Publication of Veitch story not taken lightly

Tim Pankhurst was editor of the Dominion Post last year and faced the vexed decision about whether to publish the Tony Veitch story. He remembers the tension in the newsroom that day.

In July last year the Dominion Post became aware of a serious assault by top television sports presenter Tony Veitch on his former girlfriend, business executive Kristin Dunne-Powell.

Assistant editor Bernadette Courtney spoke to me confidentially about the information, and we discussed how we might handle it. No one else was involved in that discussion.

We were also aware Veitch had paid a considerable sum to Dunne-Powell as compensation for her injuries, although we did not know the precise amount. We knew lawyers had brokered a deal, but we were unable to obtain a copy of the agreement.

There were two aspects to consider - the legal risks and the ethics of such a story that, if published, would likely destroy Veitch's career. There was also the possibility of criminal charges being laid.

On the legal front, the story was clearly potentially defamatory. It would damage Veitch's reputation in the "eyes of right-thinking people".

The prime defence for defamation is truth. The question became: Were we confident the explosive information we had obtained was legitimate and could we substantiate it?

The facts were put to Veitch who responded: "I've got nothing to say."

We were confident on legal grounds. The issue then became: Was this a story of legitimate public interest? The answer to that was: Absolutely.

Celebrity, justice, privilege, domestic violence, women's rights, vested interests - they were all in the cocktail.

Given Veitch's high profile and the serious assault and cover-up being detailed, this was a major story that would set the immediate news agenda, although we did not realise just how big its impact would be.

There is always tension around such investigations and this one more than most. Bernadette shepherded her story through on the Sunday once the call had been made to Veitch alerting him and seeking his comment. Security around it was deliberately tight.

The story was not put on the news list and it was only after the 4pm call to Veitch that senior staff and other newspapers in the group were told of it. Bernadette kept me informed through the day, and, after again speaking to our legal adviser, we elected to proceed with publication.

The treatment was measured. It was not splashed as front page lead and it was only two days later, when it was clear Veitch and his employers, notably TVNZ, were not going to face up to the issue, that the Dominion Post revealed the full extent of Dunne-Powell's injuries. He had broken her back.