New Zealand's media agree on code for Christchurch trial
New Zealand's major media outlets have agreed on a code of conduct for reporting ahead of the trial of the alleged Christchurch shooter. The broadcasters and newspapers published a statement of commitment on Wednesday.
Accordingly, they do not want to offer the 28-year-old Australian a platform for spreading racist and terrorist ideas.
50 people were killed in the attack on two mosques in New Zealand in mid-March. Australian Brenton Tarrant - a right-wing extremist and racist - is on remand in the country's only high-security prison in Auckland. He is charged with 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment. There is no date yet for the trial.
The declaration is supported by Radio New Zealand, various newspapers and the online portal Stuff, among others. It states that they want to "limit any coverage of statements that actively promote theories of white supremacy or terrorist theories". This also includes not distributing or broadcasting any images showing the defendant with racist gestures or symbols. (SDA)
