The Herald's new streaming news show, RNZ National listeners tuning out, David Seymour's political past under the spotlight.

On Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Emile Donovan Nights this week on RNZ National - the Herald's new streaming news show, RNZ National listeners tuning out, and David Seymour's political past under the spotlight.

This Midweek Mediawatch also discusses developments in the bid to reshape the board of NZME, whose shareholders vote on that on June 3.

One of those nominated for a proposed editorial board at NZME, lawyer Philip Crump, sparked debate among journalists recently with 'Six Challenges Undermining Media Trust' on Substack.

That sparked a critical LinkedIn response from NBR journalist Tim Hunter, in which he highlighted Crump’s claim that descriptive words used by journalists can be “cheap shots.”

“Often these labels are abused and reveal the biases of the journalist deploying them rather than enlightening the reader. Over time, these cheap shots can erode the value of the masthead," Crump wrote on Substack.

He cited the example of “embattled” to describe a politician, but in this Midweek Mediawatch that was misinterpreted.

To correct the record, Philip Crump did not suggest that using the word "embattled" could erode trust or indicate bias on the part of a journalist. He said it could legitimately add colour and provide meaningful context.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details