Stories by Colin Peacock

Online abuse of politicians is on the rise - especially for women, including the PM and local councilors. This week one was able to unmask her anonymous abuser and the media played a part. But this…

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately on RNZ National. Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about TVNZ keeping allies abandoned in Afghanistan on the agenda; a revealing front page exclusive with a…

After the media seized on 'pain at the pump' the PM was pressed to concede sudden spikes in prices constituted 'a crisis.' She eventually did, but - like a pricey petrol - that only gets us so far.

Younger Kiwis have been turning away from traditional news media outlets and bulletins for years, and the media they’re using most heavily have little news. But podcast listening is growing fast among…

The government has confirmed it is creating a new public media entity next year to incorporate RNZ and TVNZ. It says the goal is public media 'fit for the future' - but it will be partly funded by ads…

After more than two years and millions of dollars spent, the Government has finally confirmed a new media outfit will replace state-owned TVNZ and RNZ. Mediawatch looks at what's behind the new public…

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Colin Peacock talked to Karyn Hay about reporters targeted again at the flashpoints in Wellington - which jarred with with…

For years Māori journalism leaders warned a lack of training, investment and opportunities meant Māori people and perspectives were mostly missing in our media. But more effort and money than ever…

Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Lately on RNZ National. 

This week Colin Peacock talked to Bryan Crump about the fallout from broadcaster Charlotte Bellis’s media campaign against MIQ. Also…

It’s business as usual for the media again: all Covid, all the time with the whole country back in the red (traffic light). But even before Omicron inevitably broke through, anti-vaxxers and their…

The recent death of entrepreneur Jake Millar  - at the age of 26 - prompted an angry backlash against the media - over coverage of his failed venture Unfiltered. Some in business cited tall poppy…

RNZ’s previous plan to reach younger people collapsed in early 2020 after opposition to RNZ Concert cuts - and pushback from commercial broadcasters. This week RNZ fired up Tahi - a more modest effort…

New Zealand Herald publisher NZME has shaken up the business news scene with an agreement to buy subscription-based service BusinessDesk. It rewards a bold moved by the founder 13 years ago - and also…

The umbrella group representing locally-owned news media wants to negotiate with Facebook and Google for "fair payment” for the local journalism appearing on their services. Australian news media have…

Facebook’s all-powerful founder has rebooted his trillion-dollar company as ‘Meta’ and he’s planning for a new virtual ‘metaverse’ for us in five years. But the real world mess Facebook’s made in…

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…

A fresh analysis of Covid misinformation says it intensified after Delta arrived - and leading public figures and officials have “received specific targeting and abuse” online. But you don't have go…

The climate talks in Glasgow are the big global story right now - but it doesn't always feel like it in our news. A climate change reporter tells Mediawatch every journalist should now be one too -…

Radio broadcaster MediaWorks will launch a new talk radio network in early 2022 and has hired Newshub political editor Tova O’Brien for a new show which will shake up the morning news scene. 

Last weekend’s hastily-organised eight-hour Vaxathon TV extravaganza silenced most critics after a record number of jabs last weekend - but not all.  We ask the brains behind the broadcast - Bailey…

Big tech platforms have failed to tackle the misinformation and toxicity they spread - and their dominance of the market for digital media revenue is becoming increasingly obvious. Australia's…

This week's call that Auckland must linger longer in Level 3 - but with picnics and double bubbles - upset those who wanted more freedom, those who saw it as waving the white flag and those demanding…

Opposition parties’ plans for lockdown-free Covid management and re-opening our borders made headlines this week - kicked off former PM John Key last weekend. All of them dangled the prospect of free…

A new campaign is urging people with possible symptoms of cancer to get a diagnosis - and never mind the lockdown.  This week two media outlets claimed  'almost half of new cancers' went undetected…

As the lockdown in Auckland lengthened, the exposure of one couple’s rule-breaking prompted a predictably intense pile-on. Ironically, that actually helped to keep their names out of the headlines -…