The New Zealand Media Council has ruled against the Cambridge News after receiving complaints about two stories. Good Local Media is obliged to publish the council’s findings released this week.
NZ Media Council Upholds Complaint Over Headline Referencing Mayoral Candidate’s Ethnicity
The NZ Media Council has upheld a complaint against the Cambridge News over a headline that placed undue emphasis on a mayoral candidate’s ethnicity, ruling it breached journalistic standards on discrimination and diversity.
The article, published on 12 June 2025 and headlined “A Zulu for mayor?”, profiled 19-year-old Fabio Rodrigues, a candidate for the Waikato mayoralty and Tuakau-Pōkeno ward councillor. Rodrigues, originally from Durban, South Africa, was adopted by a family in South Africa and moved to New Zealand as a child. The article outlined his personal journey and political motivations, including concerns about council spending and infrastructure.
Complainant Carmen Kay argued that the headline was inappropriate and unprofessional, reducing Mr Rodrigues to his ethnicity and implying that his Zulu heritage was a reason to question his suitability for office. She said the framing of the question perpetuated harmful stereotypes and failed to highlight his qualifications or policy positions.
In response, the editor of the Cambridge News defended the headline, arguing that ethnicity is often referenced in the Media and that Mr Rodrigues’ heritage was central to the story. He rejected claims of stereotyping and said the headline was not intended to be discriminatory.
While the Media Council found the article itself to be fair and accurate, it ruled that the headline breached Principle (7) of its code, which prohibits gratuitous emphasis on race. The Council said the question mark in the headline “A Zulu for mayor?” invited readers to doubt Mr Rodrigues’ candidacy based solely on his ethnicity. It concluded that this framing was discriminatory and gave undue prominence to his race in a negative context.
The Council acknowledged that Mr Rodrigues’ background was newsworthy and that he had openly discussed his heritage. However, it said the headline’s phrasing implied that being Zulu was a reason to question his fitness for leadership, which amounted to a breach of ethical standards.
The Council did not uphold the complaint under Principle (1) Accuracy, Fairness and Balance or Principle (6) Headlines and Captions, stating that the article itself was accurate and the headline reflected the subject matter. However, it ruled that the headline’s tone and framing breached Principle (7).
The full Media Council ruling can be found Media Council – Carmen Kay against the Cambridge News
Media Council Upholds Complaint Over Greyhound Racing Coverage
The NZ Media Council has upheld a complaint against the Cambridge News over its article titled “The killing of an industry”, published on 29 May 2025, finding it breached journalistic standards of balance.
The article focused on greyhound trainer Corey Steele’s involvement in the sport, his views of the industry and his reaction to the Government banning it – including his claims about a lack of contact from Racing Minister Winston Peters. It also detailed how greyhound racing was part of his life and had been in his family for several generations.
Kelly Bold, representing the Greyhound Protection League of New Zealand, lodged the complaint, arguing the article failed to include opposing perspectives from animal welfare organisations, veterinarians, or critics of the industry. She said the article gave disproportionate space to pro-industry voices and failed to mention the Government’s stated reasons for the ban, including high injury rates and poor welfare outcomes.
The Cambridge News, in response, said it was a community newspaper that reported on issues that impacted its community and lobby groups were within their rights to encourage the media to write stories that suit their agenda. That ban was well publicised at the time.
The Media Council agreed with the complainant, ruling that the article breached Principle (1) Accuracy, Fairness and Balance. It found that while the article was factually accurate, it lacked balance and failed to offer a right of reply to the Minister, despite direct criticism. The Council noted that the greyhound racing ban is a contentious issue, and coverage must reflect a range of views, especially when new claims are made.
The termination of greyhound racing was a long-running issue and so there was an element of balance over time, but in this article new matters of fact were put forward, and opposing comment should have been sought.
The Council did not uphold the complaint under Principle (4) Comment and Fact, stating that while some statements were presented as unattributed fact, they were clearly comments and did not meet the threshold for a breach.
The Media Council also upheld a second article Ms Bold complained about, published in the Waikato Business News (owned by the same company as the Cambridge News) on June 4 and headlined, “The cost of canning greyhound racing” published on June 4.
The rulings emphasise the importance of balanced reporting on controversial topics and said the article should have included voices from outside the industry to provide a fuller picture.
The Media Council concluded that the lack of balance in both articles amounted to a failure of editorial responsibility.
The full Media Council ruling can be found Media Council – Kelly Bold against the Cambridge News and Waikato Business News
