RNZ orders external review over pro-Russian story edits
Saturday, 10 June 2023
RNZ has announced an external review of its online editing processes after the broadcaster’s wire service stories were altered to include pro-Russian views on the war in Ukraine.
Chief executive Paul Thompson said the findings of the review would be made public. The terms of reference for the review and the external experts have yet to be confirmed.
A RNZ staff member is on leave and an investigation under way after it emerged that a Reuters story was altered with factually inaccurate information sympathetic to Russia.
“Inappropriate editing” had been identified in 15 instances in stories syndicated from international partners going back to last year, according to Mediawatch.
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Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson said on Saturday he had been briefed by RNZ.
He would speak with his officials on Monday to decide whether he needed to become involved but was comfortable that a staff member had been “stood down” in the meantime, and characterised the matter as “operational”.
Jackson said he had received a text briefing from RNZ board chairperson Dr Jim Mather with a “clear outline” of the situation and an invitation to contact him for further information.
“I can see that they’ve got it under hand. They’ve stood down the person. I’m comfortable with that.”
Jackson described the incident as a “major issue” that was “unprecedented for RNZ”.
“It’s a big story, obviously.”
He was reluctant to comment further, given it was an “operational matter”.
Mather confirmed he had informed the minister of the issue under the no surprises rule. He would not comment further.
Concerns were raised about the RNZ version of a Reuters article on Friday.
The original Reuters story by its Moscow bureau chief Guy Faulconbridge said:
'The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine's Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed separatist forces fighting Ukraine's armed forces.”
It was altered to say:
“The conflict in Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian elected government was toppled during Ukraine’s violent Maidan colour revolution. Russia annexed Crimea after a referendum, as the new pro-Western government suppressed ethnic Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine, sending in its armed forces to the Donbas.”
Reuters’ policy is that its stories are not altered without consent.
RNZ said on Friday it was auditing other articles to check whether there were further problems. The broadcaster began adding amendments to note the stories had been edited inappropriately.
On Saturday, RNZ released a list of corrected stories with explanatory notes added to each. (The links to these corrected RNZ articles are at the bottom of this story.)
ACT leader David Seymour described the alteration of the Reuters story as “deeply concerning” and demanded answers.
“If our state broadcaster has published material that has included Russian propaganda it would be appalling.
“The chief executive must explain who changed the text, why they changed it, and what will be done to prevent RNZ becoming a conduit for Putin’s propaganda.
“RNZ needs to investigate urgently and be totally transparent about the results so New Zealanders can have confidence in its reporting.”
Former prime minister Helen Clark said it was “extraordinary” that edits had been made on so many occasions without management becoming aware.
“Extraordinary that there is so little editorial oversight at Radio New Zealand that someone employed by/contracted to them was able to rewrite online content to reflect pro-Russia stance without senior staff noticing,” she wrote on Twitter. “Accountability? Expect better from public broadcaster.”
Mahi for Ukraine founder Kate Turska called on the broadcaster to investigate thoroughly, and be transparent about what it found.
“For starters this is happening in a state-funded broadcaster, which should adopt the highest journalistic standards,” Turska said. “We expect unbiased and accurate reporting from the New Zealand media, especially when it comes to issues of war and geopolitics.
“You could affect public opinion, which is something that is very, very concerning to us. We definitely want to see this investigated thoroughly and those who are responsible held to account. We want to make sure it's transparent. This was dishonest and unethical.
“This wasn’t just one article. The phrasing was specifically Kremlin and Russia friendly, which means there's an intention to sway public opinion… This is clearly pro-Russian propaganda.”
RNZ confirmed on Friday the altered version “included a false account of events” and RNZ was investigating. Online it posted that it took the matter extremely seriously.
RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson said the inappropriate editing of the stories to reflect a pro-Moscow perspective was deeply concerning and would be addressed accordingly.
Thompson would not be doing interviews on the matter until the investigation’s conclusion.
Robert Patman, Professor of International Relations at the University of Otago, said the broadcasting minister would be right to express concern but, with RNZ conducting its own investigation, he wasn’t sure it would be appropriate for the Government to get any further involved.
Patman said the changes made to the RNZ articles could harm trust in the organisation.
“A lot of people have busy lives, and don’t have time to take a sample of four or five articles and weigh up which is most accurate. They might think that’s RNZ, that’s an authoritative news organisation, and that’s what’s happening.”
They may then be vulnerable to pro-Putin views because they’ve been provided with information that corresponds to the Putin narrative. The referendum on the status of Crimea in March 2014, referred to in the altered text, was illegal under international law, Patman said.
Massey University journalism research associate Dr Cathy Strong said the incident was “out of character” for RNZ, especially if the pro-Russian slant was inserted intentionally.
“Altering [a story] in order to change the slant seems unethical. That’s not what we expect of RNZ… We have come to trust RNZ.”
Strong said media outlets republish stories from other publishers, such as Reuters, because they are reputable sources.
However, the sheer number of the altered stories was concerning, she said.
“If it happened 15 times previously someone has to ask why it has taken so long to find out about it, and why so long to stem the problem.
It’s still laudable that RNZ is taking the issue seriously, and fronting up publicly with the corrections… But one has to ask how this could happen to such a well-resourced national news service.”
It appeared RNZ was taking the matter seriously by launching an investigation and standing down the staff member involved, Strong said, adding that it was becoming increasingly common for media outlets to recognise their mistakes and issue public corrections.
“It gives the public a sense of confidence.”
RNZ’s own Mediawatch has reported on the issue, saying other RNZ stories appeared to have been altered.
RNZ’s editorial policy was not to lift material from other news organisations with which it did not have partnership or contract agreements, without independently authenticating facts. Its reporting must also be fair and without bias or prejudice.
The Media Council, which hears complaints including about newsgathering and ethics, said it had received no complaints.
List of corrected RNZ stories:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/491618/increasing-talk-of-war-in-russia-worrying-sign-of-escalation
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/486739/putin-says-moscow-to-station-nuclear-weapons-in-belarus
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/473108/fighting-deadlocked-ahead-of-visit-by-un-chief-ukraine-says
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/466426/russian-strikes-pound-ukraine-on-eve-of-new-eu-sanctions
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/466070/ukraine-war-putin-warns-against-foreign-intervention