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Summarised by Centrist
Bob McCoskrie, of Family First NZ, argues that Television New Zealand selectively edited Donald Trump’s January 6 speech in multiple news reports over several years.
The edits create the impression Trump encouraged violence while leaving out the part where he told supporters to protest “peacefully and patriotically”.
McCoskrie compares Trump’s full remarks with BBC and TVNZ clips that splice together lines spoken almost an hour apart. Family First’s Bob McCoskrie says the edits strip out crucial context and were repeatedly paired with violent riot footage to reinforce a narrative of incitement.
The BBC recently admitted to similar misrepresentation in a separate programme. McCoskrie argues TVNZ did not broadcast that specific BBC documentary because it did not have to, claiming the state broadcaster has been producing its own selective edits since 2021.
Examples shown include seven separate TVNZ bulletins that removed Trump’s “peacefully and patriotically” line and replaced it with “fight like hell”, often positioned next to commentary about an attempted coup or white supremacists. One early TVNZ report did include the full quote, but it did not appear again in later coverage.
McCoskrie also criticises TVNZ for publishing a University of Melbourne journalism lecturer who framed the BBC scandal as pressure from conservative forces, not a failure of editorial standards.
McCoskrie argues this is part of a broader pattern of selective framing on issues including Gaza, transgender debates, and climate change. He suggests TVNZ should apologise to viewers and to Trump for repeatedly presenting edited clips that changed the meaning of his remarks.
Image: Christopher Elison
