090514. Photo Diego Opatowski / RNZ. Radio New Zealand House. Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
The Media Council has determined that two complaints against RNZ do not have sufficient grounds to proceed.
Rowan Wernham complained about an article published on July 17, 2025, titled 'Who are the Druze and why is Israel bombing Syria to protect them?'. The Council saw no evidence that the article was inaccurate, unfair or unbalanced, or that it favoured Israel, as suggested in the complaint.
It set out informative facts concerning an event of public interest. The Council also believed the headline accurately and fairly conveyed the substance or a key element of the report. It was not discriminatory against the Druze.
Clare André complained about an article piublished on June 9, 2025, headlined 'Greta Thunberg's aid ship warned to turn back or face the Israeli military'. In this decision, the Council noted that RNZ and other New Zealand media depend on news agencies to provide their international coverage.
The article was drawn from ABC News, Reuters and AFP, reputable agencies with a lot of experience of covering wars as impartially as they can for a diverse international audience.
Ms André argued that less weight should have beeen given in the story to Israeli denials that they had committed war crimes when the allegations were supported by reports from UN agencies. The Council noted the UN agencies' findings have been reported previously.
It also noted that it is standard practice for journalists to give all parties the opportunity to comment and respond to allegations made against them: 'This is the essence of fair reporting. This leaves it over to readers to draw their own conclusions as the factual realities become evident over time.'
The full decisions can be read here: Media Council - Rowan Wernham against Radio New Zealand; [https://www.mediacouncil.org.nz/rulings/clare-andre-against-radio-new-zealand/ Media Council - Clare André against Radio New Zealand
