Newsroom (website)

Newsroom

Logo
Type of site	News website
Available in	English
Owner	Newsroom NZ Ltd[1]
Editor	Mark Jennings Tim Murphy
URL	www.newsroom.co.nz
Commercial	Yes
Launched	14 March 2017; 7 years ago (2017-03-14)

Newsroom is a New Zealand online news publication that was founded by Tim Murphy and Mark Jennings in 2017 and is co-edited by them.^[1] It focuses on New Zealand politics, current affairs and social issues.

History

Original NewsRoom

The original website at newsroom.co.nz was launched by Peter Fowler on 21 November 1996 and was called NewsRoom.^[2] It aggregated breaking news and press releases.^[3] Fowler sold it to NZX in 2007, and they sold it to Craig Pellett's company Sublime (now called Streamline)^[2] in 2014.^[4] Pellett's company sold it to Newsroom NZ Ltd in 2017.^[1][2]

Current Newsroom

The current website launched on 13 March 2017, with a promise to cover "the things that matter" and the hope of being a "New Zealand version of The Guardian".^[5] Its initial funding came from four "foundation sponsors", including the University of Auckland and Victoria University of Wellington. The site launched with a group of 16 writers. The site was founded by Tim Murphy, the former editor in chief of the New Zealand Herald, and Mark Jennings, former head of news and current affairs at Newshub. Its first scoop accused an egg supplier of passing off caged eggs as free-range.^[6]

Newsroom broke two significant stories that influenced the 2017 New Zealand general election. On June 20, 2017, the site revealed the clandestine recording of a staff member working for the MP Todd Barclay, in an article titled "Politicians, police, and the payout".^[7] The article explored the extent of the police investigation and the involvement of then Prime Minister Bill English. Newsroom described the staff member involved as having been paid "hush money" from the Prime Minister's budget. Several days later, Barclay announced that he would not stand for re-election.

In collaboration with the Financial Times, Newsroom raised an issue with the background of Chinese National Party MP Jian Yang.^[8] The site reported that the Security Intelligence Service had scrutinized Yang and that in an interview with the Financial Times in 2011, Yang had confirmed that he attended two military institutions that Newsroom described as "elite Chinese spy schools". The Financial Times says one of the schools is part of China's military intelligence apparatus, training linguists to intercept foreign communications. Yang was a lecturer at the Foreign Language Institute and his immigration file shows he taught the English language and American studies. Yang claimed he taught his students to simply monitor communications, rather than carry out "the physical act of spying".^[9] He conceded he could be seen as having taught spies.^[10] The New Zealand Herald later reported that Yang did not disclose his links to the schools in his citizenship applications.^[11]

Newsroom partnered with the international survey firm SSI to conduct its first election poll.^[12]

Newsroom was jointly awarded the 'Website Of The Year' award along with Stuff at the 2018 Voyager Media Awards.^[13]

Newsroom Pro

Newsroom Pro is an online subscription news service based in Wellington. It reports on parliament and the Beehive. Its editor is Jonathan Milne.

Legal action

In September 2017, Sir Ray Avery brought claims against Newsroom under the Harmful Digital Communications Act regarding a series of articles that alleged Avery had tried to suppress clinical studies regarding his Acuset IV flow controller. Netsafe chose not to pursue the complaint after Newsroom refused to redact the articles.^[14]

In 2017, Winston Peters served legal documents against co-editor Tim Murphy regarding the leaking of information regarding Peters' superannuation payments.^[15]

Criticism

In March 2022, Newsroom was criticised for its uncritical and sympathetic coverage of extremist and fringe organisations behind the 2022 Wellington protests.^[16][17]

See also

• Mass media in New Zealand

References

1. Murphy, Tim (30 November 2016). "'Well, that's one way to announce your arrival'". StopPress. SCG Media. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
2. Fowler, Peter (20 November 2021). "A Newsroom is born". Newsroom. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
3. "Welcome to Newsroom". Newsroom. Archived from the original on 15 April 1997.
4. "Sublime Group Ltd to acquire Newsroom from NZX" (Press release). Scoop. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
5. "New outlet's egg scoop raises big issues". RNZ. 13 March 2017.
6. Venuto, Damien (14 March 2017). "Newsroom not afraid to rattle the cage as full site launches". StopPress. SCG Media. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
7. "The politicians, the police, and the payout". Newsroom. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
8. "National MP trained by Chinese spies". Newsroom. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
9. "National MP Jian Yang taught English to Chinese spies but was not a spy himself". Stuff.co.nz. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017. I was a civilian officer, paid by the military but I had no rank. I was a lecturer.
10. Matt Nippert: Three unanswered questions about our spy-trainer MP
11. Nippert, Matt (12 October 2017). "Jian Yang didn't disclose Chinese intelligence connections in citizenship application". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
12. "Labour opens gap with women, young". Newsroom. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
13. "Newsroom judged Website of the Year". Newsroom. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
14. Gia Garrick (18 September 2019). "Netsafe won't pursue Sir Ray Avery's complaint over media website". RNZ.
15. Tommy Livingston (13 November 2017). "Winston Peters' lawyers aim sights at journalists involved in leak". Stuff.
16. Hayden Donnell (6 March 2022). "Newsroom accused of publicising anti-vax PR pitch". Radio New Zealand.
17. "Giving a voice to Voices for Freedom". The Spinoff. 2 March 2022.

External links

• Official website