Cory Matthew against the New Zealand Herald
Case Number: 3769
Council Meeting: 21 July 2025
Decision: No Grounds to Proceed
Publication: New Zealand Herald
Principle:
Accuracy, Fairness and Balance
Comment and Fact
Discrimination and Diversity
Photographs and Graphics
Ruling Categories:
This complaint refers to two New Zealand Herald articles published on April 19, 2025 and May 3, 2025, titled Church, sect or cult: Ex-members of Two by Twos expose secrets amid abuse investigations and Two by Twos: Ex-church members break lifetime of silence over sex-abuse claims. The complainant believed the articles breached Media Council Principles (1) Accuracy, Fairness and Balance, (4) Comment and Fact, (7) Discrimination and Diversity, and (11) Photographs and Graphics.
The first story was a lengthy and detailed description of the Two by Twos, which it said was a fundamentalist Christian sect which is under FBI and NZ Police investigation for allegations of sexual abuse. It detailed the history and practices of the group which believes it is the only true path to heaven.
The second article was based on interviews with former members of the sect, some of whom disclosed historic sexual abuse. Those interviewed shared serious concerns about the safety of those they left behind – allegations ranging from a culture of silence over child sexual abuse to the presence of a convicted sex offender at church meetings.
It also included comment from a church leader who said that any time the church was made aware of any child abuse, it would immediately contact police and Oranga Tamariki. It also took steps to mitigate any immediate risk to children and encouraged and supported victims of historical abuse to report to the police themselves.
Corey Matthew complained the picture painted by the articles was far different from his own experience attending church meetings and interacting with members.
“I feel a member of the public reading these articles could only form a very negative opinion about this group and anyone who belongs to it. This could easily lead to ostracism in the workplace and school playgrounds and in other social contacts. This is because the articles (i) heavily feature the incidence of sexual abuse within the group; (ii) heavily feature the rigid and unusual meeting structure, leadership hierarchy and behaviour expectations placed on group members; (iii) make some statements about what the church believes that do not match what I personally heard from members in meetings and at a convention and (iv) make prominent use of photographs, a number of which while superficially factual seem deliberately chosen to reinforce negative reader perceptions.”
He said there was no attempt to explore if any of the estimated 2,000 Two by Two members in NZ are currently having a positive faith experience.
“I do consider the almost total emphasis in your articles on negative experiences (especially sexual abuse, given its prevalence across society) gratuitous, and ask you to consider the impact of this negative reporting on both the self-esteem of members who may be happy in this church, and the reactions they will likely now be experiencing from those they interact with in their daily lives.”
Mr Matthew also complained the articles contained “three photographs of workers/members in meetings or arriving at a meeting that appear to have been taken covertly and appear designed to reinforce negative perceptions in readers and two of young people in emotional distress which are file photos, again designed to reinforce negative perceptions (and sell newspapers).”
In response the NZ Herald said it strongly disagreed that its stories breached any Media Council principles.
The stories featured interviews with former and current members of the church about their experiences, the church’s structure, and information provided by authorities that include complaints of historic sexual abuse. It said the stories were important and in the public interest.
The sexual abuse allegations are central to its coverage. The FBI launched an international investigation and publicly called for people to contact them. They then shared information/allegations reported to them with the New Zealand Police who are also investigating.
Since the reporting began, more complainants had come forward to speak to the authorities. There is a high level of public interest in reporting this information.
“The focus of the articles has been allegations of sexual abuse, of which more than 20 are currently being investigated by the New Zealand police. At every turn, we have sought comment from the church and where it has been provided, we quoted it in full.”
The exploration of the church’s structure was relevant because former members argued that it put some members at risk. In the view of one former member the structure was dangerous.
“He told us the church was made up of the congregation, known as friends; elders who host meetings or “house church” in their homes, pairs of “workers” who move from house to house effectively living for free off members, and the overseer. He and others believe the movement of the workers between homes enables abusers to have access to children.
The NZ Herald added it published a wide range of photographs in its coverage – some were stock images that were apt given the allegations of sexual abuse, while others were generic photos of the Bible or religious iconography or photographs of church meetings taken from a public place.
The Media Council notes the NZ Herald has made a substantive defence of its coverage. This was an important and serious story. Nationally and internationally there has been concern for the safety of children in this cloistered congregation. A greater part of the story describes the church and its practices in a fair manner. The criticisms and concerns of some former members were quoted, and the church was given the opportunity to contribute to the article.
Mr Matthew made the point that many members of the church may be having a “positive faith experience” and suggests they should have been asked to comment. However, he also acknowledged many ex-members who spoke to NZ Herald reporters had traumatic emotional experiences within the church.
The Media Council did not agree that the NZ Herald should have sought out church members who were satisfied with their experience in the church. Abuse was a key subject of the reporting and there would be little point in seeking out people who were unsuspecting.
As seen with other religious and secular institutions, where there have been allegations of abuse, the abusers hide their activities and when complaints are made leaders frequently cover up to protect the reputation and good standing of their organisations. The important point with these stories is that the NZ Herald sought comment from the organisation’s leader and his response was reported.
The Media Council considered the reporting to be a matter of significant public interest. The complainant has not provided evidence to show it was inaccurate. Nor was it demonstrably unfair or unbalanced as the church had the opportunity to comment.
The Council also did not believe a case was made to show how Principles (4) and (7) were breached or that the selection and use of photographs was inappropriate or a breach of Principle (11).
Decision: No grounds to proceed.