3 July 2002
“At a meeting at Greenwood Park Retirement Village last Monday National’s Tony Ryall accused a senior Radio New Zealand
journalist of a serious breach of journalistic ethics,” New Zealand First deputy leader Peter Brown said.
“The allegations outlined by Mr. Ryall relate to advice allegedly given by the journalist to a union meeting and aimed
at ensuring the re-election of Labour. This evident partiality is a serious matter and I made some enquiries to clarify
the situation. Mr. Ryall’s claims were absolutely refuted.
“Such are the implications for our democracy that I call on Mr. Ryall to provide proof of his accusations or make a
public apology – the reputation of a senior journalist, the neutrality of a major media outlet, and our democratic
processes have all been sullied. Where lies the truth, Mr. Ryall?” asked Mr. Brown.
ENDS