Content and hosts
The Platform describes itself as an 'independent media site' giving listeners 'unbiased coverage commentary and opinion and the chance to have your say on the issues that affect you.' The station claims to be independent of government funding and political interference. The Platform promotes itself as an alternative to 'taxpayer-funded media' and so-called 'woke culture warriors' whom it accuses of seeking to 'stifle debate and suffocate democracy.' [10] It is listed on the New Zealand Companies Office's website as a recorded media and publishing company based in the Wellington suburb of Te Aro. [11] The station has been described as aimed to "agitated audience on topics they feel journalists have ignored, like Three Waters and co-governance", promoting the idea that mainstream media has been "poisoned" by the New Zealand Government's Public Interest Journalism Fund. [6]
The Platform's hosts have included founder and veteran broadcaster Sean Plunket, former Newstalk ZB sports broadcaster Martin Devlin, Leah Panapa and former National Party Member of Parliament (MP) and Otago Regional Council member Michael Laws. [5] As of May 2024, Plunket hosts the breakfast slot from 7am to 10am; Laws hosts the 10am to 1pm slot, Devlin hosts the 1pm to 4pm slot and Panapa hosts the afternoon slots from 4pm to 6pm. In addition, former National Party press secretary Ani O'Brien served as The Platform's digital engagement editor until a workplace dispute with Plunket. [12] [8] Its hosts have been described as "semi-cancelled" by Stuff. [6] In October 2024, Devlin departed from The Platform. [13]
Notable guests have included columnist Chris Trotter, blogger Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury, former National Party leader Don Brash, former Dominion Post editor Karl du Fresne, ACT Party leader David Seymour, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) and Prime Minister of New Zealand Chris Hipkins, former Labour MP Michael Bassett, Counterspin Media founder and right-wing activist Kelvyn Alp, Voices for Freedom spokesperson Alia Brand, anti-vaccine influencer Chantelle Baker, former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, and Team New Zealand sailor Grant Dalton. [5] [14]
According to Plunket, The Platform's content consisted of 12 hours of live talkback radio including Plunket's show Plunket Unchained, hourly news bulletins, regular headlines, and talkback calls. [7] Other content has included podcasts that were sourced internally and externally as well as op-ed columns. [16] In addition to its website, The Platform is available as a mobile app on both iOS and Android operating systems. [10] Since The Platform operates exclusively in the digital media sphere, the national broadcasting regulator Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has no jurisdiction over its activities.
History
Origins and launch
In September 2021, veteran broadcaster Sean Plunket announced that he would start his own online talkback radio station called The Platform, which he said would promote free speech, democracy and debate. [2] Plunket had previously served as a host on the talkback radio station Magic Talk until February 2021. In December 2020, the BSA had reprimanded and fined Magic Talk's parent company Media Works New Zealand the sum of NZ$3,000 for what it described as an "offensive and harmful interview" between Plunket and a Te Whānau ā Apanui spokesperson regarding roadblocks in the Northland Region during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. [18] [19]
In early February 2022, Plunket confirmed that former Newstalk ZB sports broadcaster Martin Devlin, former National Paty MP Michael Laws, and Leanne Malcolm would be joining The Platform as hosts. During an interview with The Spinoff managing editor Duncan Greive, Plunket said that The Platform would feature talkback, podcasts and opinion. While Plunket did not confirm a launch date for the media outlet, he stated that he would be "soft launching" the website and app between March and April 2022. [16] Plunket and his co-hosts were also joined by digital engagement editor Ani O'Brien, who had previously served as press secretary to former National Party leader Judith Collins. [16] [12]
Plunket initially published The Platform as a website carrying interviews and opinion pieces by staff writers and guests. By mid-May 2022, the station had established two studios in Wellington and Central Otago and was broadcasting online 11 hours daily. [7] By September 2022, majority shareholder Wayne Wright claimed that the radio station had attracted a million views a month across its various platforms. [5]
In November 2023, The Spinoff reported that The Platform founders Wayne Wright Jr and Sean Plunket had met with NZME CEO Michael Boggs in late October 2023 to discuss a possible relationship between the two media companies. According to Wright, the meeting focused on how the two companies could learn from each other rather than a potential acquisition by NZME. Wright also told The Platform that Plunket was wary of losing editorial independence through a possible merger. Wright stated that NZME was interested in The Platform's product development while The Platform was interested in learning about commercial development. [20]
Coverage of COVID-19 issues
In mid February 2022, The Platform published the results of David Farrar's Curia Market Research survey on the composition of protesters who took part in the 2022 Wellington protest which occupied the grounds of the New Zealand Parliament. This survey looked at the hometowns, gender, ethnicity, voting patterns, vaccination status, and motivations of the protesters. Farrar's survey found that 76.9% of protesters were unvaccinated; 4.8% had received one shot; 13.8% had received a double shot; and that 2.9% had been triple boosted. The survey also found that most protesters were motivated by opposition to vaccine mandates, freedom of choice, concerns about children being vaccinated, and the loss of jobs resulting from vaccine mandates. [21]
In response to the release of Stuff's Circuit documentary Fire and Fury which looked at the groups and figures who led the 2022 Wellington protest, The Platform hosted several of these figures and groups including Chantelle Baker, Kelvyn Alp and Voices for Freedom. Since the producers of Fire and Fury including Stuff journalist Paula Penfold had declined to interview these figures and groups to avoid "platforming" them and their views, The Platform hosted them in order to enable them to "give their side of the story" and respond to the documentary. These interviews were widely circulated on various social media platforms. In response, Penfold likened Platform founder Plunket to American right-wing broadcaster and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. She claimed that Plunket's decision to host these individuals and groups stripped The Platform of "journalist credibility" and alleged that he incited hatred against mainstream journalists. [22]
According to The Spinoff journalist Duncan Greive, The Platform had hosted several anti-COVID mandates and anti vaccine advocates including former ACT Party leader Rodney Hide, former TVNZ broadcaster Peter Williams, and Baker. In addition, former Radio New Zealand broadcaster Paul Brennan helped establish The Platform, using his knowledge of radio infrastructure. Though the radio station attracted massive online engagement for its clips interviewing Baker and Voices of Freedom, Plunket and co-founder Wayne Wright Junior decided to stop working with anti-vaccination advocates in late 2022 since Plunket regarded the anti-vaccination crowd as a "limited audience" that was "consumed with a single subject". Hide, Williams, Baker and Brennan subsequently joined Voices for Freedom's online radio station Reality Check Radio, which launched in March 2023. [23]
O'Brien employment dispute
In mid-February 2023, the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) heard an employment dispute between Plunket and former Platform digital engagement editor Ani O'Brien. She testified that Plunket had acted aggressively on three occasions between May and June 2022, causing her mental health to deteriorate. While Plunket denied that he had an aggressive demeanour at work, he acknowledged that he had acted "appallingly" in times of "high stress." He also admitted that he lacked experience in managing multiple staff but had since received business and management guidance from Wayne Wright. However, Plunket disputed O'Brien's claims that he had created an unsafe work environment and accused her of undermining his leadership. Both Plunket and O'Brien are expected to make submissions to ERA at a later date, with the Authority expected to make a determination after that. [12]
On 20 May 2024, O'Brien filed a second case against The Platform with ERA, seeking compensation for what she regarded as "unjustified dismissal" after claiming her former workplace was unsafe. O'Brien told the Authoritt that she had received a restructuring proposal from her former employers in May 2024, while awaiting the Authority's determination. O'Brien responded to the proposal and subsequently received a termination letter two days later. O'Brien claimed that The Platform had dismissed her due to her lengthy abaence from work and her ERA claim. In response, Platform director Wayne Wright contended that O'Brien's absence from work was a consequence of the restructuring and redundancy while Plunket denied the company had terminated her employment because of her legal proceedings against the company. During the hearing, O'Brien's lawyer Barbara Buckett argued that Plunket's workplace behavior contributed to O'Brien's decision to leave The Platform. The company's lawyer Michael O'Brien (no relation of O'Brien) told the Authority that O'Brien had failed to engage with her employers until her letter on 16 May 2024. O'Brien countered that she would have been willing to meet with her former employers under the "right circumstances" and said she had been communicating through her lawyer Buckett. Lawyers for The Platform and O'Brien have issued written submissions prior to the Authority's ruling. [24]
Coverage of transgender issues
The Platform covered the [pro-women's rights] activist [25] Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull's ("Posie Parker") Auckland speaking event on 25 March 2023, which was disrupted by violent protesters which resulted in a 70-year-old woman being violently assaulted. Host Plunket denounced the violence as "mob rule" and described the cancellation of Keen's tour as "a victory for cancel culture and bullies in the trans and gay communities." He also gave priority to female talkback callers alleging that they had not been protected during the protest. [26] [27]
In April 2023, Plunket attracted media attention after asking Prime Minister Chris Hipkins during a press conference to define a woman. This was part of a recent international trend of politicians including British Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon being asked in media interviews to define womanhood. [28] [29]
On 12 April 2023, Plunket claimed on The Platform that former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had been hiding her new speaking engagement from the public. After Ardern and The Spinoff confirmed the speaking engagement story was false, Plunket apologised and removed references to the fake Ardern ad from his and The Platform’s social media. He also encouraged his followers to delete any mentions of it as well. [30]
In September 2023, Plunket claimed on The Platform that there were rumors that the media company Stuff had received financial support from the Māori iwi (tribe) Ngāi Tahu, which he claimed contributed to Stuff's alleged embrace of wokeness and critical race theory. Plunket's claims were disputed by Stuff's owner Sinead Boucher, who stated that the company did not have a financial relationship with Ngāi Tahu and suggested that the rumors were motivated by misogyny. [31]
Radio Aotearoa partnership
On 14 August 2024, The Platform entered into a partnership with Radio Aotaeroa to broadcast on its weekday morning frequencies from 9 September 2024. Radio Aotearoa's owner George Ngatai confirmed that The Platform would retain editorial control over its content, including the popular Sean Plunket and Michael Laws shows. [9]
Radio New Zealand, commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster and Crown entity that was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news and current-affairs network, RNZ National, and a classical-music and jazz network, RNZ Concert, with full government funding from NZ On Air. Since 2014, the organisation's focus has been to transform RNZ from a radio broadcaster to a multimedia outlet, increasing its production of digital content in audio, video, and written forms.
Michael Laws is a New Zealand politician, broadcaster and writer. Laws was a Member of Parliament for six years, starting in 1990, initially for the National Party. In Parliament he voted against his party on multiple occasions and in 1996 defected to the newly founded New Zealand First party, but resigned from Parliament the same year following a scandal in which he selected a company part-owned by his wife for a government contract.
Radio Live was a nationwide Auckland-based New Zealand talkback, news and sport radio network owned and operated by MediaWorks New Zealand.
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Peter Allan Williams is a New Zealand broadcaster and sports journalist who worked for the national broadcaster TVNZ between 1979 and 2018. His roles with TVNZ included hosting the 1 News 6pm weekend bulletin and serving as the southern editor of TVNZ Sports in Wellington. Between 2019 and 2021, Williams also hosted the morning talkback programme on Magic Talk, a MediaWorks radio network.
Oliver Sean Plunket is a New Zealand broadcast journalist. Plunket has worked for several New Zealand broadcast media companies and stations including Radio Windy, Independent Radio News, Radio New Zealand, TV3, TVNZ, Newstalk ZB, and MagicTalk. Plunket also served as the communications director of The Opportunities Party during the 2017 New Zealand general election. In late 2021, Plunket founded an online radio station The Platform.
Trackside is a New Zealand horse racing and sports broadcast network, incorporating two free-to-air television channels. The TV channels are available on Sky as well as Freeview terrestrial and streaming services. The radio station broadcasts on 14 AM radio and 16 FM radio frequencies from Kaitaia to Invercargill were suspended on 12 April 2020.
Kelvyn Glen Alp is a New Zealand far-right politician and activist. During the 1990s, Alp established a paramilitary organisation called the New Zealand Armed Intervention Force. During the 2020s, Alp founded a far-right media platform called Counterspin Media, which played an active role in leading the 2022 Wellington protest.
The mass media in New Zealand include television stations, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and websites. Media conglomerates like NZME, Stuff, MediaWorks, Discovery and Sky dominate the media landscape. Most media organisations operate Auckland-based newsrooms with Parliamentary Press Gallery reporters and international media partners, but most broadcast programmes, music and syndicated columns are imported from the United States and United Kingdom.
Christopher John Hipkins is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as leader of the New Zealand Labour Party since January 2023 and leader of the Opposition since November 2023. He was the 41st prime minister of New Zealand from January to November 2023, previously serving as the minister for the public service and minister for education from 2017 to 2023, and the minister for health and the COVID-19 response from 2020 to 2022. He has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Remutaka since the 2008 general election.
Martin Devlin is a New Zealand radio and television broadcaster. In July 2012, The Radio Network announced that Devlin would take over the morning show for NZ's first private station, Radio Hauraki. Devlin later anchored a show on Newstalk ZB, until 2021. Devlin is currently host on The Platform.
Cameron Slater is a right-wing New Zealand-based blogger, best known for his role in Dirty Politics and publishing the Whale Oil Beef Hooked blog, which operated from 2005 until it closed in 2019. He edited the tabloid newspaper New Zealand Truth from November 2012 until it ceased publication in July 2013. Following the closure of WhaleOil in 2019, Slater launched a new political blog called the BFD, which was succeeded by The Good Oil in July 2024.
David Andrew Farrier is a New Zealand journalist and actor. He has worked in news and on documentaries, including features on New Zealand television and co-directing the internationally distributed documentary film Tickled (2016). He created the 2018 Netflix documentary series Dark Tourist, in which he visits popular dark tourism attractions. He has also appeared in the 2014 Rhys Darby mockumentary series Short Poppies.
The Spinoff is a New Zealand online magazine and news website that was founded in 2014. It is known for current affairs coverage, political and social analysis, and cultural commentary. It earns money through commercial sponsorship and subscriptions. The business is owned by its founder and former editor Duncan Grieve and his wife Nicola.
Counterspin Media is a far-right, anti-vaccine, and conspiracy theorist New Zealand online media platform that was founded in May 2021.
Today FM was a nationwide Auckland-based New Zealand talkback, news and sport radio network owned and operated by MediaWorks New Zealand. It was formed by the 2022 rebrand of Magic Talk and competed directly against NZME station Newstalk ZB. It was taken off air on 30 March 2023.
Mister Organ is a 2022 New Zealand documentary film by David Farrier, focusing on the life of Mister Organ, an enigmatic figure associated with an antiques store and car clamping business in Ponsonby, Auckland, and Farrier's attempts to learn more about his life.
Chantelle Baker is a New Zealand social media influencer and conservative activist who is the daughter of former New Conservative Party leader Leighton Baker. In 2022, she attracted domestic media attention for her involvement in the 2022 Wellington protest and for her promotion of anti-COVID vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Chloe Angela Carol Wright was a New Zealand businesswoman and philanthropist. Along with her husband Wayne, she co-founded BestStart in 1996, the largest early-childhood education franchise in New Zealand.
Reality Check Radio (RCR) is a New Zealand internet radio station owned by right wing activist group Voices for Freedom (VFF). Notable hosts have included former ACT Party leader Rodney Hide, former TVNZ broadcaster Peter Williams and anti-vaccine influencer Chantelle Baker. The station has promoted anti-woke, anti-transgender content, COVID-19 vaccine hesistancy, and climate change denial. In April 2024, the station went off air due to financial problems, leading to a fundraising campaign led by host Williams.
