Mediawatch’s weekly catch-up with Karyn Hay on Nights. This week Hayden Donnell talked to Karyn about the media blame game as the country moves away from elimination - and an explosive live on-air allegation from Winston Peters.

This week's call that Auckland must linger longer in Level 3 - but with picnics and double bubbles - upset those who wanted more freedom, those who saw it as waving the white flag and those demanding a roadmap out of lockdowns. Then rule-breakers putting Northland into Level 3 gave the media more anger to channel - and rumours to report.

Many songwriters turn inward for inspiration. Anthonie Tonnon turns to the newspapers, writing about toxic waste in the Mataura Paper Mill, the housing crisis, the decline of regional rail and even an ancient Australian air crash. He was shortlisted for a Silver Scroll for a song about irrigation on the Canterbury Plains. Can current affairs be done in song?

Five years ago, hundreds of reporters turned The Panama Papers into stories spotlighted the corruption and tax-dodging of some rich and powerful people all over the world. It eventually led to changes to the rules for offshore trusts held here in New Zealand. But publication of the The Pandora Papers this week proved the mega-rich and corrupt are still concealing their cash around the world wherever they can.

Anger management, rumours and roadmaps to nowhere; Pandora Papers highlight deals done in darkness; Anthonie Tonnon: singing the news.

In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about an incisive question at the daily 1pm press briefing, a backlash against NZME's premium product; Hilary Barry's sweet treat for vaccinating viewers - and an ex-employee turning on Facebook as an outage for the platform sparks joy for its critics.

Opposition parties’ plans for lockdown-free Covid management and re-opening our borders made headlines this week - kicked off former PM John Key last weekend. All of them dangled the prospect of free travel by Christmas and an end to ‘MIQ misery’ - but the devil was in the details which were missing.

110 new journalism jobs have been bankrolled by the Public Interest Journalism Fund - the biggest investment yet from this recent government initiative. News media companies welcomed this big boost but critics claim giving the fund $55m of public money undermines editorial and financial independence. What will we get from the new roles paid for by the public purse?

Political Covid plans overpromise: huge journalist jobs boost from public purse; moving on from fast-food frenzy

History repeated recently when our media joined the fast food frenzy when Auckland switched to Level 3 recently. But some in the media are getting sick of it and others say the real story should be the return to work  - and those who never stopped working.