BSA Decisions Ngā Whakatau a te Mana Whanonga Kaipāho

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Summary

Double Olympic gold swimming star, Danyon Loader, was profiled in an item

broadcast on 60 Minutes on TV One at 7.35pm on 28 July 1996. The item in part

dealt with his difficulties in communicating with the media and reported that he had

been described as a media brat in the past in view of his apparent lack of excitement

when he won a Sportsman of the Year award.

Mr Rawson complained to Television New Zealand Ltd that to describe Danyon

Loader in such a way was in bad taste and unfair to him. The media, he observed, too

often focussed on a sports person's personality rather than on his or her

achievements.

Arguing that the term "media brat" had been lifted out of context for the complaint,

TVNZ said that the sympathetic item had referred to Danyon Loader's inability in the

past to express his thoughts clearly in words.

Dissatisfied with TVNZ's decision, Mr Rawson referred it to the Broadcasting

Standards Authority under s.8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989.

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

Decision

The members of the Authority have viewed the item complained about and have read

the correspondence (summarised in the Appendix). As is its practice, the Authority

determines the complaint without a formal hearing.

A profile of double Olympic-gold medal winner, Danyon Loader, broadcast on 60

Minutes, pointed out that he had in the past been referred to as a "media brat" in view

of his apparently arrogant attitude when he won in 1995 the Sportsman of the Year

award.

Mr Rawson complained to TVNZ that the description was in bad taste and unfair to

Danyon Loader. He speculated that the reporter considered that Danyon Loader

should be "mildly punished" for not complying with media expectations. However,

Mr Rawson wrote, he considered that Danyon Loader had dealt with the questions

with dignity.

In its initial response to the complaint, TVNZ said that the term "media brat" was

used for someone who did not like the media or gave the media a hard time, and

described it as the title earned by tennis star John McEnroe.

In response to Mr Rawson's reference to "media arrogance", TVNZ stated that the

media was the conduit between Danyon Loader and the public and the media had an

obligation to report on his progress. Noting that Danyon Loader had recently

described the media as "leeches", TVNZ said the fact was that the use of such

adjectives did not make it easy for the media to provide information to the public

about New Zealand's greatest swimmer.

TVNZ assessed the formal complaint under standards G2 and G4 of the Television

Code of Broadcasting Practice. They require broadcasters:

G2 To take into consideration currently accepted norms of decency and taste

in language and behaviour, bearing in mind the context in which any

language or behaviour occurs.

G4 To deal justly and fairly with any person taking part or referred to in any

programme.

TVNZ began:

In reviewing the programme, it was our feeling that you have lifted the term

"media brat" completely out of context. The item was entirely supportive and

admiring of the swimmer, attempting very gently to provide him with an

opportunity to express to the public views that in the past he had been unable

to articulate to the media.

The item, TVNZ continued, concluded with the following comment:

Danyon Loader has always done his talking in the pool. Never been tempted to

try winning medals in the media. And that has sometimes made us and his many

fans sour. But this week, with the sweet smell of the victory posy fresh in his

nostrils Danyon found the words and silenced his critics.

TVNZ denied that the term "media brat" was always pejorative, advancing the

argument that it could mean a person who did not get on with the media. Further, it

pointed out that Danyon Loader's reluctance or inability to talk to the public through

the media had been noted elsewhere in the press.

Pointing to other examples in the broadcast which showed Danyon Loader's

reluctance to co-operate with the media, TVNZ maintained nevertheless that the item

was sympathetic and reported Danyon Loader's motivation as a sportsman.

With regard to the alleged breach of good taste, TVNZ denied that the standard was

contravened by stating that Danyon Loader had been regarded as a media brat. The

sympathetic piece, TVNZ concluded, was not unfair to a person who acknowledged

his difficult relationship with the media.

When he referred the complaint to the Authority, Mr Rawson said that

"contemptuous child" was the dictionary definition of the word "brat" and that he

was offended that this term had been applied to a young man who had achieved great

heights.

As its first task, the Authority is required to decide what is meant by the term "media

brat". It agrees with TVNZ that it is a term which was appropriate to describe tennis

player John McEnroe. However, it disagrees with TVNZ when it argued the phrase

need not be used pejoratively. In the Authority's opinion, the dictionary definition of

"contemptuous child" applies and "media brat" means someone who acts like a spoilt

child in their relationships with the media.

As its second task, the Authority is required to consider whether that is an

appropriate term to apply to Danyon Loader. While it accepts that he is not always

articulate when responding to the media and, indeed, might have a low opinion of the

media, that does not justify the "media brat" title.

The Authority next looks at the use of the term in the item complained about. TVNZ

supplied the Authority with the following extract which showed how it had been used

in the item:

Reporter: "And when he won Sportsman of the Year he again seemed unable to

                get excited".

(Pictures then show Loader receiving news in London, sighing, sipping water and

shrugging his shoulders)

Reporter: "That was the single incident that made most people say that

                 Danyon Loader is a brat – a media brat. Do you think that impression is fair?

Loader:    "I say believe what you will. I certainly have no time for the media

                 because the media and the fans in the scheme of things – I mean I'm

                 not trying tobe facetious or arrogant. I don't see myself in that light –

                 and I don't like it when others do".

The Authority accepts that Danyon Loader's apparent attitude when he won the

award could be seen as containing a touch of arrogance. However, it does not accept

that this reaction justifies the term "media brat". Moreover, it notes that it is a term

which seemingly the media decided first, to apply and secondly, then to report its

application.

On this occasion, the item made reference to the label and sought Danyon Loader's

response. The item was sympathetic and showed a taciturn young man who is totally

dedicated to swimming. While the Authority wonders whether the source of the

description is as objective as the item suggested, the use of the apparently impartial

description gave Danyon Loader the opportunity to respond to it and to reveal his

dedication as an athlete. The use of the description had a touch of the "straw man" in

providing a seemingly objective foundation on which to base the item. While this is a

point which reflects on the way in which the item was presented rather than raising

matters of broadcasting standards, the item enabled Danyon Loader to respond and be

seen as he is. The Authority considers that the term may have been unacceptable had

it been presented as a fact; however, its use on this occasion as a point on which to

introduce Danyon Loader was not unfair or in bad taste in the context of the item.

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

Signed for and on behalf of the Authority

Judith Potter
Chairperson
24 October 1996

Appendix

J G Rawson's Complaint to Television New Zealand Ltd - 14 August 1996

After some preliminary correspondence, Mr Rawson of Whangarei complained to

Television New Zealand Ltd about an item focussing on Olympic double gold medal

winner, Danyon Loader, broadcast on 60 Minutes on TV One at 7.35pm on 28 July

1996.

In the earlier correspondence, Mr Rawson had commented on aspects of TVNZ's

coverage of the Olympics and wondered whether he was correct in hearing that

Danyon Loader had been described as a "media brat". He was advised that the term

had been used in a 60 Minutes item when the reporter said that the term had been

applied by some to Danyon Loader after his apparently arrogant attitude when, in

1995, he won the title of Sportsman of the Year.

In the formal complaint, Mr Rawson said that the term breached the good taste and

decency standard and invaded Danyon Loader's privacy. He suggested that TVNZ

had deliberately set out to punish Danyon Loader because of his attitude to the media.

He believed that a personal apology to Danyon Loader was appropriate along with a

public one because, he argued, most New Zealanders did not regard him as a brat.

TVNZ's Response to the Formal Complaint - 22 August 1996

Noting that Danyon Loader had been described as a media brat on 60 Minutes, TVNZ

assessed the complaint under standards G2 and G4 of the Television Code of

Broadcasting Practice.

Pointing out that Danyon Loader's recent description of the news media as "leeches"

had been reported on One Network News on 12 August, TVNZ wrote:

In reviewing the programme, it was our feeling that you have lifted the term

"media brat" completely out of context. The item was entirely supportive and

admiring of the swimmer, attempting very gently to provide him with an

opportunity to express to the public views that in the past he had been unable

to articulate to the media.

Indeed, the item was constructed so that in the end the young man seemed to open out

to his fans and the reporter had commented during the item:

Danyon Loader has always done his talking in the pool. Never been tempted to

try winning medals in the media. And that has sometimes made us and his many

fans sour. But this week, with the sweet smell of that victory posy fresh in his

nostrils Danyon found the words and silenced his critics.

TVNZ argued that the term "media brat" had a number of meanings and was not

always pejorative. It also pointed out that other commentators had alluded to his

communications difficulty.

TVNZ referred to the context in which the term had been used in the item which

showed that Danyon Loader's training programme was intense and that he had

difficulty articulating his motivation. It observed:

It is a fact that Danyon Loader has been a "media brat". That fact had a place in

an item which set out to profile the swimmer following his gold medal successes

at Atlanta.

Explaining that Danyon Loader disliked his encounters with the media, TVNZ said

that the item did not breach the good taste and decency standard. It did not accept

that the "sympathetic and admiring" item had been unfair to him and it again reported

that Danyon Loader acknowledged that he had a difficult relationship with the media.

Mr Rawson's Referral to the Broadcasting Standards Authority - 26 August

1996

Dissatisfied with TVNZ's response, Mr Rawson referred the complaint to the

Broadcasting Standards Authority under s.8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989.

Observing that some of his comments might be considered "fairly harsh", Mr Rawson

said that was done deliberately to shock TVNZ into admitting that athletes - not

reporters - were the important people. Most people he had spoken to, he wrote, were

unfamiliar with the term "media brat" and those who were aware of it applied to

people who sought publicity.

Mr Rawson then referred to the dictionary definition of the word "brat" which was a

contemptuous term for a child. He examined TVNZ's response in detail and listed the

points when he considered the report incorrect. He concluded:

This modest young man of the utmost achievement considers that, perhaps not

all of the media, but certainly the interviewers of this one are "leeches". I

wonder if that has anything to do with, not his supposed arrogance, but that one

of them had the supreme cheek to call him a name that must be taken, in this

country, as offensive to anyone and highly offensive to a young man?

It certainly offended me, and though most people seem to have missed the

comment, when I relate it they also become indignant.

TVNZ's Response to the Authority - 2 September 1996

TVNZ advised that it had nothing to add to the referral.