Fairfax Re-Examines Work of Sacked Journalist

26th October 06

Fairfax New Zealand is inquiring into the reliability of newspaper articles written by a journalist dismissed from the Herald on Sunday, which said he faked a news story.

John Manukia, an Auckland-based reporter with the APN-owned Herald on Sunday, was accused by his editor of fabricating an interview with former Auckland police senior sergeant Anthony Solomona. The paper reported on Sunday it had sacked Manukia.

During a 14 year career as a staff and freelance journalist, Manukia worked for a range of media organisations including the Herald on Sunday, Pacific Islands’ radio station Radio 531, the New Zealand Herald, the Sunday News and NZ Truth. The Sunday News and NZ Truth are published by Fairfax New Zealand.

Fairfax New Zealand chief operating officer and editor-in-chief Peter O’Hara said: “As a responsible media organisation we owe it to our readers to ensure that everything we publish is of the highest standard.

“We accept that some mistakes can and will be made by all print and broadcast organisations from time-to-time and we will correct, retract and apologise when this happens. But the deliberate faking of an interview – if that is, indeed, what has happened at the Herald on Sunday – raises concerns of a different dimension for everyone in the wider media community.

“When we became aware of the Herald on Sunday’s claim that Manukia had fabricated the Solomona story we decided we needed to re-examine the output of this journalist during his time with us. We are re-examining work previously published.

’’This does not presume that other articles have been fabricated. We want to make every endeavour to establish the facts.’’

Fairfax is endeavouring to speak with Manukia and its inquiries are ongoing.

Manukia worked for the Sunday News in 2002-2003 and for NZ Truth in 2001.

ENDS

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