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# Has the Prime Minister Gone Too Far?
- URL: https://goodoil.news/has-the-prime-minister-gone-too-far/
- Published: 2020-05-12T05:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2020-05-12T20:53:01.000Z
- Author: General
- Tags: COVID-19, Featured, Free Speech, Media, NZ, NZ Politics, Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-17 03:24

**Dane Giraud**  
Spokesperson  
[Free Speech Coalition](https://www.freespeechcoalition.nz/?e=5b46f4103ef5714bcc7e9f15b68d7c42&utm%5Fsource=freespeech&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=200511%5Fpodcast%5Fmatt&n=5)

This week we have a new episode of the Free Speech Coalition podcast. **Patrick Corish** sat down with **Dr Steve Elers**, professor of communications at Massey University.

Dr Elers recently [published an article](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/121206976/prime-minister-needs-to-be-held-to-account-over-coronavirus-claims?ref=goodoil.news) criticising some of the claims made by **Jacinda Ardern** during her press conferences, but more significantly, criticising the journalists in the room for not doing their job and questioning these claims.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f4/31f4e20a-0315-499e-83ff-139e8eab53bf/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/unnamed-1-2.png)

The BFD

This article attracted the attention of the Office of the PM, which issued a correction to the article. **However, Dr Elers’ article had no factual errors.** The “correction” was simply to restate the PM’s position. While these corrections are issued regularly, it raised some eyebrows to see the PM’s Office “correcting” a factually accurate but critical article.

What makes this all the more concerning, is that it has taken place under the shadow of the $50 million proposed media bailout.

Dr Steve Elers is a professor of communications and media at Massey University, whose article criticising the Prime Minister attracted corrections from the PM’s office. Patrick Corish sat down with Dr Elers for this virtual episode of FSC Podcast, to discuss what this means for the media in the wake of the $50 million bailout package for news sites.

You can read the article in question [here](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/121206976/prime-minister-needs-to-be-held-to-account-over-coronavirus-claims?ref=goodoil.news), and find his column for Stuff [here.](https://www.steveelers.com/stuff-column.html?ref=goodoil.news)

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