Radio New Zealand has put a staff member on leave and launched an investigation regarding the edited stories about the Ukraine War. Source: Public Domain Pictures
Radio New Zealand (RNZ), the country’s national radio broadcaster has put a staff member on leave and launched an investigation after a series of news stories about the Ukraine War on its website had been edited to provide “a false account of events”.
RNZ is a government funded organisation, but has editorial independence.
According to a statement on its website, RNZ had corrected 15 stories on its website, dating as far back as April 2022 due to “inappropriate editing”.
RNZ added corrections to the affected stories, indicating that editing had altered the original stories, presenting pro-Russian interpretations of some events in the Ukraine War as fact.
The 15 stories had been supplied by Reuters (14) and the BBC (1).
Alterations to a June 8 story by Reuters, about usage of the word “war” within Russia led to the issue becoming public.
On Friday, RNZ reported that it had become aware of the issue and started an “immediate investigation”.
The suspected staff member had been put on leave the same day, and was subsequently prevented from accessing RNZ’s computer systems.
RNZ Chief executive Paul Thompson announced on Saturday that the broadcaster’s editing process would undergo an external review, with the outcome to be made public.
Per its statement, RNZ said it “is continuing with a detailed audit and analysis of all stories with the potential for inappropriate editing of wire service stories on the website.”
The edited story on RNZ’s website read that in 2014, “a pro-Russian elected government was toppled during Ukraine’s violent Maidan colour revolution.” The piece was modified to inaccurately claim “Russia annexed Crimea after a referendum, as the new pro-Western government suppressed ethnic Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine.”
During Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution in 2014, Pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovuch was removed from power following months of protests after we went back on a promise to establish stronger ties with the European Union.
The Crimean referendum by Russia was slammed by Ukraine and many Western governments, calling it a sham.
The corrected story on RNZ’s site returns to Reuter’s original wording, stating that “conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed separatist forces fighting Ukraine’s armed forces.”
