3 News. Item focused on a family’s disagreement over the costs of returning a dead woman’s body to her family in the Philippines, after the deaths of the woman and her husband in a car accident. The woman was described in the item as a "mail-order bride". Not upheld (discrimination and denigration).
You be the Judge. Broadcast revealed results of a paternity test. The child, who was 6 years old, was present in the studio when it was revealed that his mother’s former husband was his father. Upheld (good taste and decency, privacy, fairness). Orders (broadcast of summary of decision, $3,500 costs to Crown).
3 News. An item screened before 8.30pm reported on the decision of the Advertising Standards Complaints Board about language used in an advertisement for a light truck. Extracts from the advertisement, including the offending language, were included in the item. Not upheld (law and order).
3 News and Nightline. Item dealt with concern about repeat drink/driving offences and included footage of the police dealing with drivers who had been drinking, including a segment showing a woman struggling violently as she was put into a police car. Complaint that the item breached her privacy. Upheld (privacy). Orders ($250 costs to MM; $250 costs to Crown).
Nine to Noon: Kim Hill interview. Project Manager of the Chatham Islands Millennium Project was interviewed and at the conclusion of the interview, he was asked to explain whether his previous conviction for fraud had been an impediment in this role. The Mayor of the Chatham Islands Council complained that the interviewer had acted unprofessionally in raising the issue. Not upheld (fairness, privacy).
Kim Hill interview. Monica Lewinsky was interviewed just after 9.00am. Complaint about one of the interviewer’s questions and complaint that she had a history of asking her guests sexually explicit and intimate questions. Not upheld (good taste and decency, fairness).
Emergency Heroes promos and programme. Episode featured police response to a drink-drive incident. A man was seen being arrested for driving with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit. His voice and facial features were partially obscured in the programme, but the promos for the programme were broadcast unaltered. Not upheld (privacy).
The Great Kiwi Video Show. Item featured alarm shown by two young boys in a bath when dirty water suddenly bubbled up through the plug hole; when one of the boys stood up, a colourful programme logo was superimposed over his genital area. Complaint about the practice of masking innocent nudity. Declined to determine (the Authority no more persuaded that this complaint has any more validity than earlier ones did).
Mad Max 2 – The Road Warrior. File broadcast at 9.15pm contained a scene showing a motorcycle gang member raping a woman and then shooting her. Not upheld (violence: rape scene was brief, viewed at a distance, and did not contain a prolonged focus on sexually violent content).
Emergency Heroes. Item showed police patrol responding to a threat from a woman to commit suicide by jumping from a building. Her former husband claimed this breached the privacy of both the woman and her family, saying she was easily identifiable from her voice and clothing. Not upheld (privacy, children's interests, violence).