BSA Decisions Ngā Whakatau a te Mana Whanonga Kaipāho

Summary

In an item concerning the plight of ethnic Albanian refugees it was reported, in a broadcast on National Radio on 17 September 1998 at 6.12pm, that they had been prevented by the Serbian army from returning to Albania and were unwelcome in Macedonia to the south.

The secretary for the Greek Orthodox Community of Wellington and Suburbs Inc complained on its behalf to Radio New Zealand Ltd that it was inaccurate, and in direct contravention of a UN resolution, to describe the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia simply as Macedonia. It also complained that RNZ had failed to show balance, impartiality and fairness in its presentation of the item.

In its response, RNZ pointed out that controversy still existed over the name of the country and it contended that no inaccurate understanding had been conveyed. It also noted that the item originated from CNN, an international news agency. With respect to the complaint that the item was unfair and unbalanced, RNZ noted that the item concerned a factual summary of the situation faced by Albanian refugees, and noted that no point of view was expressed. It declined to uphold the complaint.

Dissatisfied with RNZ’s response, the Greek Orthodox Community referred the complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority under s.8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989.

For the reasons given below, the Authority declines to uphold the complaint.

Decision

The members of the Authority have listened to a tape of the item complained about and have read the correspondence which is listed in the Appendix. On this occasion, the Authority determines the complaint without a formal hearing.

An item on World Watch on RNZ’s National Programme broadcast on 17 September 1998 at 6.12pm focused on the plight of ethnic Albanian refugees in the Kosovo region of Serbia. It was reported that there were now more than 300,000 refugees in Serbia, that their route to Albania was blocked by the Serbian army, and that they were unwelcome in Macedonia to the south. The item was sourced from CNN.

The Greek Orthodox Community complained that it was incorrect to refer to the refugees’ possible destination as Macedonia when in fact the region was known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), in contradistinction to Macedonia which is part of the Hellenic Republic of Greece. The Greek Orthodox Community emphasised that its complaint was not based on any ambiguity as to which region was being referred to, but upon the fact that the reference was in direct contravention of a UN resolution. Specifically, the Community complained that the item breached standards R1 and R9 of the Radio Code of Broadcasting Practice. Those standards require broadcasters:

R1 To be truthful and accurate on points of fact in news and current affairs programmes.

R9 To show balance, impartiality and fairness in dealing with political matters, current affairs and all questions of a controversial nature, making reasonable efforts to present significant points of view either in the same programme or in other programmes within the period of current interest.

The complainant traversed some historical facts, noting that Macedonia had always been Greek and that the adoption of the name by the FYROM had been a recent phenomenon which it believed was in order to make further claims on Greek territory. The Community emphasised that its indignation was not based on a pedantic insistence on using full names for all countries. It asked that RNZ broadcast a correction stating the correct name for the country, and ensure that in all future references to it the correct name was used.

In its response, RNZ emphasised that the report was sourced entirely from CNN as a package. It considered it relevant that its search of other stories from key sources such as the BBC, Reuters and AP indicated that the country was referred to as Macedonia, and that political figures, including the President of the USA referred to it as such. It pointed out that CNN was an international news agency and did not refer to the country as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia at any time. With reference to the UN resolution regarding the use of the full name, RNZ responded that it was not an agency of the UN and therefore not obliged to abide by its directives. It also observed that as it was committed to impartiality in news coverage, it resisted suggestions to favour one side or another in a dispute.

RNZ rejected also the argument that the term Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should be used to avoid ambiguity, although it acknowledged that the full name was used by the media in Europe, in contrast to the English-language media. It advised that a number of factors, including UN Resolutions, were taken into account when it formulated its policy on broadcasting issues.

Dealing with the content of the report, RNZ argued that as the focus was on the plight of Albanian refugees, the mention of Macedonia was incidental to the issue being addressed. It declined to uphold the complaint that the item was inaccurate and, arguing that as the item was a factual report of the situation faced by Albanian refugees, and that no point of view was expressed, standard R9 was inapplicable.

When it referred the complaint to the Authority the Greek Orthodox Community again recalled the history of the region, noting that Macedonia had always been a part of Greece. It emphasised that RNZ was not at all correct to call the disputed territory Macedonia, notwithstanding the fact that its people had named it thus. In response to RNZ’s argument that it was not legally bound by the UN Resolution regarding the use of the full name, the complainant maintained that it should nevertheless be morally bound to use the correct name.

In response to RNZ’s claim that it could be accused of bias were it to use the full name, the complainant argued that the current use of the name Macedonia demonstrated that RNZ believed that the issue would be resolved in favour of the illegitimate use of the name. In its view, RNZ had indoctrinated its listeners to accept the incorrect usage, and thus had breached standard R9.

The complainant welcomed the enlightened approach taken by Telecom when it listed the country in the telephone directory correctly. It provided a number of appendices which recorded some facts about the region’s history.

The Authority’s Findings

The Authority begins by noting the context in which the use of the name Macedonia arose on this occasion. It notes that the item was sourced from a reputable international news agency and was relayed by RNZ as a package. It also notes that the story was concerned with the problems faced by up to 300,000 ethnic Albanian refugees who were prevented by the Serbian army from returning to Albania, and who were unwelcome in Macedonia to the south. It accepts RNZ’s point that the focus of the story was the plight of the refugees and that it was concern about their wellbeing which was paramount. In those circumstances, the single reference to "Macedonia to the south" in the context of a story about Albanian refugees did not, in the Authority’s view transgress the accuracy requirement.

In reaching its decision on this point, the Authority notes that it is confined to the facts of the complaint and it does not see this decision as endorsing RNZ’s approach. In fact, it observes, RNZ’s unwillingness to use the full name of the republic is not consistent with either the UN Resolution or with New Zealand’s official foreign policy. While RNZ is not an agency of the UN, the Authority considers that nevertheless it could well be desirable for it to adopt the correct name in accordance with New Zealand’s official foreign policy.

Turning to the complaint that the item breached standard R9 the Authority records its concurrence with RNZ that the standard was not applicable on these facts.

For the reasons set forth above, the Authority declines to uphold the complaint.

Signed for and on behalf of the Authority

Sam Maling
Chairperson
21 January 1999

Appendix

1. Greek Orthodox Community of Wellington and Suburbs Inc’s Complaint to Radio New Zealand Ltd – 22 September 1998

2. RNZ’s Response to the Formal Complaint – 13 October 1998

3. The Greek Orthodox Community’s Referral to the Broadcasting Standards Authority – 30 October 1998

4. RNZ’s Response to the Authority – 18 November 1998 and attachments

5. The Greek Orthodox Community’s Final Comment – 13 December 1998 and attachments