Archive for September, 2026
A few notes on the OIA scandal
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026A Ministry of Education official has been caught on video telling staff not to write down their feedback from the Minister’s office because it is “OIA-able”. It’s not good. It looks like an attempt to create a misleading impression that feedback on a draft curriculum didn’t come from the Minister’s office. It may be a […]
Stuff gagged – wrongly?
Friday, September 18th, 2026The High Court has granted an injunction against Stuff Ltd preventing it publishing a report into potential conflicts of interest at a law firm receiving legal aid money. It seems the law firm was referring work to a firm that produced cultural and alcohol and drug reports for court. That firm was owned by two […]
Interesting Media Council splits
Friday, September 18th, 2026The Media Council (formerly the Press Council) hears complaints against print or text based media, alleging unethical conduct such as inaccuracy or lack of fairness or balance, or invasion of privacy. The complaints board comprises a combination of journalist and non-journalists picked to represent the public and is usually chaired by a retired judge (currently […]
BSA cop out?
Thursday, September 3rd, 2026I’ve just accused (below) the Advertising Standards Authority of copping out by refusing to uphold a complaint by finding that an assertion of fact is a statement of opinion. I think the BSA sometimes does the same thing. But at least it argues it out. It recently rejected a complaint against Mike’s Minute. Hosking was […]
ASA cops out again
Thursday, September 3rd, 2026Looks like the Advertising Standards Authority is doing its usual thing in letting political parties get away with blatantly misleading ads by pretending that they are opinions. It’s a bit difficult to tell, because the ASA’s website’s new display format provides so little information about the complaint, the ad complained about, or the ASA’s reasoning. […]