DomPost editor says a bunch of interesting stuff
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007DomPost editor Tim Pankhurst gave a very interesting keynote address at the Jeanz conference called “The Power of Print”. Here are some highlights: The relevance of print The DomPost’s coverage of Louise Nicholas, Donna Awatere Huata, the Capital and Coast Health issues and the “Terrorism files” shows that print has “undiminished power” – in the […]
Has fairness swallowed privacy?
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007What would you do with this complaint? During a Close Up item about the “naming and shaming” of drunk drivers by a Wellington newspaper, a woman was approached outside court after being convicted of her second drink driving offence. Although the woman declined to be interviewed for fear of losing her job, she was shown […]
This would be the most fascinating defamation case ever…
Monday, December 10th, 2007In her book and in media interviews, Louise Nicholas calls Clint Rickards a rapist. He calls her a liar who needs help. If one of them were to sue the other for defamation, it would be a hell of a bunfight. The criminal case hasn’t put these issues to bed. A defamation lawsuit would be […]
Media criticism from an Ombudsman
Thursday, December 6th, 2007Some damning quotes about the performance of the media from Ombudsman Mel Smith’s report into the justice sector: The criminal justice system is complex and difficult. Unfortunately the rhetoric that we hear in the media and elsewhere almost daily tends to convey an impression that there is some simple answer to crime and criminal justice. That […]
Free speech audit in Australia
Thursday, December 6th, 2007Former NSW Ombudsman Irene Moss has conducted an audit into the state of free speech in Australia and concluded that “free speech and media freedom are being whittled away by gradual and sometimes almost imperceptible degrees.” I confess I’m always a bit suspicious of death-by-a-thousand-cuts claims, since they often overlook or underestimate the ways in which free […]
OIA book out
Thursday, December 6th, 2007Nicola White has just released her book on the performance of the Official Information Act. She gives it a B. The book is called “Free and Frank: Making the Official Information Act 1982 work better”. It’s indispensible for anyone who wants to understand the workings of the OIA. The fact that Nicola used to work at […]
NZ Herald archives really in contempt?
Monday, December 3rd, 2007The Solicitor-General has told the NZ Herald to take some stories off its archives, because they are in contempt of court. The stories contain (presumably prejudicial) information about murder accused Liam James Reid/Julian Edgecombe. I don’t know what this material is. It may, for example, contain information about previous convictions. If the judge specifically suppressed this […]
Press Council review: it’s a bit weird
Thursday, November 29th, 2007The good As I said earlier, I agree whole-heartedly with almost all of the recommendations made by the reviewers of the Press Council, Sir Ian Barker and Prof Lewis Evans. Yes, scrap the requirement for complainants to sign away their rights to go to court: as the reviewers say, it’s of very doubtful legality. Hell […]
Why did Radio Waatea pull its interview with Clint Rickards?
Monday, November 26th, 2007The media don’t usually go along with requests from an interviewee’s lawyers to pull a plum interview. I can’t think of any legal rule they’d be breaking by running the interview. If Rickards is breaching his agreement with the police, that’s his problem. [Update: the interview has now been broadcast]
S-G contacts Fairfax about contempt
Friday, November 23rd, 2007The Solicitor-General is reportedly asking Fairfax newspapers to explain their actions (publishing the “terrorism files” information), saying they may be in contempt. The story doesn’t say whether he’s suggesting they breached the Crimes Act, too, by publishing information obtained by interception warrants. A “please-explain” letter strikes me as a bit odd in the circumstances. What […]
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