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about a much-reported recording of Wellington’s mayor which made many headlines recently - but has not yet appeared in the real… Audio

This week the country’s biggest arts funding agency published a plan to boost coverage of culture which has been dwindling in our media. Music reviews and writing used to be eagerly-read and… Audio

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about allegations of foreign interference in the Bird of the Century vote  - and dubious concerns about the general… Audio

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about a comparative lack of coverage on Gaza, sympathy for Supie's leaders even as their employees miss out, and a… Audio

Major news media outfits have cut back in the regions in recent years. That doesn't just leave locals worse off - it also means all New Zealanders miss out on important ideas, events and perspectives… Audio

Midweek Mediawatch - Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about how media handled the claims and counter-claims that followed the deadliest incident yet in the Gaza conflict. Also - friction between… Audio

The TVNZ Young Voters' debate run by Re:News was a rowdy interjection into what had been a relatively subdued election campaign. Its moderator has some ideas on how media organisations can better… Audio

As National announced its long-awaited tax plan, some journalists took a hard look at its numbers, while others focused more on political strategy and impact. Audio

In this week's edition of Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Mark Leishman about a dire poll for Labour raising the spectre of a media-driven death spiral; a reorganisation at NZME; a plea… Audio