Media Freedom

Pacific journalists reflect on the state of the media. Audio

It didn't take long for Winston Peters’ news media grievances to make headlines - and headaches - for the new government. Mediawatch looks at how the media reacted to his claims of media 'bribery' -… 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

A self-styled 'bad boy of Brexit' who promised to make "mayhem and mischief" in politics here has lost a long-running libel case against a journalist who alleged he had ties to Russia. Media freedom… Video, Audio

Some are already calling the invasion of Ukraine a turning point in world history. How we react is shaped by the media coverage - and most of what we get comes from outlets in countries that have… Audio

Tuesday’s Covid protest at Parliament was a spectacle that had to be covered, but reporters who did so were targeted by protesters - and not for the first time. Does coverage risk ramping up the… Audio

Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks prompted the US to invade Afghanistan, the Taliban announced they’ve taken the whole country again this week. Journalists who remain there are at risk in spite of… Audio

A group representing our major news media have agreed a set of principles for reporting terrorism and “national security events." It's a response to fears extremists could use the media for their own… Audio

China used to deny or ignore media queries about the human rights of the ethnic Uighur minority. But before our government debated its response in Parliament this week, China’s embassy held an… Video, Audio

Some big issues of public interest have been revealed down the years by employees tipping off reporters. Major wrongs have been righted by the media applying the fabled ‘disinfectant of sunlight’. But… Audio

The police raid on the home of News Corp political journalist Annika Smethurst last week sparked a firestorm of controversy over press freedom - further fueled by a raid on the Sydney headquarters of… Audio

Three times this week week the powers-that-be intruded on journalists in Australia to try and dig out sources of controversial stories of clear public interest. Media freedom advocates there say a new… Audio

Any complacency about extremism here was extinguished by the attack in Christchurch on 15 March. The media claimed it marked “the end of our innocence”. We're still in the top ten for global press… Audio

Banning the gunman’s so-called manifesto was a controversial call by the Chief Censor last week. It has divided opinion among the media over whether they should delve into it - and just how much of it… Audio

International journalists were startled when Chinese officials prevented them from reporting some events at the APEC summit in Papua New Guinea this week. It was a taste of the tactics China employs… Audio

Several states now have laws targeting fake news and more are thinking about it. But should governments be responsible for the pushing back against deliberate disinformation online? Should the news… Video, Audio

The police apology to Nicky Hager has helped clarify - at last - important principles of journalistic privilege and protection for sources. But it’s the third time in recent years that state agencies… Audio

Ten journalists were killed in Afghanistan this week by a bomber posing as one of them. They were the latest victims of rising hostility to the media around the world. Peter Greste  - who knows what… Audio

New Zealand is back in the top ten in the annual rankings of global media freedom. That's not bad considering we plummeted down the ladder last year. But does that mean everything’s rosy?

Australia's biggest news media companies have united to fight a national security law that could criminalise reporters and their sources. Peter Greste - who knows all about being jailed for journalism… Audio