Stories by Colin Peacock

Biggest flip-flop; best leading media by the nose; the Billy Connolly prize for breaking news about a single animal - Mediawatch's not-very-prestigious and not-at-all coveted annual media awards. Video

Mediawatch - The job losses came thick and fast in 2024: "I've worked in the industry for 30 years and never seen a year like it," RNZ's Guyon Espiner says.

Mediawatch - Australia's social media ban for under-16s was cheered on by the media, but it also highlighted their own dependency on big tech - and our own government's hands-off approach.

Both Taupō and Westport face saying goodbye to their only local newspaper - and local journalism.

A proposal to close 14 local North Island papers has prompted warnings of overseas-style 'news deserts' springing up here.

Mediawatch - The closure of 14 local papers in the North Island could see the end of a century-long history.

Mediawatch - Scams, spam, and disinformation and defamation still circulate on social media platforms that make little effort to counteract them. Will new laws help?

Mediawatch - "It's their media world now. We just live in it." What can the news media take away from Donald Trump's election victory?

Mediawatch - The award-winning magazine has adopted "radical transparency" in a bold bid to secure survival and turn readers into stakeholders.

Mediawatch - Media joined the chorus claiming the government will intervene in the council crisis in Wellington. Then they started saying they'd be better off out of it.

Mediawatch - One media executive says it could be "the end-of-days for journalism" in NZ if Google cuts ties with news. But why?

Analysis - Mediawatch looks at the background to the state broadcaster reducing scope and scale and asks if the scrapped media merger was a missed opportunity.

Mediawatch - Local media helped drive the backlash to the u-turn on rebuilding Dunedin Hospital. But can they campaign on issues while also reporting them fairly?

Coverage of the trial blurred the lines on reporting suicide - and raised questions about how mental health can be aired in a healthy way.

Mediawatch looks at a string of bad news about bad vibes in our big cities - with one in particular being singled out.

As one Māori monarch was farewelled and a new one appointed this week, it was aired in perhaps the longest multimedia coverage of any event in this country's history. Video

Some media queried how the $33b national transport plan will be funded. Others highlighted aspects that barely dent the budget.

Analysis - 'No-one watches the 6pm news anymore,' many claim, but plenty have read lots about the end of Newshub.

Analysis - Simon Tong's future as managing director of Fairfax Media was as uncertain as the future of the media company he led, writes Colin Peacock

The Fijian Prime Minister was "making up facts for a speech" when he criticised NZ media yesterday, says a journalist he has blacklisted.

ANALYSIS - As rumours fly that NZME and Fairfax New Zealand could merge, Colin Peacock looks at how likely it is, and what it might mean. Audio

ANALYSIS - Radio Hauraki DJs Matt Heath and Jeremy Wells are in hot water after an on-air prank at the expense of cricketer Ben Stokes' mother.

Fairfax Media today told 70 of its editorial team their jobs will go as part of a proposal the company says will save it money.

There were no gimmicks and visuals didn't call the shots on RNZ's first-ever live multimedia news show, writes Mediawatch's Colin Peacock. Audio

ANALYSIS: When Winston Peters called Mike Hosking a 'National Party stooge', he was following a long tradition of accusing media of bias, says Mediawatch.