New Zealand public radio apologizes for publishing ‘pro-Kremlin garbage’ after wire stories altered

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The head of New Zealand’s public radio station has apologized for publishing “pro-Kremlin garbage” on its website after more than a dozen wire stories on the Ukraine war were found to have been altered. Most of the stories, which date back more than a year, were written by the Reuters news agency and were changed at Radio New Zealand to include Russian propaganda. A digital journalist from RNZ has been placed on leave pending the result of an employment investigation. Paul Thompson, the chief executive of RNZ, said it had found issues in 16 stories and was republishing them on its website with corrections and editor’s notes.