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Bulletin Number 92
Message from the Chief Executive
Tēnā koutou
If you've visited the BSA website over the last couple of weeks you may have noticed some changes! At the start of the month we launched our refreshed website and we're excited to share it with you.
Our goal was to make the website accessible, modern, friendly and facilitative, reflecting who we are as an organisation. It's been designed in response to feedback we have received from many of you, and is intended to be easy to use and to efficiently guide users to the right information. We would appreciate your feedback, so if you have used the website please complete the survey hereopen_in_new, or drop a note to the team at info@bsa.govt.nz.
In this month's Pānui, we profile the eight recently released decisions by the Authority. We've also included some guidance on the discrimination and denigration standard (Standard 6), which has been the subject of increasing discussion over recent weeks.
We hope you enjoy reading this edition of the Pānui and, as always, we welcome any feedback you may have.
Ngā mihi
Belinda
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Over the last month:
- The Authority published eight broadcasting standards decisions.
- We have progressed a number of our research activities, including our litmus testing, complainants survey and broadcaster satisfaction survey. More information about these projects will be released in the coming months.
- The New Zealand Media Freedom Committee, comprised of major accredited news media companies in New Zealand (TVNZ, Stuff, MediaWorks, NZME and RNZ), have committed to a united approach in reporting the trial following the 15 March 2019 attacks. You can read the agreed guidelines hereopen_in_new.
- We undertook research of publicly available local and international resources that provide guidance and principles for media reporting on terrorism and crisis events. The findings are set out in our research report: Resource for broadcasters after the 15 March Attacksopen_in_new
- We launched the new BSA website. Please provide your feedback by completing this surveyopen_in_new before 30 May 2019.
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The eight decisions issued this month are available on our website, and include:
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Complaints about Radio Broadcasts
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Barclay and Radio New Zealand Ltdopen_in_new - 2019-003
The Authority has not upheld a complaint that an interviewee’s language, broadcast during an item on Morning Report on 10 December 2018, was violent and inappropriate. The item reported on the declining memberships of sports clubs in New Zealand and featured an interview with the Club Captain of a tennis club. The interviewee commented that the tennis courts were so empty ‘you could… fire a machine gun and hit no one.’ The Authority noted that the right to freedom of expression allows individuals to express themselves in their own words, provided this does not cause undue harm. In this case, the comment made by the interviewee was brief, was not overly graphic or targeted at a particular individual or group, and was not intended to be taken literally. Taking into account contextual factors, such as the adult target audience of Morning Report and RNZ National, the broadcast was unlikely to unduly distress or disturb listeners, or any children that might have been listening, and was not so graphic as to require an audience advisory for violent content.Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Programme Information, Children's Interests, Violence
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Complaints about Free-to-Air Television Broadcasts
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Abel and MediaWorks TV Ltdopen_in_new - 2019-004
The Authority has not upheld a complaint that a news item on Newshub Live at 6pm was insensitive and encouraged the denigration of Christians. The item covered the controversy around an Australian advertisement, which featured two Roman soldiers asking Jesus on the cross to consent to organ donation via an app. The Authority found that while the advertisement made light of the crucifixion, the news item itself was a balanced discussion of the controversy that did not contain any statements encouraging the denigration of, or discrimination against, Christians. Not Upheld: Discrimination and Denigration
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