WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s major media outlets vowed Wednesday to prevent the man charged with the Christchurch mosque shooting from using his trial as a platform for extremist propaganda.
Australian Brenton Tarrant is accused of shooting dead 50 people and injuring another 39 in March 15 attacks on two mosques where worshippers were gathered for Friday prayers.
The self-avowed white supremacist targeted Muslims and posted a rambling “manifesto” online before the attack detailing his extremist beliefs.
The New Zealand Media Freedom Committee, which represents the country’s five largest news outlets, said the accused “may attempt to use the trial as a platform to amplify white supremacist and/or terrorist ideology.”
It said editors had agreed to a set of guidelines to prevent this happening at the trial, the date of which is yet to be set.
Among the measures, they pledged to “limit any coverage of statements that actively champion white supremacist or terrorist ideology, including the alleged gunman’s manifesto.”
They will also avoid reporting on or broadcasting “any message, imagery, symbols or signals” by the accused or his associates that promote extremism.
Tarrant, 28, is currently being held in a maximum security prison in Auckland and undergoing psychiatric tests to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial.
His next scheduled court appearance is on June 14.
The New Zealand government has barred downloads of Tarrant’s manifesto and the livestream footage he posted of the attacks, although local media voluntarily avoided them before the ban anyway.
However, despite their best intentions not to spread extremist content, some New Zealand media outlets have been criticized over some Christchurch-related stories.
A provocative tweet from British right-winger Katie Hopkins about Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern received extensive coverage last week, prompting national broadcaster RNZ to comment: “Don’t feed the troll.”
New Zealand media set rules for mosque shooting trial
New Zealand media set rules for mosque shooting trial
- Tarrant, 28, is currently being held in a maximum security prison in Auckland and undergoing psychiatric tests to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial
Paris exhibition marks 200 years of Le Figaro and the enduring power of the press
- The exhibition celebrated the bicentennial of Le Figaro, offering visitors a rare opportunity to step inside the newspaper’s vast historical archive
PARIS: One of France’s most influential newspapers marked a major milestone this month with a landmark exhibition beneath the soaring glass nave of the Grand Palais, tracing two centuries of journalism, literature and political debate.
Titled 1826–2026: 200 years of freedom, the exhibition celebrated the bicentennial of Le Figaro, offering visitors a rare opportunity to step inside the newspaper’s vast historical archive. Held over three days in mid-January, the free exhibition drew large crowds eager to explore how the title has both chronicled and shaped modern French history.
More than 300 original items were displayed, including historic front pages, photographs, illustrations and handwritten manuscripts. Together, they charted Le Figaro’s evolution from a 19th-century satirical publication into a leading national daily, reflecting eras of revolution, war, cultural change and technological disruption.
The exhibition unfolded across a series of thematic spaces, guiding visitors through defining moments in the paper’s past — from its literary golden age to its role in political debate and its transition into the digital era. Particular attention was paid to the newspaper’s long association with prominent writers and intellectuals, underscoring the close relationship between journalism and cultural life in France.
Beyond the displays, the program extended into live journalism. Public editorial meetings, panel discussions and film screenings invited audiences to engage directly with editors, writers and media figures, turning the exhibition into a forum for debate about the future of the press and freedom of expression.
Hosted at the Grand Palais, the setting itself reinforced the exhibition’s ambition: to place journalism firmly within the country’s cultural heritage. While the exhibition has now concluded, the bicentennial celebrations continue through special publications and broadcasts, reaffirming Le Figaro’s place in France’s public life — and the enduring relevance of a free and questioning press in an age of rapid change.
