Contents Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... vivi SummarySummary ...................................................................................................................... 33 The purpose of our review ..................................................................................... 3 Key conclusions ...................................................................................................... 8 Summary of recommendations ............................................................................ 10 Implementation ..................................................................................................... 13 Recommendations ................................................................................................ 15 Chapter 1Chapter 1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 2222 The purpose of our review ................................................................................... 22 The New Zealand context .................................................................................... 30 Our approach ........................................................................................................ 35 Chapter 2Chapter 2 The News Media’s rights and responsibilities ........................................ 3838 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 38 News Media legal privileges and exemptions ...................................................... 39 News Media responsibilities ................................................................................ 44 The policy problem ............................................................................................... 49 Chapter 3Chapter 3 Defining “news media” for the purposes of the law .............................. 5353 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 53 The role of the News Media ................................................................................. 55 Defining “news media” ........................................................................................ 63 Our proposed statutory definition of “news media” .......................................... 65 Chapter 4Chapter 4 What form of accountability? .................................................................. 7474 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 74 The regulatory spectrum ...................................................................................... 75 What type of accountability? ................................................................................ 79 What we conclude ................................................................................................. 93 The news media meets 'new media': rights, responsibilities and regulation in the digital age 1 Contents Chapter 5Chapter 5 Convergence – the case for reforming oversight of news standards ..........9797 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 97 Convergence – the policy problem ....................................................................... 99 Current regulatory models ................................................................................. 106 Assessment of strengths and weaknesses .......................................................... 112 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 130 Chapter 6Chapter 6 The international perspective ................................................................ 133133 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 133 Regulatory convergence ..................................................................................... 136 Membership – voluntary or compulsory ........................................................... 139 Membership incentives ....................................................................................... 142 Powers and remedies .......................................................................................... 144 Funding ............................................................................................................... 145 Form of converged news standards body – extent of statutory backdrop ....... 146 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 155 Chapter 7Chapter 7 Ethical journalism – a new approach to media standards in the digital age ....................................................................................................... 156156 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 156 Principles and policy objectives ......................................................................... 158 The News Media Standards Authority ............................................................. 161 Who should be subject to the NMSA? ............................................................... 182 Legislative implications ...................................................................................... 192 How to bring the new regime into force ........................................................... 194 Recommendations .............................................................................................. 196 Chapter 8Chapter 8 Entertainment ......................................................................................... 204204 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 204 The present position ........................................................................................... 205 The problem requiring attention ....................................................................... 207 Recommendations .............................................................................................. 211 Appendix A Ministerial Briefing Paper .................................................................. 212212 Appendix B List of submitters ................................................................................ 384384 2 Law Commission Report Summary THE PURPOSE OF OUR REVIEW 1 This report is about the different rights and responsibilities which apply to communicators in an era when anyone with an internet connection has the potential to broadcast to the world. 2 All those who publish in New Zealand, whether as individuals or as entities such as news media companies, are subject to the basic legal constraints which protect citizens’ interests in their reputation, privacy, personal safety, and right to a fair trial. Within these legal constraints, citizens are free to exercise their freedom of expression, including publishing views which are extreme, false, misleading and/or offensive to some. 3 The news media, however, have additional rights and responsibilities, reflecting the vital role they have played as a conduit of reliable information about what is happening in the world and as a means of holding power to account. 4 To facilitate the news media in carrying out these core democratic functions, the law grants these publishers certain legal privileges and exemptions not available to ordinary citizens. For example under the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 the news media have a statutory right to remain in a closed court and to appeal suppression orders. They alone have the right to communicate electronically from the court.2 The news media are specifically exempt from the information privacy principles in the Privacy Act 1993, and certain provisions of the Electoral Act 1993, the Human Rights Act 1993 the Fair Trading Act 1986. 5 In turn, the news media are subject to additional standards, some enshrined in law, others by self-imposed professional and ethical codes, designed to ensure their privileges and exemptions are exercised responsibly; that the information they disseminate conforms to basic standards of accuracy and fairness; and that they are held accountable for any abuse of their power.3 2 See ch 2 at [2.9]. 3 See chs 2 and 5 for discussion of the various statutory and self-regulatory complaints bodies currently responsible for upholding media standards in New Zealand. The news media meets 'new media': rights, responsibilities and regulation in the digital age 3 Summary 6 However, this system of statutory privileges, matched by countervailing responsibilities, evolved in an era when the public was largely dependent on the mainstream media as their only source of reliable news and information. It also developed at a time when “print” and “broadcast” media were two distinct entities, subject to different standards and forms of accountability based on the formats in which they distributed their news. 7 Neither of these assumptions holds true today. New Zealanders now have access to a plethora of news sources ranging from global media brands through to the spectrum of “new media” providers generating, aggregating, and commenting on news. Most significantly, the public are now able to generate, debate and distribute news and opinion themselves, without