Articles in ‘Media’

The Free Speech Union has criticised Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown after an email emerged in which he allegedly warned the editor of Ponsonby News that "your paper will die" if it continued publishing criticism of him. The Union argues the message amounts to an attempt to intimidate a community newspaper and says elected officials should respond to criticism through public debate rather than private pressure, describing the incident as a threat to…

The Free Speech Union says newly released Official Information Act documents raise serious questions about the Government's direction on digital identity and online age verification. The organisation argues New Zealanders deserve an open parliamentary debate before any system requiring adults to verify their identity online is introduced. Community Voice: Media Release from the Free Speech Union. · Documents released to the Free Speech Union…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE · On 5 September last year, Barry Soper stumbled over a departing Green MP’s pronouns on Newstalk ZB. His co-host pulled him up on air within seconds: “You are literally just being a boomer right now.” Later in the segment, Soper described the MP’s successor as “quite a normal fellow”. · Nine months on, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has ruled the segment breached broadcasting standards and ordered NZME to broadcast…

German regulators are advancing a controversial plan that would require social media platforms to boost content from government-approved “news” outlets, raising concerns about state influence over online speech and the flow of information. By David Lindfield · According to a leaked document obtained by Apollo News, Germany’s state media authorities are developing a system that would allow regulators to determine which news organizations qualify…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE · The Free Speech Union welcomes Education Minister Erica Stanford's confirmation today that Catherine Wedd's bill banning under-16s from social media has been placed on hold. · "Credit where it's due - the government has resisted the temptation to bulldoze this through, and that's the right call," says Jillaine Heather, CEO of the Free Speech Union. "Pausing to think again, rather than legislating in haste, is what a…

The Free Speech Union (FSU) has welcomed the Government’s decision to disestablish the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA), describing the move as a major reversal of what it calls years of regulatory overreach into online speech. By elocal staff · In a media release issued on May 6, Free Speech Union Chief Executive Jillaine Heather said the Government had made “the right call” by abandoning the BSA model and instead investigating voluntary…

Dr. Robert W. Malone · The World Socialist Website (WSWS) is a communist advocacy organization whose articles are frequently republished by Google News. One might wonder why Google News considers the WSWS newsworthy, given that the Trotskyist movement is a branch of Marxist socialism based on the ideas of Leon Trotsky. From their website: · The WSWS is the online publication of the world Trotskyist movement, the International…

Axel Springer SE has moved to purchase the Tory party-affiliated British outlet The Telegraph · FILE PHOTO: Copies of The Daily Telegraph on display at a newspaper stand, London, UK, March 6, 2026. © Getty Images / Jack Taylor · Germany’s Axel Springer SE, the owner of Bild, Politico, and Business Insider, has announced that it will buy out The Telegraph for £575 million ($771 million). The deal would unite two of…

Millions in British funding, leaked contracts, and strategic media programs show how a state exports its vision of journalism to sway public opinion abroad · Imagine this: you are a journalist in your country. You are invited to a workshop on ethics, resilience, and methods for countering “disinformation.” You find yourself in a room with peers from across the region, discussing story ideas, newsroom strategies, and how to navigate the…

by Tyler Durden · How the mighty have fallen. · In a "poetic ending" plot twist, that even jaded conspiracy theorists would have had trouble scripting, Washington Post CEO and publisher Will Lewis has abruptly and unexpectedly stepped down from his perch atop Jeff Bezos's crumbling media empire. Well, maybe not that unexpectedly... · !Image Text · That's right, the same WaPo that spent years hurling "fake news" grenades at us here at…