Commerce Commission censorship threatens press freedom

According to the Press Freedom Index, New Zealand has less restrictions on its media than the US, the UK and even Australia. It is ranked equal 19th alongside Denmark, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Yet you wouldn’t think so today if you wanted to know what was going on with the new cellular phone operator 2degrees. My erstwhile esteemed colleague Chris Keall has been following the company closely for The National Business Review. On Wednesday Keall posted Revealed: Vodafone’s secret deal with 2degrees, which exposed the pricing deal between the two companies. Following an order from the Commerce Commission, the NBR gutted the story leaving just a stub.

It turns out the Commerce Commission has the power to do this under the terms of the Commerce Act. And that’s what makes a mockery of press freedom. If the secret information was, say, a matter of state security, or perhaps had the power to ruin the lives of innocent people the ruling may have made sense. But it’s neither of those things. It’s simply that 2degrees would rather not let anyone know the price it pays Vodafone. So much for transparency and the open society.

And to add insult to injury, publishing banned information is a criminal offence in New Zealand.

Anyway, it appears the top secret information has been published online internationally. That’ll put the cat among the pigeons.