- Lean
- Least Biased (MBFC)
- Reliability
- High factual reporting (MBFC)
- Founded
- 1995
- Headquarters
- Wellington
- Owner
- Radio New Zealand, a Crown entity
- Funding
- RNZ is a New Zealand Crown entity funded by the government.
On this page
Is RNZ Left or Right?
Media Bias/Fact Check rates RNZ Least Biased (-0.8), well inside its center range. AllSides and Ad Fontes Media have not rated it, so its position on our chart rests on that single rater.
RNZ's most serious recent lapse came in June 2023, when it found that a staff member had edited international wire stories about the war in Ukraine to add pro-Kremlin framing. RNZ corrected the stories, apologized publicly and its board ordered an independent review of its editorial processes.
See where RNZ sits next to other outlets on our media bias chart.
How Reliable Is RNZ?
Media Bias/Fact Check rates RNZ's factual reporting High. Its handling of the 2023 Ukraine edits, which it found, corrected and made public itself, is the kind of correction practice our criteria look for.
RNZ Bias: What the Ratings Show
Media Bias/Fact Check rates it Least Biased with High factual reporting.
Compare RNZ with every other outlet on the media bias chart.
RNZ Bias Rating From Independent Raters
All bars use one shared scale: the shaded band is each rater's own center zone, lined up. How we combine the raters. Not every rater has rated RNZ.
| Rater | Bias rating | Factual / reliability |
|---|---|---|
| AllSides | Not rated (lean only) | |
| Ad Fontes Media | ||
| Media Bias/Fact Check | Least Biased (-0.8) | High, High Credibility |
Who Funds RNZ?
RNZ is a New Zealand Crown entity funded by the government. Its charter requires editorial independence, and it carries no commercial advertising.
Why RNZ Is in Aplomb
RNZ is New Zealand's national public newsroom, covering the country and the Pacific. New Zealand has no country tab in the app, so its videos can appear in Today when they cover one of the day's main stories. It meets all six of our source criteria. What to watch for: Media Bias/Fact Check is so far the only rater to score it.
Looking for other apps that take bias seriously? See our comparison of the best unbiased news apps.
Watch RNZ next to Reuters, BBC and AP, one swipe at a time.
Latest RNZ Videos
Compare RNZ With Similar Sources
RNZ FAQ
Is RNZ biased?
Media Bias/Fact Check rates it Least Biased with High factual reporting. AllSides and Ad Fontes Media have not rated it.
Who funds RNZ?
The New Zealand government. RNZ is a Crown entity with no commercial advertising, and its charter requires editorial independence.
What happened with RNZ's Ukraine stories?
In 2023, RNZ found that a staff member had added pro-Kremlin framing to wire stories about the war in Ukraine. It corrected them, apologized and ordered an independent review.
Is RNZ reliable?
Yes. Media Bias/Fact Check rates its factual reporting High.
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