Latest Decisions »
11 August 2010
Bush and TVNZ. Fair Go. Inaccurately claimed that woman had taken a photo which the complainant was displaying on his website as his own work. Upheld (accuracy and fairness). Not upheld (privacy, responsible programming).
Riwai-Couch and TVNZ. Band of Brothers. Sex scene broadcast at 8.40pm. Upheld (children’s interests). Not upheld (good taste and decency, responsible programming).
Smyth and TVNZ. One News. Item on Air Force helicopter crash on ANZAC Day. Not upheld (privacy).
Burn and TVWorks Ltd. 3 News. Item reported on a 3-year-old child walking a tightrope over a tiger enclosure. Not upheld (children’s interests).
Ross and TVNZ. Beyond the Darklands: Antonie Dixon. References to complainant’s relationship with Antonie Dixon. Not upheld (privacy, accuracy, fairness).
McPherson and TVNZ. Sensing Murder. Complaint about use of psychics in investigation about a man’s disappearance. Not upheld (accuracy).
Bibby and TVNZ. Close Up. Interview with Professor Richard Dawkins about his views on religious faith. Not upheld (good taste and decency, controversial issues, fairness, discrimination and denigration, and responsible programming).
Williams and RadioWorks Ltd. More FM Breakfast. Host and caller used the term “poofter”. Not upheld (discrimination and denigration).
Paranjape and RNZ. Afternoons with Jim Mora. Discussion about Russia’s proposal to use a controlled nuclear explosion to contain an oil leak. Not upheld (good taste and decency, and discrimination and denigration).
For more information, please see full decisions or contact Dominic Sheehan on dominics@bsa.govt.nz or 04 382 9508.
Recent publications »
Watching the Watchers: What Children Watch on TV and How They Respond
July 2010
The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has today published Watching the Watchers: What Children Watch on TV and How They Respond.
In 2008 the BSA published Seen and Heard: Children's Media Use, Exposure and Response. This was the result of a nationwide, quantitative survey conducted with 604 children aged six to 13 years and one of their primary caregivers. In Seen and Heard we asked questions about how children interacted with media and how it affected them.
We then asked ourselves this question: did people actually do what they said they did? In order to get a clearer picture of actual, rather than reported, behaviour, we decided to observe behaviour in some of the households included in our original study.
This report, Watching the Watchers, details the findings of our observational study.
We chose to focus on television as it remains the central media device in the home. We also chose to focus on the dinnertime to bedtime period as that is when children are potentially most likely to view challenging content.
On the whole the findings in this report appear to back up what we learned in Seen and Heard. The report notes areas where there may be divergence between actual and reported behaviour
Children’s Interests: A Review of Broadcasting Standards Authority Child Complaints Decisions
May 2010
The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has today published Children’s Interests: A Review of Broadcasting Standards Authority Child Complaints Decisions 1999-2009.
To ensure that its decision making is robust and relevant, the BSA regularly commissions critiques of its decisions. Most recently it published an assessment of its privacy related decisions.
The new paper examines BSA decisions on complaints lodged regarding children as viewers of, and participants in, television broadcasts.
The paper was authored by Dr Sue Jackson of Victoria University, Wellington. Dr Jackson is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology and has a special research interest in issues pertaining to young people.
The BSA hopes that the questions raised in the report will prompt renewed consideration by broadcasters and the public about how we can best protect children in relation to broadcasting standards matters.
Statement of Intent 2010-2013
July
2010
Download (198kb PDF)
What Not to Swear: The Acceptability of Words in Broadcasting
The findings of a national survey designed to measure how acceptable the public finds the use of swear words, blasphemies and other expletives in broadcasting. The survey was carried out among 1500 members of the general public aged 18 and over. A total of 31 words were presented to respondents across 10 different contexts. Results are compared to similar surveys carried out in 2005 and 1999. The key chart that ranks words in terms of unacceptability can be found on p14 of the full report or can be downloaded as a separate document.
Warning: this report contains offensive language.
Download the full report
Download the key chart (compares 2009, 2005 and 1999 findings)
Free-to-air Classification Guide
Pay TV Classification Guide
Some Content May Offend: Public Attitudes to Content Classifications and Warnings on Free-To-Air and Pay TV
Published February 2010.
An investigation of the public's understanding of classifications and warnings on both free-to-air and pay television. The report's findings are based on focus group sessions held in Auckland with 88 people, mainly parents and guardians of children aged between five and 17. Parents and guardians were chosen because this group makes the most use of classifications and warnings to decide what their families will watch.