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Different ‘breeds’ of dog started emerging more than 10,000 years ago

Source: Radio New Zealand

Dogs — in their many shapes and sizes — are considered one of the most diverse species of animals on the planet.

Most of these breeds are thought to have emerged during the 19th-century Victorian era.

But a new paper, published this week in the journal Science, suggests that about half of the vast diversity in dogs we see today was evident by the middle of the Stone Age.

A young woman hugs a brown dog with its tongue out.

Dog breeding by humans has created one of the most diverse species of animal on the planet. (

Wade Austin Ellis

Your dog can read your mind – sort of

A team of researchers across Europe analysed hundreds of dog and wolf skulls spanning the past 50,000 years to track how the animals first emerged.

This evolution might be tied to the animal’s domestication, says Carly Ameen, the study’s co-lead researcher and a bioarchaeologist at the University of Exeter.

“We found that dogs were already remarkably diverse in their skull shapes and sizes more than 11,000 years ago,” Dr Ameen said.

“This means much of the physical diversity we associate with modern breeds actually has very deep roots, emerging soon after domestication.”

Evolving from wolves to dogs

While dogs have been human companions for thousands of years, untangling exactly when our furry friends went from wolves to domestic animals is difficult to do.

Timelines using different scientific techniques to determine when this evolutionary transition occurred don’t match up.

Genetic evidence shows dogs diverged from wolves about 11,000 years ago, but much older fossils suggest the first dogs roamed around as early as 35,000 years ago.

A computer drawing of four skulls.

Modern dogs (pink) and modern wolves (green), have subtle changes in their morphology.

C Brassard / VetAgro Sup / Mecadev

To examine their evolution in a different way, the researchers took 643 skulls of ancient wolves and dogs, and made 3D scans of them to analyse how their shapes changed over time and place.

These subtle shape changes provide clearer evidence of when wolves became dogs, but also of how dogs diversified into the modern era, the researchers said.

Using these 3D models, they found a distinctive dog-like skull shape emerged around 11,000 years ago, which lines up with genetic evidence.

But the models also showed a surprising amount of diversity among ancient dogs across Europe.

“While we don’t see some of the most extreme forms of skull shape that we see today — like pugs or bull terriers — the variation we see by the [middle of the Stone Age] is already half the total amount of variation we see in modern breeds,” Dr Ameen said.

“But for those features to develop, domestication must have started much earlier.”

While the research suggests a large amount of diversity existed as early as the Stone Age, many of the dogs we keep as pets today emerged during the 19th century, when intensive breeding produced speciality animals for fights and shows.

Early humans moved with dogs

Melanie Fillios, an anthropological archaeologist at the University of New England, said the study’s findings — including that almost half the variation in dogs occurred long before the Victorian era — suggested humans weren’t the sole cause of breed diversity.

“There’s all this variability 11,000 years ago, but we’re not sure why,” Professor Fillios, who was not involved in the paper, said.

“Humans have had a hand in it … but there’s also part of the story that may not have been humans.”

A long pale skull sits on a round surface.

A modern dog skull used in a study to track changes in early dogs.

C Ameen / University of Exeter

According to Dr Ameen, the environment may also have shaped the earliest varieties of dogs.

“Some [dogs] lived with mobile hunter-gatherers in cold northern environments, others with groups in temperate forests or early farming communities,” she said.

“Each context brought different demands — for hunting, guarding, or companionship — and that variation likely shaped dogs’ morphology and evolution from the very beginning.”

A brown skull with yellow teeth sits on a round surface.

An archaeological canid skull used in a study to track changes in early dogs.

C Ameen / University of Exeter

A second study, also published today in Science, pushes this idea further, suggesting that dogs likely moved with humans as they began migrating around the globe about 11,000 years ago after the last glacial period ended.

The study’s authors noted that dogs were occasionally traded among populations, which might mean they were important for culture and potentially even trading between groups.

“There’s all of these factors coming together around this time period… You’re getting this giant melting pot,” Professor Fillios said.

Dingoes don’t fit the mould

While Professor Fillios said the study brought together “a lot of information for the first time”, it left plenty of questions still unanswered.

“It’s another piece of the puzzle… but it doesn’t solve the question of dog domestication or human intervention in that process.”

She also noted that studies like this struggled to explain the emergence of species such as dingoes, which occur on an evolutionary “side branch”.

A young dingo looks at the camera.

Dingos have been in Australia for an estimated 3,500 to 8,000 years.

Alex Gisby

It’s unknown how long dingoes have been in Australia, but estimates suggest somewhere between 3,500 and 8,000 years ago.

“It would be a really nice story if all this [dog] diversity … corresponds with genetic evidence, and people moving around the world,” she said.

But when it comes to dingoes, this timeline didn’t work, she said.

“There is no relationship between dingoes and these other branches that came to be the domestic village dogs and Asian and European dogs that we see today.”

For both Dr Ameen and Professor Fillios, more research is needed to understand how dogs first became our companions.

“Dogs were the first species we ever domesticated, and they’ve been evolving with us ever since,” Dr Ameen said.

“While dogs are among the most studied domestic species… a lot remains to be discovered.”

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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British pub quiz that spurred the ‘crime of the century’

Source: Radio New Zealand

A British pub in Greater Manchester has become the scene of what the landlord jokingly called “the crime of the century” — a whodunnit involving pints, songs, and a sneaky group.

The Barking Dog pub transforms into a trivia battleground every week, regularly drawing 70 to 80 people to claim the coveted prize — a £30 (NZ$70) bar tab.

Everything ran as usual until a new team showed up about a year and a half ago — a group of middle-aged women who seemed, at first, simply brilliant, says quiz master Bobby Bruen.

Five of the best classic Kiwi pubs

Food

They answered obscure questions, nailed every round, and became unbeatable to the point it drove others away, he says.

“We started getting a bit fishy because we had complaints about them cheating, but we never saw anything,” Bruen told RNZ’s Morning Report.

The doubts grew during the music round, where contestants have to identify 10 song titles and artists, based on the intros, and find the secret connection between them — maybe all songs that hit number two on the UK charts, or tracks that share a producer.

Bruen came up with a tactic to throw curveball questions that no one would get, “especially not a team like that”.

“From ’80s hip hop to ’50s rock to 2010s pop music, they’d get everything … even with the producer’s titles which aren’t even mentioned on Spotify – I didn’t have no clue of the connection – that’s when I thought ‘right, you really are cheating now’.”

To level the playing field, the pub banned phones about six weeks ago, which mellowed suspicions. Yet somehow, the same team kept winning. So the staff decided to investigate.

One staff member began peering over their shoulders, sure they were cheating, but couldn’t figure out how. Another slipped outside to spy through the window — and caught the team whispering into their smartwatches and using an app to guess the songs, he says.

“They just stayed silent, they didn’t even deny it. They just sat in silence and turned away.”

The team has been banned from the quiz but remain anonymous, “for our sake and their sake”, he says.

But news of the scandal spread fast after the pub’s landlord, Mark Rackham, shared the story on Facebook.

He told the BBC the anonymity sparked a “massive whodunnit”.

“Everyone’s desperate to know who’s done it. I was at a council meeting the next day and people were coming over and asking me about the quiz,” he said, labelling it as “the crime of the century”.

Despite the drama, Bruen says there’s no need to change the rules.

“Because of how much media frenzy that this story has got that no one would dare to cheat in this pub again, because you’ll end up in the news in New Zealand.”

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Die My Love: The film Jennifer Lawrence and Martin Scorsese had to get made

Source: Radio New Zealand

Some films seem to will themselves into existence.

After reading a translated copy of Argentinian author Ariana Harwicz’s novel Matate, Amor (Die My Love) for his book club, Martin Scorsese was flabbergasted by its forthright depiction of a strong-willed woman on the edge.

He passed Harwicz’s book to Jennifer Lawrence’s production company, Excellent Cadaver. Equally enthralled, Lawrence sent it to You Were Never Really Here filmmaker Lynne Ramsay, asking her to adapt it.

Video poster frame

This video is hosted on Youtube.

Ramsay wasn’t automatically convinced, she reveals, speaking hoarsely from the London Film Festival through a cold.

“I didn’t get back to Jennifer right away because I had to see how I could find my way into the book,” Ramsay says. “It’s quite a challenging piece.”

Ramsay relocated the action to a sweltering hot summer in the middle-of-nowhere Montana, with Harwicz’s blessing.

“I was really moved by meeting Ariana,” she says. “It’s a bit of a different animal, but the spirit of the book is still there, and she saw that.”

A young couple, with the woman holding a baby, sit on the front deck of a house.

Filmmaker Lynne Ramsay shows the shades of grey surrounding postpartum depression and the way couples navigate a new baby.

Supplied / Kimberley French

Lawrence plays Grace, an aspiring writer hoping to pen the next Great American Novel, convinced to move from New York City by her partner, Jackson (Robert Pattinson), who has inherited a rundown house from his uncle.

Careening around that crumbling edifice in the heated throes of passion, Grace falls pregnant. After the birth, Jackson is frequently absent.

Ramsay has felt frustrated by reductive reviews pinning her increasingly extreme behaviour purely on postpartum depression.

“I want people to go into this film with no expectations because it’s not black and white,” she says.

Shades of grey

There’s a sense that Grace always felt throttled by the world and its suffocating views on a woman’s place. Ramsay’s films Morvern Callar and We Need to Talk About Kevin both painted incredibly complex portraits of women in shades of grey.

“Kevin is worried about the relationship between the mother and child, whereas Die My Love is more about the relationship between Jackson and Grace,” Ramsay says.

Lynne Ramsay in a grey hat and with headphones around her neck holds a pen and looks downward.

Lynne Ramsay wanted to capture the broad spectrum of womanhood in Die My Love.

Supplied / Kimberley French

Lawrence was willing to go anywhere with Ramsay.

“It’s a love story with madness involved that’s also about someone being isolated and their marriage starting to disintegrate,” Ramsay says.

“But mainly it’s about this completely unapologetic character that felt quite bold, very feral, very animalistic.

“You love her or hate her, but you know she’s got some kind of honesty.”

Set fire to the rain

Lawrence’s performance is astonishingly raw.

“Jennifer trusted me a lot because we did some pretty wild stuff,” Ramsay says.

“She was pregnant while we were shooting it, which made it so much more powerful, and she embraced it in a way that could have been terrifying for some people.”

Jennifer Lawrence, wearing a white nightgown, dances with Nick Nolte in a shady forest.

Ramsay said Lawrence, pictured here with Nick Nolte, put a lot of trust in her to film while pregnant.

Supplied / Kimberley French

Lawrence also shares remarkable moments with Carrie star Sissy Spacek, as her stepmother, Pam, and tender ones with Nick Nolte as Jackson’s ailing dad, Harry.

Working with them was a dream come true for Ramsay.

“Sissy’s an idol of mine, one of cinema’s greats,” Ramsay says.

“So is Nick Nolte, who has one of those faces. [Cinematographer] Seamus McGarvey and I were like, ‘Oh my God, this guy is mesmeric.'”

For Ramsay, Pam is the glue that holds the film together.

“Pam sees Grace a bit more clearly than everyone else,” Ramsay notes. “Grace is a punk rocker. She’s setting the world on fire.”

Knives Out star LaKeith Stanfield also plays a small but fascinating role as biker jacket-wearing Karl. Erotically charged sequences in which he circles Grace under an eerily blue moon feel dream-like.

“He’s part fantasy for her, even though he’s a real guy, and that was in the novel,” Ramsay says.

“She’s got these sexual desires that aren’t being fulfilled.”

No love lost

A discombobulating shift from reality to dreamscapes is also a feature of one of Ramsay’s favourite filmmakers, Ingmar Bergman.

“I’ve always been so fascinated by characters and getting into their psyche,” she says.

“Bergman is really close to his characters.”

Sissy Spacek, wearing a yellow shirt, looks across the room with concern.

Lynne Ramsay says Sissy Spacek, who also starred in the 1970s horror film Carrie, is an idol of hers.

Supplied / Kimberley French

Ramsay’s mum, who died recently, raised her on the likes of Mildred Pierce, Imitation of Life and All About Eve. The latter’s dark humour is present in Die My Love.

“Right from the beginning, through any discussions on the script [with co-writers Enda Walsh and Alice Birch], it had to have this absurdity,” Ramsay says.

“A kind of gallows humour that Glaswegians tend to have, and Jennifer Lawrence has great comic timing.”

From the screenplay, sound and cinematography to working with costume designer Catherine George and production designer Tim Grimes, Ramsay was across every inch.

“We were looking at colour palettes for different moods,” she says. “I picked out the powder-blue dress Grace wears to her wedding, with its slightly 50s feel. At the beginning, she’s bright and hopeful, then she starts dressing like everyone else.”

But you won’t forget her.

Die My Love‘s closing credits are accompanied by a Joy Division cover sung by Ramsay herself.

She also worked closely on the score composed by Raife Burchell and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds guitarist, George Vjestica.

“It summed up the movie, but it was never my intention that it was going to be in the film,” Ramsay reveals.

“It was just a temp track we did for Cannes because we didn’t have anything else. I love writing songs and jamming, but I don’t want to sing.”

International distributors insisted it stay in.

“I guess it works,” she says.

Die My Love hits New Zealand cinemas on 27 November.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Titanic passenger’s pocket watch expected to fetch $2.3m at auction

Source: Radio New Zealand

An "iconic" pocket watch recovered from the body of a first class passenger who died during the Titanic's sinking is estimated to grab up to $2.3 million at auction.

The pocket watch is estimated to sell for between £800,000 – £1 million (NZD$2.3m). Photo: Henry Aldridge & Son

An “iconic” pocket watch recovered from the body of a first class passenger who died during the Titanic’s sinking is estimated to grab up to $2.3 million at auction.

According to UK auction house Henry Aldridge & Son, the watch is “quite simply one of the most important and iconic Titanic items ever to be offered for sale”.

It is estimated to sell for between £800,000 – £1 million (NZD$2.3m).

The 18 carat Jules Jurgensen pocket watch belonged to Isidor Straus and is listed as part of his belongings in the official body recovery list.

According to Discover Titanic, Isidor and his wife Ida were one of few first class couples who died in the sinking.

Isidor was offered a seat on a lifeboard due to his age but refused, saying he would not go before other men. Ida refused to leave her husband, saying “I will not be separated from my husband; as we have lived, so will we die together”.

An "iconic" pocket watch recovered from the body of a first class passenger who died during the Titanic's sinking is estimated to grab up to $2.3 million at auction.

The watch is engraved with the initials of IS and the date of 6 February 1888. Photo: Henry Aldridge & Son

Discover Titanic said the couple were last seen sitting on deck chairs next to each other before the ship went down.

According to the description of the watch on the auction house’s website, the watch is engraved with the initials of IS and the date of 6 February 1888.

“This date marked his 43rd birthday. 1888 was also an important year in his life as in 1888, he and his brother Nathan became full partners of the iconic Macy’s Department store in New York.”

The auction house said the watch “quite simply represents one of the finest and rarest objects from the Titanic story in existence”.

“A piece which was a treasured personal possession from one of the most respected and high profile men from the Titanic story.

“At the turn of the 20th century, a pocket watch was one of the closest things to the heart of a gentleman of the era, and this watch embodies this as a gift from one half of the most famous couple on the Titanic to the other.”

The auction takes place on 22 November.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Actor’s skincare brand for kids labelled ‘dystopian’ and ‘tone deaf’

Source: Radio New Zealand

When Shay Mitchell’s daughter said she wanted to do “what mummy does”, it sparked the idea behind Rini — a Korean-inspired skincare line for young children.

Co-founded by Mitchell, a well-known Canadian actor, and fellow entrepreneur Esther Song, the brand was announced on Instagram last week to Mitchell’s 35 million followers.

“This has been three years in the making, inspired by my girls, their curiosity, and all the little moments that made me realise how early it starts,” Mitchell wrote.

Rini founders Esther Song and Shay Mitchell with their kids.

Rini founders Esther Song and Shay Mitchell with their kids.

Rini

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Trump v BBC: Trust is the real casualty in the latest edit scandal

Source: Radio New Zealand

Members of the media work in the rain outside the entrance to the BBC in London on November 10, 2025. The outgoing CEO of BBC News said on November 10, 2025 that the broadcaster was "not institutionally biased", after she resigned over accusations that it had misleadingly edited a speech by Donald Trump. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

A leaked memo has led to resignations at the top levels of the BBC, and shaken confidence in media. Photo: Henry Nicholls/ AFP Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS

From editing error to boardroom exit, how the BBC’s reputation took a blow and what this means for global journalism

Since its inception, the BBC has stood as one of the world’s most trusted news institutions, standing for journalistic integrity, accuracy, and balance.

But this week, that trust has taken a severe blow after a damaging editing scandal, involving President Donald Trump, which has ignited a firestorm of outrage, accusations of political bias, and an existential crisis for the public broadcaster.

The BBC’s top leader and head of its news division have both now resigned, the BBC has issued a rare public apology, and Trump himself threatened a US$1 billion (NZ$1.7 billion) lawsuit, accusing the organisation of defamation.

The controversy centres on a Panorama documentary in which a crucial section of Trump’s speech was misleadingly edited, altering its tone and meaning.

“When media organisations breach the trust they have with their audience, they are in big trouble,” long-time journalism educator Jim Tully tells The Detail.

“It’s crucial our readers, listeners, viewers trust us, and anything we do to undermine that trust is potentially quite harmful to the reputation of the organisation.”

He says the BBC “sees itself as the bastion of impartial and accurate reporting, they have staked their reputation on that since the 1930s. Most people would see the BBC as a trustworthy media organisation”.

But he believes the editing scandal, which follows a string of other controversies, will make it hard for the broadcaster to rebuild and regain public trust.

“I think the resignations of people at that level should send a message to the public that they take matters seriously, and people have obviously fallen on the sword because of the significant damage that is emerging.

“[But] I think it will be much more of a challenge [to rebuild] this time. And it’s going to have a potentially significant effect on the extent to which people think ‘oh yeah, it’s from the BBC, therefore it’s correct and I can rely on it and I can believe in it’.

“Once that goes, it’s very difficult to reclaim.”

For many, the story cuts deeper than just one mistake. It feeds into a growing trust unease about whether any media organisation remains truly impartial in an age of polarisation, algorithms, and instant outrage.

“There are always surveys, annually coming out, in which we don’t figure much ahead of used car salesmen and the like,” Tully says. “It’s become fashionable to clobber the media.”

He says the ethical guidelines for journalists are “pretty clear and widely accepted”.

“You may edit in a way for clarity and conciseness because journalists are not required to report everything that somebody says, otherwise, we would be merely stenographers.

“So, we exercise judgement as to what is interesting and relevant, and that is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

“The issue arises, of course, when in making those edits, you create a situation where the intended message of the interviewee has been disrupted, and you have misrepresented through selected editing what they were saying.”

The BBC has promised a full internal review, tighter editorial checks, and renewed transparency.

Freelance UK correspondent Sean Hogan is in London and tells The Detail that since the scandal emerged, more than 500 complaints have been sent to the broadcaster about the programme.

“I think the general public sentiment is an increased level of scepticism,” he says.

“People are calling it a storm, a crisis, a disaster. It’s quite extraordinary…. some are saying it’s the biggest scandal the BBC has faced in decades.

“Public trust has been continuously eroded, and they’ve got to change the narrative somehow.”

He says the scandal is front page lead news and is showing no signs of going away.

“UK media love to hold a microscope very closely to the BBC. It’s never far from the headlines, so it wasn’t a surprise to see this story splashed all over our screens and front pages, since it broke, and it really hasn’t relented.

“I’ll give you a few of the headlines there’s ‘BBC meltdown’, ‘BBC humiliation’, and ‘The BBC in crisis’. And that’s just a few of them.

“Now, to be fair to the BBC, their own website and channel haven’t shied away from the story and have covered the story extensively.”

The scandal is becoming more than a BBC story.

Jim Tully says there are lessons the entire industry – that in an era where truth is fragile and trust is currency, even the most respected newsrooms are one mistake away from crisis.

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Blake Lively’s lawsuit merely about reputation, should be thrown out, Justin Baldoni says

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Jonathan Stempel

Justin Baldoni attends the "It Ends With Us" New York Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on 6 August, 2024 in New York City.

Justin Baldoni has asked a US judge to dismiss a lawsuit against him. Photo: Cindy Ord / Getty Images / AFP

Justin Baldoni asked a US judge to dismiss Blake Lively’s lawsuit accusing the actor of sexually harassing and waging a smear campaign against her in connection with their 2024 movie It Ends With Us.

In a Thursday (local time) court filing, lawyers for Baldoni said he resolved Lively’s concerns about sporadic misunderstandings and “awkward comments” on the set of the film, including over her physical appearance, as soon as she raised them.

They also said Baldoni had a right to hire a crisis management firm to defend his reputation after Lively began disparaging him publicly.

“This is a dispute about Hollywood reputations, not genuine legal wrongs,” the lawyers for Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios said in the Manhattan federal court filing.

“No reasonable juror could find that the handful of comments and miscommunications Lively has mustered amounts to sexual harassment,” they added. “That Lively’s reputation may have suffered is a result of her own ill-advised public statements and actions.”

Lawyers for Lively did not immediately respond to requests for comment. She and Baldoni co-starred in It Ends With Us, which Baldoni also directed. Despite mixed reviews it grossed more than $351 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo.

Judge warned parties to tone it down

The acrimonious dispute burst into public view last December when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, followed by her lawsuit.

It has at times transfixed Hollywood and even involved superstar singer Taylor Swift, a friend of Lively’s who Baldoni wanted to question under oath.

The acrimony also annoyed US District Judge Lewis Liman, who in August threatened all parties in the case with contempt unless the “intemperate language and personal attacks” stopped. Rhetoric has since been toned down.

In her complaint, Lively accused Baldoni and Wayfarer of pursuing a “carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme to silence her, and others, from speaking out about the hostile environment” they created.

She is seeking unspecified damages for alleged harassment, invasion of privacy and violations of federal and state civil rights laws. A trial is scheduled for March 2026.

In June, Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, saying Baldoni didn’t show that Lively made defamatory statements outside her California complaint, which was protected by privilege.

The judge also dismissed a claim that Lively, with help from her husband Ryan Reynolds, extorted Baldoni by refusing to promote the film unless she got more creative control.

Baldoni decided in October not to refile. Liman also dismissed Baldoni’s $250 million defamation case against the New York Times, which wrote about the dispute.

– Reuters

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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The BBC edit heard around the world

Source: Radio New Zealand

Members of the media work in the rain outside the entrance to the BBC in London on November 10, 2025. The outgoing CEO of BBC News said on November 10, 2025 that the broadcaster was "not institutionally biased", after she resigned over accusations that it had misleadingly edited a speech by Donald Trump. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

A leaked memo has led to resignations at the top levels of the BBC, and shaken confidence in media. Photo: Henry Nicholls/ AFP Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS

From editing error to boardroom exit, how the BBC’s reputation took a blow and what this means for global journalism

Since its inception, the BBC has stood as one of the world’s most trusted news institutions, standing for journalistic integrity, accuracy, and balance.

But this week, that trust has taken a severe blow after a damaging editing scandal, involving President Donald Trump, which has ignited a firestorm of outrage, accusations of political bias, and an existential crisis for the public broadcaster.

The BBC’s top leader and head of its news division have both now resigned, the BBC has issued a rare public apology, and Trump himself threatened a US$1 billion (NZ$1.7 billion) lawsuit, accusing the organisation of defamation.

The controversy centres on a Panorama documentary in which a crucial section of Trump’s speech was misleadingly edited, altering its tone and meaning.

“When media organisations breach the trust they have with their audience, they are in big trouble,” long-time journalism educator Jim Tully tells The Detail.

“It’s crucial our readers, listeners, viewers trust us, and anything we do to undermine that trust is potentially quite harmful to the reputation of the organisation.”

He says the BBC “sees itself as the bastion of impartial and accurate reporting, they have staked their reputation on that since the 1930s. Most people would see the BBC as a trustworthy media organisation”.

But he believes the editing scandal, which follows a string of other controversies, will make it hard for the broadcaster to rebuild and regain public trust.

“I think the resignations of people at that level should send a message to the public that they take matters seriously, and people have obviously fallen on the sword because of the significant damage that is emerging.

“[But] I think it will be much more of a challenge [to rebuild] this time. And it’s going to have a potentially significant effect on the extent to which people think ‘oh yeah, it’s from the BBC, therefore it’s correct and I can rely on it and I can believe in it’.

“Once that goes, it’s very difficult to reclaim.”

For many, the story cuts deeper than just one mistake. It feeds into a growing trust unease about whether any media organisation remains truly impartial in an age of polarisation, algorithms, and instant outrage.

“There are always surveys, annually coming out, in which we don’t figure much ahead of used car salesmen and the like,” Tully says. “It’s become fashionable to clobber the media.”

He says the ethical guidelines for journalists are “pretty clear and widely accepted”.

“You may edit in a way for clarity and conciseness because journalists are not required to report everything that somebody says, otherwise, we would be merely stenographers.

“So, we exercise judgement as to what is interesting and relevant, and that is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

“The issue arises, of course, when in making those edits, you create a situation where the intended message of the interviewee has been disrupted, and you have misrepresented through selected editing what they were saying.”

The BBC has promised a full internal review, tighter editorial checks, and renewed transparency.

Freelance UK correspondent Sean Hogan is in London and tells The Detail that since the scandal emerged, more than 500 complaints have been sent to the broadcaster about the programme.

“I think the general public sentiment is an increased level of scepticism,” he says.

“People are calling it a storm, a crisis, a disaster. It’s quite extraordinary…. some are saying it’s the biggest scandal the BBC has faced in decades.

“Public trust has been continuously eroded, and they’ve got to change the narrative somehow.”

He says the scandal is front page lead news and is showing no signs of going away.

“UK media love to hold a microscope very closely to the BBC. It’s never far from the headlines, so it wasn’t a surprise to see this story splashed all over our screens and front pages, since it broke, and it really hasn’t relented.

“I’ll give you a few of the headlines there’s ‘BBC meltdown’, ‘BBC humiliation’, and ‘The BBC in crisis’. And that’s just a few of them.

“Now, to be fair to the BBC, their own website and channel haven’t shied away from the story and have covered the story extensively.”

The scandal is becoming more than a BBC story.

Jim Tully says there are lessons the entire industry – that in an era where truth is fragile and trust is currency, even the most respected newsrooms are one mistake away from crisis.

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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How we move, gesture and use facial expressions could be as unique as a fingerprint

Source: Radio New Zealand

The way someone walks, talks, smiles, or gestures gives a clue to who they are. Whether through the flick of an eyebrow, the rhythm of our walk, or the tilt of a head, movement speaks volumes.

And my recent paper shows that people may have their own movement fingerprint. This is a style of movement that is characteristic of a person’s identity. So, someone who uses expressive facial gestures might also speak with animated hand movements or walk with a lively gait. These consistencies could form a motion fingerprint that is unique to the individual.

First, let’s explore how faces move and why this matters.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Report shines light on Southeast Asia views of New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Petronas Twin Towers are seen at night in Kuala Lumpur November 20, 2015. The Malaysian city hosts the 27th Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit

Photo: AFP

Southeast Asia experts in international affairs see broad alignment with New Zealand on economic and security priorities in a survey released Thursday on their perception of the South Pacific nation’s foreign policies.

However, the 200 experts from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines included in the survey also highlighted key differences in political and governance ideals.

The Southeast Asian Perceptions of New Zealand report is the first of its kind to be produced by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

It complements the organisation’s annual Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples survey, which provides insights for researchers, government officials and the public on how New Zealand views Asia and its people.

The latest findings show that New Zealand generally enjoys an excellent reputation and is seen as principled, trustworthy and genuinely independent in its approach to international affairs.

Asia New Zealand Foundation chief executive Suzannah Jessep said the new research helped New Zealand see itself through the eyes of its closest Southeast Asian neighbours.

Jessep said the research provided valuable insights at a time when New Zealanders felt increasingly connected to Southeast Asia and its engagement with the region was deepening.

“New Zealanders increasingly view Southeast Asia as a close and trusted part of our region – and it’s equally important that we understand how our neighbours perceive us,” Jessep said.

“That understanding helps us strengthen relationships, tailor engagement and have a more informed public conversation about Asia.”

Respondents in the survey described New Zealand as a friend or close friend to their countries, and as a like-minded partner in several key areas, particularly on security and economic matters.

While perceptions were generally positive, respondents expressed a desire for New Zealand to take a stronger and more visible stance on global issues such as trade, climate change and maritime security.

Respondents also indicated a strong appetite for deeper cooperation between Southeast Asia and New Zealand in areas such as education, reflecting the sense that New Zealand’s efforts in the region are valued and make a tangible impact.

“New Zealand is seen as investing wisely in the region and the appetite for partnership is there – particularly on shared global challenges, where New Zealand’s credibility and capability are recognised,” said Julia Macdonald, the foundation’s director of research and engagement.

As New Zealand’s relationships across Southeast Asia continued to strengthen, the findings helped to reinforce the country’s reputation in the region was positive and valuable but, at the same time, expectations were rising as regional challenges evolved.

“Our Southeast Asian partners value what New Zealand brings,” Jessep said.

“They see us as a constructive, values-driven country whose voice is worth listening to, which is an encouraging message as we continue to grow our engagement with the region.”

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand