Here’s the thing, Radio NZ

Delivered at high volume on the terrace of Radio House Sept 19 2025, regarding the director of the Holocaust Centre’s co-hosting of The Panel. Image from Peace Action Wellington

Radio New Zealand, our public broadcaster, gives airtime each month to a genocide denier. Her professional title carries the moral authority of the Holocaust. And what does she do with it? On the 711th day of someone else’s Holocaust, this guest rattled off the list of things that she expects Palestinians to give up before she would talk about granting them their right to a state.

RNZ responded to complaints by saying that this person expressed her opinions and the show was balanced. D’ya think?

Dear RNZ, the International Court of Justice has affirmed that Palestinians have a right to self-determination in their state. Israel’s occupation is illegal in its entirety and again in its actions. Israel is grossly violating Palestinians’ inalienable rights. In fact and in law, Palestinians don’t need to satisfy your guest because she does not bestow their rights. No one made these factual corrections on air. RNZ did not have – again – even one Palestinian voice to assert the rights that the courts keep affirming.

Why is any person who denies the humanity and the fact of Palestinian rights a legitimate commentator on RNZ – in the very week that the UN Human Rights Commission confirmed all the other findings of genocide?

Balance, says RNZ, is found in a diversity of opinions – but human rights are not an opinion. Genocide is not an opinion. It is a fact, living, ongoing nightmare and a crime against humanity. 86% of the world’s genocide scholars recognise genocide in Gaza. Somehow, RNZ hasn’t heard about it.

If the RNZ editor-in-chief came across a lynching, would he broadcast the pros and cons in a balanced way? Would he give a torturer, a murderer the microphone to read out their manifesto? I’m sure that he would reply to me, it would be morally reprehensible and harmful. Those are crimes.

Well, here are the names of 65,000 murdered. Here are the graves of 20,000 children. Here lie 400 human beings, murdered by starvation. And here is the international warrant to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu for these crimes against humanity.

RNZ, why would you broadcast a defense of it? There are not two sides to genocide. You are betraying your mandate to bring us unbiased journalism. Unbiased journalism pursues truth, and truth does not lie at the midpoint between genocidaire and the survivor of genocide. Principled journalistic reporting on genocide takes place within the frameworks of human rights, civilian protections, and the International Court’s findings of law and justice.

RNZ, if your head of news doesn’t get that, then why is he your head of news?

I hear your audience is declining. A consultant has told you that I’m your demographic. So allow me to offer a little guidance. I want to hear from Palestinians and the Tangata Whenua who recognise and stand beside them. I want to hear their ground truth. I want them to tell us the meaning of this genocide that our government is failing to stop. I’ll be tuning in wherever I can hear them.

Friends, how do we change this? It’s not mysterious. When my book came out and RNZ cancelled its coverage, my OIA required them to disclose their reason. A producer had written to the presenter, saying ‘given the number of formal complaints’ they get from Zionists, the presenter was not allowed to do a Gaza story without promoting something – anything – about Israel. Given the number of formal complaints they anticipate, they preventatively deny Palestinians and Palestine stories access to our airwaves. They make policy by volume.

We don’t complain because we tend to have given up on such spineless media – but that leaves the airwaves to Israel’s advocates. To change this, we need to engage. Your complaint won’t change it but our thousand complaints will. Change is cumulative, so let’s accumulate some. Start writing it down.

Finally, to the journalists inside this building: the time for your silence is long past. You know that Israel has killed hundreds of your Palestinian fellow journalists. You see; you’re news junkies and you are letting yourselves be held back from covering the news. If you keep your head down now, you’ll be hanging your head forever. Speak up inside this building. Do the job that I’m sure you want to do.

With thanks to Rick Sahar for remembering to be angry enough to act.

Marilyn Garson, September 19 2025