RNZ staffer accused of pro-Russian edits to Ukraine war news resigns

Wednesday, 21 June 2023

Mahi for Ukraine's Kate Turska said both a physical war and a propaganda war were being fought.

Michael Hall, the RNZ staffer accused of inserting pro-Kremlin copy into wire stories covering the Ukraine-Russia conflicts, has resigned from the public broadcaster.

The news was announced on RNZ’s Checkpoint on Wednesday afternoon, after a statement from RNZ CEO Paul Thompson was released to RNZ staff.

Hall had been on leave since the scandal broke, when it was revealed he had edited Reuters and BBC wire articles to include pro-Kremlin views.

RNZ has been keeping a running tally of the edited stories on their website, which now sits at 36.

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Michael Hall offically resigned on Wednesday.

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RNZ board chair Jim Mather said the expert panel would leave “no stone unturned” during their investigation.

The edited copy does not just relate to stories covering the Ukraine-Russia conflict, with articles about the China-Taiwan and Israel-Palestine conflicts also changed in breach of RNZ’s journalism practices.

Stories covering Covid-19 in China, the Brazilian president, Julian Assange, emission goals in the EU, and UK parliament were also edited.

Paul Thompson shared the news of Michael Hall’s resignation with RNZ staff on Wednesday.

The expert panel leading the investigation into the editing of copy was announced last week, made up of media law expert Willy Akel, who will chair the panel, public law expert and former journalist Linda Clark, and former director of editorial standards at the ABC, Alan Sunderland.

RNZ board chair Jim Mather said the panel will ensure “no stone will be left unturned”.

“The board had concluded a review independent of RNZ was appropriate, and that drawing upon such expertise is the best way forward,” he said.

“We have tasked them to conduct a robust and comprehensive review of RNZ editorial processes. This is in the interest of achieving and protecting the highest standards of journalism at RNZ.”

Last week, Mather said the board were prepared to deal with whatever may arise as a result of the thorough investigation, and would not “rule out” the involvement of other staff members.

The panel will “examine factors and warning signs” that led to the international stories being tampered with.

The goals of the investigation:

To review the circumstances around the inappropriate editing of wire stories discovered in June 2023, identify what went wrong, and recommend areas for improvement. This includes reviewing the handling of the complaint to the broadcasting minister from the Ukrainian community in October 2022.
To review the editorial controls, systems, and processes for the editing of online content at RNZ, assess their effectiveness, and recommend improvements.
To review RNZ editorial policy and practice and recommend improvements based on any relevant findings.
To advise the board on options for ensuring RNZ has processes in place to safeguard against misinformation or partiality in its news and current affairs content.
To advise the board on any other related matters that warrant further consideration.