The man responsible for shooting at the two mosques at Christchurch New Zealand is about to go on trial soon. Major media houses have vowed to keep propaganda out of their coverage. Media stated that they will prevent the man accused of the shootings to use coverage of the trial to promote white supremacist ideology and spread hateful messages.
Australian Brenton Tarrant is accused of shooting dead 50 people and injuring another 39 in March 15 attacks on two mosques where worshippers were gathered for Friday prayers.
Editors have agreed to a set of guidelines to prevent this happening at the trial, the date of which is yet to be set. The shooter is currently being held at a high security prison in Auckland. He is scheduled to make a court appearance next on June 14.
Among the measures, they pledged to “limit any coverage of statements that actively champion white supremacist or terrorist ideology, including the alleged gunman's manifesto”.
New Zealand government has also barred downloads of Tarrant's manifesto and the livestream footage he posted of the attacks. Local media had voluntarily avoided them anyway.
However, some New Zealand media outlets have been criticised over some Christchurch-related stories. Media houses are also refraining from using the name of the accused post a message by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. "He is a terrorist, he is a criminal, he is an extremist, but he will, when I speak, be nameless. And to others, I implore you: speak the names of those who were lost rather than the name of the man who took them," she said.
