Linking the "teapot tape" to News of the World tactics has been rejected by the committee of editors representing the country's mainstream media.
A recording of a conversation between Prime Minister John Key and Act candidate John Banks is held by the Herald on Sunday and TV3 but neither has published it.
The Media Freedom Committee at its annual general meeting in Wellington this week said it was wrong to suggest the recording and assessment of its contents could in any way be compared to the systematic illegal phone tapping that occurred in the UK.
The political meeting was held in a public place to which media had been invited and was at the height of an election campaign. The cameraman left the recorder on the table after initial public comments from the politicians.
The media have committed no offence, despite a police investigation, and have not published or broadcast the recording's full contents.