Media ethics
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Monday, March 16th, 2009Mediawatch this weekend was terrific. I think it’s absolutely at it’s best when it’s exposing serious media lapses. The two that Mediawatch highlighted this week illustrate what I think are two of the most common ethical failings: leaving things out because the story is sexier without it (as in the case of the surf rescue […]
OK! magazine fakes front cover photo
Thursday, March 12th, 2009More grist for those worried about digital manipulation. OK! has a front page photo of Cheryl Cole with her arm around Victoria Beckham (click on the magnifying glass at bottom right for the whole photo) to illustrate its story about the two making up. But it’s a montage. They weren’t even at the same event. […]
Another Bain beat-up
Monday, March 2nd, 2009I think the SST overplayed its lead story on the Bain jury. The headline: David Bain murder retrial: Jurors must be tested for bias – expert The first two paras: A TOP law professor has called for tougher testing of jurors to minimise the risk of prejudice in the retrial of David Bain on five murder charges. […]
Chris not Christians
Thursday, February 19th, 2009I’m not a Christian. I think the Biblical creation story is daft. I don’t think it should be taught in schools. But I do think that when a serious radio programme debates the issue “Should creation be taught in schools?” the station should at least find someone who thinks it should to include in the […]
Ethics inquiry into 13-year-old dad story
Thursday, February 19th, 2009The UK’s Press Complaints Commission is looking into the ethics of The Sun’s story about a 13-year-old fathering a child. On what grounds, you ask? In NZ, the issue might be the child’s privacy (can a boy really consent to a story like that?) or whether the paper had “particular care and consideration for reporting […]
Talkback officially a balance-free zone
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009In this extraordinary decision, issued this month, the BSA has effectively re-written the Broadcasting Act and exempted talkback radio from the balance standard. It also seems to largely give talkback shows a pass when it comes to fairness complaints. The BSA had already established a rule that talkback hosts could be inaccurate pretty much whenever […]
British Parliamentary inquiry into press standards following string of defamation cases
Thursday, November 20th, 2008A British Parliamentary committee is to conduct an inquiry into British press standards, and will be asking whether the self-regulatory system needs toughening up. It has been sparked by the media’s coverage (resulting in several successful defamation claims for their false accusations) of the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann in Portugal last year.
Daily Mail editor strikes blow for the public right to know celebrities’ sexual habits
Thursday, November 13th, 2008In a speech to the Society of Editors conference, Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre called Justice David Eady “amoral and arrogant” and panned his pro-privacy decisions. He argued that Justice Eady was stopping the press from exposing the immoral conduct of public figures. He said this like it was a bad thing. The sort of […]
We’re reporting their news, there
Friday, October 31st, 2008I’m following the US election closely, and I’m a Radio NZ listener, so you’d think I’d be applauding Radio NZ’s decision to send Geoff Robinson there to report the elections from the ground. But really, I’m wondering why they’ve spent the money. How many of Geoff’s interviews couldn’t have been done from here by phone? […]
Eat the worm
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008There’s talk that TV3 might use the worm again for its leaders’ debate. In an attempt to persuade them not to, let me revisit a column I wrote before the last election: I see the worm is back. No, I’m not talking about John O’Neill. I mean the squiggly electronic line that measures audience reaction […]
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