The Law Commission has published its report on its review of regulatory gaps and the new media. The review was prompted by concern about the gaps and disparities in the legal and ethical standards and accountabilities that apply to news and current affairs as a result of the emergence of new web-based publishers and the convergence of mainstream print and broadcast media online.
The Commission is recommending a single new body be set up to provide New Zealanders with a consistent set of news media standards and a one-stop-shop for adjudicating complaints across all news producers.
The new body, provisionally called the News Media Standards Authority, would be independent of Government and would not be established by legislation.
The recommendation is contained in the Law Commission’s latest report, The News Media Meets the 'New Media': Rights, Responsibilities and Regulation in the Digital Age (R128, 2013), which was tabled in Parliament on 26 March 2013.
The Government will now consider the recommendations in the Law Commission’s Report and will respond to them in due course.