RNZ Russia edits scandal: Journalist responsible breached editorial standards, review panel blames ‘cultural, teamwork issues’ at state broadcaster

An independent review of Radio New Zealand’s editorial processes highlighted “cultural and teamwork issues”. Photo / Mark Mitchell

An independent review of Radio New Zealand’s editorial processes, launched after dozens of stories were edited to be sympathetic to Russia and other authoritarian regimes, has highlighted “cultural and teamwork issues” at the state-owned broadcaster.

RNZ’s board chairman Jim Mather said the board had accepted the review and would implement all 22 recommendations.

The review found the journalist who made the edits, Michael Hall, breached RNZ’s editorial standards by adding a pro-Russian perspective to stories on the invasion of Ukraine, among other edits.

The report considered two contrasting views, the first was that Hall was a “rogue actor who made a decision to abuse the trust placed in him”, and the second that the inappropriate editing “was inevitable because of significant … failures by RNZ”.

“The panel does not hold to either of these contrasting views. What we found was a journalist who acted in breach of both editorial standards and RNZ’s contract with Reuters and an organisation that facilitated the conditions for a journalist to do so,” the report read.

However, the panel found RNZ’s leadership overreacted to the edits, “contribut[ing] to public alarm and reputational damage, not helpful in maintaining public trust”.

When the edits were first revealed in June, chief executive Paul Thompson spoke on the radio station’s Nine to Noon show calling the edits “so disappointing. I’m gutted. It’s painful. It’s shocking.”

Thompson called the edits “pro-Kremlin garbage”.

RNZ’s board chairman Jim Mather said the board had accepted a review of the organisation's editorial processes and would implement all 22 recommendations. Photo / File, Greg Bowker

Hall said he had edited stories since he started working at RNZ: “I have done that for five years and no one has tapped me on the shoulder and no body told me I was doing anything wrong”.

The report also found, though, “cultural, system, and teamwork issues at RNZ ... contributed” to the inappropriate edits.

“The panel’s report indicates ... the overseas news part of our digital operation was not. .. operating to the high standards that New Zealanders know and trust,” Mather said.

The three-person panel tasked with the review recommended RNZ combined its digital news team with its main news operation and appointed someone to focus on improving editorial standards.

RNZ was already making those changes, Mather said.

He also said the news organisation’s board had confidence in its chief executive officer, Thompson.

When the edits were first revealed in June, RNZ CEO Paul Thompson spoke on the radio station’s Nine to Noon show calling the edits 'so disappointing. I’m gutted. It’s painful. It’s shocking.' Photo / File, Mark Mitchell

“The board wishes to express its gratitude to the three panellists who conducted the investigation: Willy Akel, Linda Clark, and Alan Sunderland,” he said.

Mather said the review was likely to cost $230,400.

Thompson acknowledged “there are areas for improvement which we will address, particularly around the areas of training, process and complaint management.”

The review confirmed only one journalist, Hall, was involved in making the edits.

“The panel saw no evidence suggesting others were involved,” the report said.

Hall’s edits also breached RNZ’s contractual agreement with international wire company Reuters. Hall edited Reuters and BBC copy.

“Inappropriate editing of the type that was identified constitutes a serious breach of trust and damaged RNZ’s reputation for accurate and balanced journalism,” the report said.

A review has found the journalist who made edits, Michael Hall, breached RNZ’s editorial standards by adding a pro-Russian perspective to stories on the invasion of Ukraine, among other edits. Photo / BusinessDesk

The review found there were “gaps in the supervision and training of the busy, poorly resourced digital news team”, among other issues.

“Training in editorial standards ... lacked consistency and effectiveness. Staff ... were not aware of the express terms of contracts relating to editing wire content.

“The overall organisational structure that has existed since 2016 is unsatisfactory. Communications between the digital news team and the news team [are] hampered by both teams being permitted to use different communication [platforms].”

Outdated technology, “organisational silos” and a lack of trust between the digital news team and traditional newsroom were also cited by staff as issues of concern.

The report also recommended reviewing the number of staff working in news teams, managing their workloads and putting RNZ journalists through more training.

“While the inappropriate actions were those of an individual journalist, the wider structure, culture, systems and processes that facilitated what occurred and [the response] to it are the responsibility of RNZ‘s leadership,” the report said.

However, the panel cautioned that even if all recommendations were adopted, and had processes been robust in the first place, “it should not be concluded that the risk of ... editorial errors will be eliminated”.

• An earlier version of this story carried an error in the photo caption.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.