Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
The New Zealand Media Council has upheld a complaint from the Brewers Association of New Zealand against Radio New Zealand (RNZ), citing a breach of Principle (1) Accuracy, Fairness and Balance in its reporting on alcohol consumption guidelines.
The complaint centred on two RNZ articles published in July 2025, which reported that Canada had officially lowered its recommended alcohol intake to two drinks per week. The articles, part of a broader series on alcohol harm, relied on documents obtained under the Official Information Act and included commentary from health experts and advocacy groups.
Dylan Firth, Executive Director of the Brewers Association, argued that RNZ inaccurately presented the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction's (CCSA) recommendations as official government policy. In reality, Health Canada had not adopted the CCSA's proposed limits, and the official guidelines remained unchanged. Despite being alerted to the error, RNZ initially amended the 14 July article only partially, leaving misleading information and graphics in place for two weeks.
RNZ rejected the assertion it had not responded to Mr Firth's complaint in a timely manner and his concerns that they did not seek industry comment on alcohol-related public policy. Where relevant, RNZ does seek comment to provide a balanced account, it says.
The Council acknowledged that the error was understandable, given similar reporting by international outlets and confusion within Canadian media. However, it found RNZ's response insufficient. While RNZ did add comment from the Brewers Association shortly after publication, it failed to fully correct the factual inaccuracy until July 28-two weeks after the initial complaint and following further public scrutiny.
Ultimately, the Council ruled that the delay in correcting a prominent and significant error breached journalistic standards. It upheld the complaint under Principle (1), stating that RNZ's actions fell short of its obligations to ensure accuracy in reporting.
The full Media Council ruling can be found here: Media Council - The Brewers Association against Radio New Zealand
