Police Commisioner Richard Chambers said the publication of police audio from the Waikato incident might have broken the law. Photo / Mike Scott
Aerial shots of the scene of the shooting.
“We have gone to great lengths to provide as much information to the public and the media as we are able to at this point,” said Chambers, “given both those investigations and the sensitive privacy issues that are at stake.
“I ask that media give some consideration to the potential impact of their actions.”
Police had previously condemned the publication of the material and said it risked compromising active inquiries into the Waikato incident and had caused “significant distress” to the officers involved and their families.
Stuff digital editor-in-chief Keith Lynch said the news outlet “resolutely stand by this story and the handling of it by our most senior journalists and editors”.
“The death of Tom Phillips is not only of great public interest, but it is of public importance, particularly as speculation about exactly what happened that morning has been circulating on social media.
“Our journalists went to great lengths to ensure the veracity of the material we received, and and we treated the story with the utmost sensitivity, protecting the privacy of those involved and taking great care to ensure no one could be publicly identified while also avoiding any material which may be sensationalised.”