Stories by Colin Peacock
Audio and features
Public media's future funding made public - partly
After months of behind-closed-doors planning, Budget 2022 has at last put some fresh figures for the government's planned public media entity into the public domain. The increase in public funding is… Audio
Slaves to the algorithm?
Big tech and social media bosses pledged to eradicate online extremism in Christchurch Call three years ago in Paris - and today they claim atrocities which echo the 15 March massacre don't go viral… Audio
Outgoing chief censor calls for media regulation re-jig
The Chief Censor’s Office used to worry about the odd boundary-pushing book, film or video game. These days it's extreme stuff published online that forms the bulk of the work. David Shanks leaves… Audio
Top TV cop show returns after racism review
A year ago, the country’s top cop show - Police Ten-7 - was under fire for racial stereotyping. The show's makers rejected that - and so did their partners in the Police. But broadcaster TVNZ ran a… Audio
Midweek Mediawatch: Rule it out? Cut it out!
Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. This week Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about taxing the rich becoming a hot topic for political reporters - and one who says it's time to cut out 'rule it… Audio
Midweek Mediawatch - Gotcha vs Google it, mate
Midweek Mediawatch - Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about an Aussie politician whose ‘Google it, mate’ riposte to a reporter’s ‘gotcha’ question struck a chord recently - and the otherwise invisible… Audio
Measuring trust is tricky with suspicious minds
Last year the biggest annual survey of Kiwis’ trust in news found it was on the slide, though it wasn’t quite clear why. Since then there’s been plenty of anti-media sentiment at anti-government… Audio
Pushback against the upswing of political nastiness
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… Audio
Midweek Mediawatch - spotlight on falls from grace
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… Audio
Pulling young Kiwis into the loop with news
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… Audio
Fast-rising prices - and loud cries of 'crisis'
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. Audio
RNZ + TVNZ = new PME in 2023
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… Audio
Coming up
Public media plan emerges from behind closed doors
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…
Coming up
Midweek Mediawatch - pitchforks at Parliament
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… Audio
Publicly-funded boost for Māori media
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… Audio
Midweek Mediawatch: broadcaster's MIQ mission fires up media
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… Audio
Silly season turns serious as Omicron arrives
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… Audio
Young entrepreneur’s death sparks media backlash
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… Audio
RNZ’s Tahi -'the one' for rangatahi?
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… Audio
Bold business journalism play pays off with sale
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…
Coming up
New collective bid to make tech titans pay for NZ news
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… Audio
Looking back on tech titans' takeover of media
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… Audio
All journalists are climate reporters now
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 -… Audio
Experts denigrated by conspiricists - and radio hosts
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… Audio
The risks of reporting displays of discontent - and amplifying aggro
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… Audio