Ministry defends $200,000 funding for documentary about Fijian politician
The New Zealand government is facing scrutiny over $200,000 in funding for a documentary that features a Fijian politician ahead of an election. Officials and producers deny political interference, stating the film focuses on social media harm.
Why it matters
The case raises questions about the transparency of government-funded media and the potential for perceived political influence in foreign affairs.
* This story has been updated to include comments from the film's executive producer.
The government says it had no influence over $200,000 in funding for a documentary ahead of Fiji's election about a Fijian Cabinet Minister facing down a scandal.
The Ministry of Pacific Peoples funded the film Algorithm of Shame: In the Village, Everybody Knows was released in May, and tackles the impacts of social media in closely connected communities.
Marketing describes it as a "powerful Pacific-led documentary set in Fiji that exposes the devastating impact of online shaming in the age of social media, where algorithms reward outrage, humiliation, and exposure without care or accountability".
The film focuses on two people: trans woman Rhonda who lost her friend to online abuse, and Fijian politician Lynda Tabuya.
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