Media Law Journal

The Media Law Journal, published by Steven Price, focuses on issues related to media law including defamation, responsible communication in the public interest, media regulation, and the interaction between different media oversight bodies such as the Media Council and the Broadcasting Standards Authority. It covers legal analysis of media complaints, accuracy in reporting, corrections and retractions, and jurisdictional questions concerning broadcasting standards, especially in the context of new media platforms. The blog also discusses the implications of legal decisions on media practices and public interest journalism.

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By: Steven Price

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Latest from Media Law Journal

Just a reminder of what’s at stake here. As I wrote earlier this year:

If The Platform and any other internet-based TV or radio platform are not subject to the Broadcasting Act, then they are not subject to broadcasting standards,…

So the government has decided to abolish the BSA. Various people are crowing about it. They are pointing to the BSA’s decision to hear a complaint against internet broadcaster The Platform. ACT says this was an attempt to “police the…

The BSA has ruled that it has jurisdiction to receive complaints against the online media company, The Platform. “Using an unduly technical interpretation to exclude online broadcasters would create a significant gap in the protections available to New Zealanders”,…

Julian Batchelor has lost his defamation lawsuit against TVNZ and former Disinformation Project director of research Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa. They’d accused him in an online article of racist rhetoric, inciting hate and real-world harm.

Batchelor says this struck at his…

An overlooked part of Talley’s Group’s defamation case against TVNZ is its attempt to get TVNZ to disclose its confidential sources. It applied to court to make TVNZ give them up.

This was a real test of our journalist source…

It’s becoming a regular thing to see hackers get hold of reams of private data and threaten to leak it. (See recently: Manage My Health and Neighbourly leaks. And in recent years: Commerce Commission and Te Whata Ora.)

Courts readily…

There’s a sort of maxim we talk about in defamation classes in law school. It illustrates a point, and it’s good for a chuckle. “It’s not defamatory to call a crook an honest person”. Because it’s only defamatory if it…

I have long been frustrated that the BSA seems to have defined the balance standard almost out of existence. Balance isn’t required because the thing you’re complaining about wasn’t the focus of the programme. Or the programme’s not controversial. Or…