DAVID FLETCHER AGAINST NEW ZEALAND HERALD

Overview

CASE NO: 3120

RULING BY THE NEW ZEALAND MEDIA COUNCIL ON THE COMPLAINT OF DAVID FLETCHER AGAINST NEW ZEALAND HERALD

FINDING: INSUFFICIENT GROUNDS TO PROCEED

DATE: OCTOBER 2021

This complaint related to a brief story published online by the New Zealand Herald on August 20, 2021 which reported nurses who lived with close contacts of Covid-19 cases were being called into work due to severe staff shortages.

David Fletcher posted on-line comment in which he criticised a political journalist and the headline which he believed was negative and “contradictory to the actual event.” He also complained that the public did not know whether political journalists belonged to, donated to or were financially subsidised by a political force or its agents.

This comment was taken down by the Herald shortly after it was posted The Herald later explained to Mr Fletcher that it reserved the right to turn off comments for legal and other reasons. It provided Mr Fletcher with the Community Rules for engaging on its Facebook account.

This complaint touches on numerous issues but does not focus on any particular principle and relate it correctly to any particular feature of the story.  It does not clearly present an arguable case that any Media Council principles were breached.

There were insufficient grounds to proceed.