A One News item reported on the continuing debate over who owns New Zealand water, as part of the wider discussion about the Government’s proposal to sell state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and contained the graphic of a sign: “For Sale, NZ SOEs”. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached the accuracy standard: the graphic was not a “material point of fact”, and given the extensive coverage of the Government’s proposed partial asset sales, viewers would not have been misled.
Not Upheld: Accuracy
An item on Nightline that followed up an earlier report on a “strip club turf war” in Wellington contained brief footage of a woman who was wearing a G-string dancing erotically on a pole. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached the good taste and decency standard: the footage was very brief and had some relevance to the subject matter, the programme was broadcast more than two hours after the Adults Only watershed, and the majority of viewers would not have been offended in this context.
Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Discrimination and Denigration, Repsonsible Programming
In a One News sports item reporting that Olympic medallist Nadzeya Ostapchuk had missed the deadline to appeal her positive drugs test so Valerie Adams would get her gold medal, the sports reporter joked to the other One News presenters, “If it hasn’t been melted down by a goldsmith in Minsk as we speak.” One of the presenters responded, “Yes, or reclaimed by that crazy president they’ve got”. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached standards relating to good taste and decency, law and order, controversial issues, accuracy, fairness, discrimination and denigration, and responsible programming: the sports reporter and presenter were engaging in light-hearted banter and their comments did not carry any malice or invective.
Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Law and Order, Controversial Issues, Accuracy, Fairness, Discrimination and Denigration, Responsible Programming
Two episodes of Piha Rescue, a reality TV series following the work of lifeguards at Piha Beach, showed rescues involving unidentified surf schools at Piha. In the second episode there was a confrontation between a surfing instructor, who had his face pixellated, and members of the Piha Surf Lifesaving Club when the lifeguards attempted to rescue students and the instructor resisted. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that the episodes breached the fairness and accuracy standards: no surf school was named in the 12 March episode and the narrator referred to surf schools in a general way only, and the Piha community and surf coaching industry are not “organisations” for the purposes of the fairness standard. The 19 March episode captured events as they played out and the footage was not unfairly edited – viewers were left to make up their own minds about the incident, the complainant was not identifiable and his perspective was clear from his comments in the item and from the narrator’s statement at the end of the segment, and the police presence was not emphasised. The statements subject to complaint amounted to the opinion and comment of the lifeguards and patrol captains on duty, as presented by the narrator, and were not statements of fact so were exempt from standards of accuracy.
Not Upheld: Accuracy, Fairness
During the Jay-Jay, Mike and Dom Show on The Edge, the hosts discussed charges being faced by radio broadcaster Iain Stables, following an altercation with his ex-girlfriend’s parents. They commented that he was guilty and discussed his bipolar condition. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached his privacy: Iain Stables was identifiable but the programme did not reveal any private facts about him because information about the charges he faced, his previous altercations, and the fact that he had bipolar disorder, was already in the public domain.
Not Upheld: Privacy
A One News item reported on a recent study by the University of Otago into the effects of 1080 poison on native robins. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached standards relating to controversial issues, accuracy, fairness and responsible programming. The use of 1080 as a method for pest control in New Zealand is a controversial issue of public importance which has been the subject of ongoing debate, and the item contributed a new development in the debate; viewers could reasonably be expected to be aware of arguments on both sides of the debate, and the programme presented significant viewpoints to an extent that was appropriate given the nature of the issue. The allegedly inaccurate statements were not material to the focus of the item and would not have materially altered viewers’ understanding of the broadcast, and the broadcaster made reasonable efforts to ensure that the item was accurate and did not mislead by interviewing the Professor who conducted the study.
Not Upheld: Controversial Issues, Accuracy, Fairness, Responsible Programming
Two items on Checkpoint, broadcast on Radio New Zealand National, discussed the results of a recent “clamp down” on drug-taking truck drivers in New Zealand and Australia. The items included interviews with the CEO of the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency and with a representative of First Union, the union for road transport workers. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that the items breached the controversial issues standard: consideration of whether drug-taking by truck drivers is a widespread problem in New Zealand, and the implications for road safety, did not amount to a discussion of a controversial issue of public importance – at this stage it is not an issue that has been widely discussed or debated publicly – but the broadcaster nevertheless provided some balance in the items.
Not Upheld: Controversial Issues
A One News item reporting on the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press referred to British Prime Minister David Cameron as “an old mate of John Key’s”. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached the accuracy and fairness standards: the reference to “old mate” in the introduction to the item was not a material point of fact and would not have misled viewers, and the brief comment did not implicate Mr Key in the manner alleged.
Not Upheld: Accuracy, Fairness
A One News item reported on the verdict of not guilty in the Ewen McDonald murder trial. At the end of the item the reporter commented, “You could well be thinking, if he’s not guilty, why hasn’t he walked out these doors behind me and spoken to media? The reason for that of course is that he’s admitted causing vandalism, graffiti and arson…” The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached the law and order, and fairness standards: the item was a legitimate news story with a high level of public interest, and as the accused in a high-profile murder case Mr McDonald could expect to be the subject of media scrutiny; and the reporter’s question did not encourage viewers to break the law or otherwise promote or condone criminal activity.
Not Upheld: Law and Order, Fairness
A Close Up item reported on the sentencing of a man convicted of shooting another man in a hunting accident. During a visual reconstruction of a hunting trip, a gun was shown pointing towards the camera; the image was brief and out-of-focus and was on screen for approximately two seconds. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached the law and order standard: footage of a gun pointed at the camera, while confronting, did not, when taken in context, encourage viewers to break the law or otherwise promote, condone or glamorise criminal activity.
Not Upheld: Law and Order