“On a day that the Government announces 49,000 fewer victims of violent crime and a 22% decrease in serious repeat youth offending, 1News chose instead to engage in unbalanced journalism by running a story about gang membership,” he wrote on Facebook.
Mitchell revealed to Matt Heath and Tyler Adams on the Newstalk ZB Afternoons show on Friday afternoon that he had received a call from TVNZ after the story, and received an apology.
ZB’s Barry Soper later reported that Mitchell had received the apology from a senior leader – Media Insider understands this was TVNZ political editor Maiki Sherman.
The TVNZ story, by senior political reporter Benedict Collinshas sparked at least four conversations between politicians and TVNZ – Goldsmith also raised it with Collins and Sherman that evening.
Goldsmith revealed today that TVNZ chairman Andrew Barclay had also raised the matter with him, in passing, in a phone call at the weekend.
“I spoke to the chair on Sunday afternoon, at his instigation, about a wide range of matters,” Goldsmith told the Herald.
“He brought up the story in question, but I did not make any comment, as it would be inappropriate for us to discuss editorial matters.”
On Wednesday evening, 1News at Six broadcast a second story highlighting the drop in the Government crime figures – leading now to questions about whether that had arisen as a result of any political and/or board-level interference.
A TVNZ spokeswoman confirmed to the Herald that Sherman contacted Mitchell’s office the morning after the 1News gang numbers story “to advise that victim-of-crime data should have been included”.
“The story was then reviewed internally, and the editorial decision was made to run a follow-up story incorporating those figures to ensure balanced coverage and to aid audience understanding around the use of differing crime statistics. The resulting piece ran last night.”
She added that TVNZ’s board chairman and the minister “talk regularly”.
“TVNZ’s board directors also take an interest in how editorial standards are maintained.
“But editorial independence is of paramount importance to us, and operational decisions on how stories are covered are our own.”
Barclay has also been approached for comment.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins told reporters at Parliament that if any TVNZ board member had been involved in any attempt to influence editorial decisions, they would need to resign.
“If any member of the TVNZ board has been involved in TVNZ’s decision to run an additional story last night, TVNZ needs to be very upfront with the New Zealand public about that, and that member of the board needs to resign immediately.”
Goldsmith told reporters at Parliament that he did not pass any comment on the story to the TVNZ chairman.
“It’s not appropriate for me to be talking about political discussions and editorial matters with the board, and I haven’t.
“I raised the issue with the journalists, as is perfectly appropriate, and, when the chair of the board rang me on a wide-ranging discussion around other issues, he raised it in passing.”
TVNZ’s newsroom policies state the organisation’s news and current affairs department “operates without fear or favour”.
“It is not influenced by any improper political, sectional, commercial or personal interests, whether from inside or outside the organisation.
“This principle of editorial independence is fundamental to an objective and impartial newsroom, and critical to a free and democratic society.
“This independence is also enshrined in the Television New Zealand Act 2003, which states government ministers cannot interfere with the editorial decisions of the company.”
Editor-at-large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including managing editor, NZ Herald editor and Herald on Sunday editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.
