Radio New Zealand's Mediawatch programme explores the media handling of the killing of an Indo-Fijian nurse whose burning body was left lying on a rural road near Huntly in the Waikato on January 20.
Ranjeeta Sharma, 28, was on the staff of Middlemore Hospital. Her husband, Diwesh Sharma, and their four-year-old son left for Fiji after her death
Sharma is now in New Zealand police custody and being questioned.
Some news media were quick to speculate about an "honour killing" even though such a ritual killing is extremely rare in Fiji and virtually unknown in New Zealand in spite of police insisting they were investigating a homicide case.
Some Indo-Fijian and Indian ethnic media condemned the speculation as "premature" and that reporte were stereotyping an entire community.
Listen to the December 30 Mediawatch programme
Dev Nadkarni on cultural arrogance in New Zealand
Thakur Ranjit Singh on media 'stereotyping' in New Zealand
Canadian journalist Ashish Seth on 'honour killing' in Canada
Pacific Media Centre
