BSA Decisions Ngā Whakatau a te Mana Whanonga Kaipāho

Summary  

[This summary does not form part of the decision.] 

The Authority has declined to determine a complaint that an interview on Afternoons, shortly after an announcement the Broadcasting Standards Authority was to be abolished, breached the balance and fairness standards. The complainant said the interview lacked balance and fairness as it did not include the views or a representative of the BSA. Noting the nature of the broadcast and conflict presented by determining issues associated with itself, the Authority considered that, in all circumstances of the complaint, it should not be determined.

Declined to determine (section 11(b), Broadcasting Act 1989 – in all the circumstances): Balance, Fairness

The broadcast

[1]  The 6 May 2026 broadcast of Afternoons on RNZ National included an interview with Tim Watkin. The interview occurred shortly after the Government’s announcement the Broadcasting Standards Authority I Te Mana Whanonga Kaipāho (BSA) was to be abolished:

Host:         But it's just been announced that the Broadcasting Standards Authority will be scrapped, with the media sector set to move to a self-regulation model. Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith says the regulator's role doesn't make sense. That's his words in today's rapidly changing media landscape. But based on the text messages you've been sending us, it appears that many of you disagree. Tim Watkin is a long-serving member of the BSA and author of the book, How to Rebuild Trust in Journalism and he's with us in the Auckland studio.

Watkin:      G'day. Long serving member of the Media Council actually, not the BSA.

Host:         My apologies.

Watkin:      Other side of the fence.

…

Host:          Can you tell us what the BSA is?

Watkin:      Yeah, look, can I just say really clearly to start with, I sit on the Media Council and so I'm one of the many members who do that, but I'm not speaking for them. I'm here as a commentator and just to help, I think, to help the listeners explain exactly these things, how it works, because I think that's really helpful when these kind of changes come along.

[2]  The broadcast continued to discuss Watkin’s opinion on the Government’s announcement, the structure of the BSA and Media Council, today’s media landscape, and his book How to Rebuild Trust in Journalism.  

The complaint

[3]  Neville Watkin complained the broadcast breached the balance and fairness standards of the Code of Broadcasting Standards in New Zealand for the following reasons:

a)  ‘The fact that [the host] introduced Tim Watkin as a “member of the BSA” showed that he thought, appropriately, he was seeking the views of somebody from the actual organisation to be abolished.’

b)  ‘To my knowledge there has been no subsequent attempt to interview an actual representative of the BSA.’

c)  The broadcast was ‘unfair to both the BSA and RNZ’s Afternoon listeners in not actually broadcasting the views of the BSA, and lacking balance because only a member of a rival organisation was interviewed albeit in his stated capacity as a (media) “commentator”’.

The broadcaster’s response

[4]  Radio New Zealand Ltd (RNZ) did not uphold the complaint for the following reasons:

a)  In relation to the ‘brief live mis-introduction of Mr Watkin’, this ‘error was immediately corrected on air by Mr Watkin himself, who clarified his association with the New Zealand Media Council and did not at any point claim to be speaking on behalf of that organisation. The remainder of the interview consistently reflected his role as a commentator and author, including discussion of his book How to Rebuild Trust in Journalism.’

b)  ‘Mr Watkin’s contributions were presented as expert commentary drawing on his professional experience and published work, rather than as a formal representative voice of either the Media Council or the Broadcasting Standards Authority.’

c)  ‘On that basis, it is not considered that the segment required the inclusion of a representative from the Broadcasting Standards Authority in order to meet fairness or balance standards’.

Outcome: Decline to determine

[5]  Section 11(b) of the Broadcasting Act 1989 authorises the Authority to decline to determine a complaint if it considers that, in all the circumstances of the complaint, it should not be determined by the Authority.

[6]  In this case, the Authority considers it appropriate to exercise its s 11(b) discretion on the following grounds:

a)  The broadcast was an early discussion offering information about New Zealand media standards regulation in the wake of the Government’s announcement that same day.

b)  At that early stage, the Authority was not participating in media interviews on the subject. The Authority’s position and response to the announcement was provided to media in writing and reflected in news reporting by various outlets including RNZ at the time.

c)  The initial mis-introduction of Watkin as a BSA member was corrected immediately and unlikely to have led to any confusion.

d)  We have listened to the broadcast and identified no potential harms meriting the Authority’s intervention on issues in respect of which it is clearly conflicted.

For the above reasons the Authority declines to determine the complaint.  

Signed for and on behalf of the Authority

Susie Staley
Chair
29 July 2026    

Appendix

The correspondence listed below was received and considered by the Authority when it determined this complaint:

1  Watkin’s original complaint – 12 May 2026

2  RNZ’s decision – 12 May 2026

3  Watkin’s referral to the Authority – 21 May 2026

4  Watkin’s further submissions – 10 June 2026

5  RNZ’s confirmation of no further comments – 11 June 2026