The Authority has not upheld a complaint alleging a Morning Report item about the condition of student rental properties in Dunedin lacked balance and was unfair. The item reported that ‘students continue to live in flats that are colder inside than out despite meeting Healthy Homes Standards’, and ‘advocates are calling for action’. The BSA found the broadcast did not purport to be an in-depth or balanced examination of the adequacy of the Healthy Homes Standards, but instead focussed on the perspective of advocates calling for change. Listeners were unlikely to expect a countervailing viewpoint, and could reasonably be expected to be aware of alternative views from other media. The fairness standard did not apply.
This and other recent decisions can be seen here.