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Fears of interference and influence in news
Two cases this week raised questions about influence on newsrooms from outside - and inside media companies - and sensitivities about the possibility of political interference.
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Mediawatch: Govt moves on rough sleeping - by moving it on
1 Mar 2026The government moved on the problem of rough sleepers and beggars this week - by giving the police power to move them on in town centres. It's a response to…
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Immigration amping up in election year
22 Feb 2026Immigration is a wedge issue in many countries and political parties opposing it have been boosted. How are the media handling this - and the prospect of more…
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Solids, liquids and gas: Infrastructure ills back in the frame
15 Feb 2026Mediawatch: Sewage is pouring into Wellington's harbour while the government plans gas imports. Are media focusing on politics over the bigger picture?
Mediawatch headlines with summaries.
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Media in middle of fudge stunts, 'right v left' rows
This week, the finance minister pushed back at a critical lobby group campaign, while academics and experts mulled the polarising political landscape.
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Angst over EVs blows up in headlines
23 Nov 2025EV uptake boomed with incentives in place, but this week, the government made traditional cars cheaper instead. Video
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Saving the marriage of journalism and the people
9 Nov 2025Survey after survey has shown our trust in the news seriously slipping, but the latest one asks Kiwis why.
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Talley's v TVNZ in defamation confrontation
26 Oct 2025TVNZ's newsgathering ended up under the microscope in the Talley's defamation trial. What can we learn from this high-stakes case?
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Mediawatch: Netball caught in media spotlight and online pile-on
12 Oct 2025Netball's a national sport, so media will always zero in on things going wrong at the top. But with almost no hard facts about the Silver Ferns coaching drama, and social media filling the void, is…
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Mediawatch: Long-term problems, short-term coverage
28 Sep 2025Are the media shining light in the right places and on the bigger picture?
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Mediawatch: 'News desert' warning, as local newspapers close down
21 Sep 2025A former editor warns that news deserts are creeping up on us - and we might be 'up to our ankles in sand' already.
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Mediawatch: Property news pumping up market?
21 Sep 2025Stories about houses and property are a critical source of engagement and income for media. New research breaks down several years' coverage.
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Mediawatch: Fugitive father, family and the public interest
14 Sep 2025After the hunt for Tom Phillips came to a deadly end, the media had to make quick judgements about what was in the public interest, the interests of the children, and the public's appetite for…
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RNZ's high-stakes National plan
31 Aug 2025RNZ National's been losing listeners for years, and now there's a new plan to stop the slide, partly sparked by a harsh review of RNZ's capability and culture. Mediawatch asks RNZ's boss if he can…
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Mediawatch: AI and a bid for media to claw back cash online
24 Aug 2025The first online revolution undermined the media's business model based on ads. Will AI make it worse? Or will new tech help media claw crucial cash back from AI crawling their content?
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Image problems - the ethics of stock photos
24 Aug 2025Ellen Tamati unwillingly became the face of a political cause she opposed, after her image was picked from a photo library. A media outlet used artificial images of whānau in their reporting. What are…
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RNZ flags changes to claw back listeners
17 Aug 2025RNZ is planning to reverse decline in RNZ National's live listenership, but it comes at a time when listeners' loyalty seems harder than ever to secure.
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Palestinian statehood push vexes media
17 Aug 2025An media debate over New Zealand recognising Palestinian statehood was partly overshadowed by party political rows and claims it would only be a gesture.
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Mediawatch: Media applauds old school move on NCEA
10 Aug 2025With news the pupil assessment system is on the way out, many applauded the return to old school ways, but said less about what might be lost. Video
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Mediawatch: 'Surprise' rise in Trump's trade tariff?
10 Aug 2025Many recent stories claimed the hike to a 15 per cent US tariff on our exports was 'a surprise.' But was it?
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Mediawatch: The politics of PayWave
Waving goodbye to PayWave fees in a cost-of-living crisis seemed like a win for the government, until the media checked it out.
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Mediawatch: Ministers' 'helpful' handouts go multimedia
20 Jul 2025More intense campaigns targeting politicians and ministers pitching their own multimedia messages. Are these old tactics or a bid to dodge media scrutiny? Video
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Mediawatch: Pandemic probe media focus flipped to politicians
13 Jul 2025Backers of the latest Covid-19 response inquiry say it's crucial for future planning and to give people a say, but media mostly zeroed in on which big-name politicians would show up in six weeks time.
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Mediawatch: Google's AI Overviews underwhelm
29 Jun 2025Some AI applications appear to be trying to tell us what we want to hear - and even avoid answers that might upset us. Is AI human after all? If so, should the media be wary? Video
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Media in the middle of political skirmishes over sickness and health
22 Jun 2025Polls show health is a huge concern, so it's no surprise it's hotly contested in politics - and the media. This week sick leave suddenly surged to the top of the news agenda.
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Are media managing decline? Or settling on a sustainable structure?
15 Jun 2025Greg Hywood ran the Australia's Fairfax Media that bought most of this NZ's newspapers for more than $1 billion in 2003 - and sold them back for just a dollar 17 years later. Video
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Mediawatch: Who calls the shots after change at the top?
Two big media players made huge moves on the same day as Stuff twinned with Trade Me while NZME shook up its boardroom.
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