Kate Hawkesby
Some broadcasters still shrugging off storm warnings
Some in the media learned the lessons of Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods, just as the emergency management authorities have done - and they made a concerted effort to… Audio
Radio hosts fixate on schools closing as Gabrielle closes in
Cyclone Gabrielle buried homes and took lives, including those of rescuers, this week. But as it bore down on the country, front-rank hosts at Newstalk ZB played down the danger it posed… Audio
Midweek Mediawatch - Covering another catastrophe
Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Nights. Hayden Donnell talks to Susana Lei'ataua about some good journalism - and some ill-advised commentary - on Cyclone Gabrielle. And in… Audio
Midweek Mediawatch: A sudden dose of empathy
In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about the lessons ZB's Kate Hawkesby learned from a bad bout of Covid - and National leader Christopher Luxon squirming under the… 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
Mental health becomes a pandemic political football
There's been plenty of media coverage on the mental health effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mental Health Foundation Shaun Robinson says a lot of it has been too simplistic, or just plain wrong.
Coming up
A pundit backlash against actual experts
Analysis: Our epidemiologists and Covid modellers have faced an increasingly bitter series of barbs from commentators and columnists over the last month, and it's making their often thankless task… Audio
Summer camp scandal sparks flood of opinion
Labour's summer camp scandal triggered a flood of opinion in the media this past week. Much of it claimed political spin had overridden the rights of the victims, but the coverage and comment also… Audio
Claims of dirty politics in MP’s Snapchat story
A small story buried on page five of a paper last Sunday revealed MP Chris Bishop messaged youngsters online before the last election. The media questioned the MP’s conduct - but not the media's… Audio