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A three-person panel has been appointed to undertake a review of RNZ’s editorial processes after the outlet published at least 15 stories about the Ukraine war with pro-Russian edits.
The panel will include media law expert Willy Akel, who will chair the panel. It also features Linda Clark, a former journalist and media law expert.
Alan Sunderland, the former director of editorial standards at ABC News in Australia, is the final member of the panel.
RNZ’s board chairman, Dr Jim Mather, said the panel is made up of a long history of editorial and legal expertise.
The panel includes a media law expert, a former journalist and a former director of ABC. Photo / RNZ
The board decided a review by an independent third party was “the most appropriate course of action” and that drawing from such expertise was the best way forward.
Mather said the focus was restoring public confidence in the broadcaster.
“We have tasked them to conduct a robust and comprehensive review of RNZ editorial processes,” said Mather.
“This is in the interest of achieving and protecting the highest standards of journalism at RNZ.”
The board agreed on the terms of reference last night, which Mather said will allow rigorous scrutiny of RNZ’s editorial processes.
It’s expected this will allow for rigorous scrutiny of the broadcaster’s editorial factors and processes that allowed one of its staff members to make “inappropriate” changes to at least 15 stories about the Ukraine war.
The stories had been edited to take a pro-Russian slant, leading to the employee being placed on leave subject to investigation.
Dr Jim Mather said the focus was restoring public confidence in the broadcaster. Photo / Greg Bowker
The first story found to have been altered was by Reuters Moscow bureau chief Guy Faulconbridge. The original story said:
“The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed separatist forces fighting Ukraine’s armed forces.”
But when republished on RNZ.co.nz, that passage adopted a more Kremlin-friendly framing.
“The conflict in Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian elected government was toppled during Ukraine’s violent Maidan colour revolution. Russia annexed Crimea after a referendum, as the new pro-Western government suppressed ethnic Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine, sending in its armed forces to the Donbas.”
RNZ’s 4pm news bulletin on Friday said the version published by RNZ “included a false account of events” and RNZ is investigating how the story was “changed to reflect a pro-Russian view”.
RNZ corrected the story online, adding a footnote that says RNZ is “taking the issue extremely seriously”.
The terms of reference will allow the panel to review the circumstances of the editing of wire stories discovered in June this year, along with the handling of the complaint to the broadcasting minister from the Ukrainian community in October 2022.
