Fairfax Media
Shaken into action
When disaster strikes, the demand for news is immediate and intense - but the chaos makes it much harder for the media to get what people want. Mediawatch looks at how reporters and editors responded… Audio
Watchdog withholds its blessing from media marriage
Our competition watchdog says it's not minded to allow two big news companies - Fairfax and NZME - to get hitched. Mediawatch asks a rival publisher and a former editor if the Commerce Commission has… Audio
Stuff Me! Media mega-merger gets thumbs-down
Many media pundits predicted the merger of Fairfax Media and NZME would get a green light. Why has our Commerce Commission declined to give the marriage its blessing?
Local paper asks for directions
The Marlborough Express has warned that it can’t go on as a daily paper forever and it is considering new ideas, including reporting sponsored by readers and printing on fewer days of the week. Could… Video, Audio
Muted response to big shift in public funding plans
Established New Zealand broadcasters will compete with online outlets for our public broadcasting money from next year under a new regime proposed by New Zealand On Air. It is a significant change… Audio
Real Housewives vs real research: in-depth journalism was the loser on the day
A rich nobody making a racist remark on a reality TV show most of us don't watch created a media frenzy this week. Meanwhile, a major journalistic investigation into racial bias in the justice system… Audio
Stuff of substance in a clickbait climate
Is serious journalism being swamped by 'clickbait' in the online age? Is the anguished debate about the future of journalism helping? Mediawatch asks an award-winning investigative reporter who's just… Video, Audio
Playing the long game
A new policing policy to get burglary numbers down made headlines this past week, and so did a reporter lifting the lid on a previous burglary stats that didn't stack up after years of probing. Does… Video, Audio
Who won an Olympic clash in court?
A wrangle over the right to run online video played out in court recently, while the Olympic Games played out in Rio. Has the outcome settled the question of who can show what without breaking the… Video, Audio
Independent publishers question mega-merger
A proposed merger of New Zealand’s two biggest news publishers is being questioned by many of the country’s independent publishers. Some are asking, will the country’s papers be better off returning… Audio
Big names in NZ media boycott the Olympics
Two big names in NZ media have told their sports reporters not to pack their bags for Rio just two weeks out from the Olympic Games. Why? And what will it mean for coverage of Kiwi competitors in our… Audio
Does free-speech = freedom to advertise?
A former owner of the New Zealand Herald recently made news after failing to place an ad in two of Australia's leading newspapers. A Wellington magazine attracted the wrath of readers after accepting… Audio
All Blacks for hire in the news
Editors are usually keen on a story if there’s an All Black in it. But sometimes the story is really about the big brands the boys in black are supporting. Video, Audio
Media deals to boost China's voice
Why have supplements endorsed by the Chinese government been appearing in New Zealand and Australian newspapers? And is there cause for concern? Audio
Is the writing on the wall for local community newspapers?
Plenty of people read local newspapers and they still make money, but New Zealand's biggest publisher of them is cutting jobs and pushing their news out onto an internet service instead. What's the… Video, Audio
Media merger will change the news
If New Zealand's two big news publishers become one, it will inevitably have an impact on the news, and how it's delivered. Audio
APN consider merger with Fairfax Media
Two of New Zealand's largest media heavyweights - APN and Fairfax Media - have confirmed they are in talks to merge, putting some of the largest media outlets into the country under the same roof. Audio
Keeping your enemies close
Broadcast and print media never used to tread too much on each others toes. But in the online era they're suddenly rivals in the same turf war. Or are they becoming 'frenemies'? Audio
In and out of the loop on the biggest leak ever
It was the biggest ever leak of newsworthy information and the biggest ever collaboration between media organisation for a single investigation - but the New Zealand media were out of the loop on the… Video, Audio
Will NZ's biggest paywall plan yet pay off?
New Zealand’s biggest locally-owned news publisher is set to make readers pay for its online news. Mediawatch asks the editor of the Otago Daily Times if it will pay off, and what the paying punters… Video, Audio