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Revealed: NZ's spy agency investigated RNZ journalist's work (www.nzherald.co.nz)

submitted 1 week ago by BalpeenHammer@lemmy.nz to c/politics@lemmy.nz

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This is plainly intimidation for politically incorrect articles by the press. It's an attack of free press in this country.

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[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 5 points 1 week ago (20 children)

Wait, is this the guy that got caught making minor wording edits to articles about Russia's war on Ukraine to make them more Russia friendly?

And the article is presenting it like it's a report that clears the guy of wrongdoing, when from my reading it seems the result of the investigation was that he was absolutely doing it but he wasn't being paid by Russia so it wasn't state sponsored foreign interference, the thing they were investigating. Right?

So basically the guy was editing stories to make them more Russia-positive but thinks he's been cleared of wrongdoing due to not being paid for his acts?

[–] BalpeenHammer@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 week ago (17 children)

You are missing the point. The press is allowed to be biased. They are allowed to say false things. They are allowed to report stories that go against what the current politically correct ideology is.

The government should never intimidate the press when they report politically incorrect ideas and thoughts.

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 5 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Isn't the chain of events:

Editor makes pro-russia edits over a period of time
RNZ catches editor doing this, starts reverting edits with notice to readers
Editor in question resigns
GCSB investigates whether this was a Russian spy
outcome was that it wasn't

I don't see how anyone went outside their remit. RNZ wasn't forced to do anything. The editor had already resigned, there's no intimidation. GCSB seems to be doing what they are there for I'm regards to foreign interference.

I do not believe as you're implying that freedom of the press involves not investigating foreign states manipulating that press to change the public opinion. Rather I think the press in question would welcome the outcome of this investigation (whatever the outcome). There is no implication here that anyone is forcing RNZ to do anything, only RNZ controlling one of their editors. Surely freedom of the press involves freedom of RNZ to control their editor?

[–] BalpeenHammer@lemmy.nz 0 points 6 days ago

One more thing.

This investigation is a signal sent to the press to induce a chilling effect on reporting which goes against the current government narrative.

No reporter wants to be invested by the secret police (which GCSB is by any definition)

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