A music video for the Lana Del Ray song "Born to Die" was broadcast on C4. It contained the lyrics "Let's go get high" and briefly showed the artist smoking what the complainant alleged was a marijuana cigarette. The Authority determined that this did not breach the law and order standard: the lyrics and footage did not glamorise drug use and did not encourage viewers to break the law or otherwise promote or condone criminal activity.
Not Upheld: Law and Order
A promo for The Graham Norton Show’s Christmas special showed a photograph of a couple dressed as Mary and Joseph holding a dog in swaddling clothes. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached the good taste and decency and discrimination and denigration standards: the content was a light-hearted attempt at humour as opposed to a criticism of Christians and would not have offended most viewers in context. Further, the innocent lampooning of religious figures comes within the broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression.
Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Discrimination and Denigration
The ZM Morning Crew hosts ran a competition called “Racial Profiling”, in which the hosts and a contestant were asked to guess whether individuals who had committed certain offences in the United States were “black, white or Asian”. The Authority did not uphold good taste and decency, discrimination and denigration, or responsible programming complaints: the segment was an attempt at humour and satire and the outcome as broadcast demonstrated flaws in racial stereotyping; the broadcast would not have offended most listeners in context and was not socially irresponsible; and although some of the content was challenging it did not reach the high threshold required for encouraging denigration of, or discrimination against, any of the groups referred to as sections of the community.
Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Discrimination and Denigration, Responsible Programming
An episode of Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated showed two cartoon characters kissing and making romantic comments. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached standards relating to good taste and decency, responsible programming and children’s interests: the kissing scenes, including dialogue, were innocuous and inexplicit, the content was consistent with the programme’s G classification, and the scenes would not have offended most viewers or disturbed or alarmed children.
Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Responsible Programming, Children’s Interests
Fair Go carried out testing on imported and locally produced “extra virgin” olive oil, and reported that European imports had failed sensory and chemical tests. The story made references to the testing being “IOC accredited” (International Olive Oil Council). The Authority upheld the accuracy complaint as these references were not technically correct and gave greater status to the testing than was justified. Nevertheless, the complainant was given a reasonable opportunity to respond, and its response was adequately presented so the programme overall was not unfair. The Authority made no order.
Upheld: Accuracy
No Order
During the heavy metal radio programme, House of Noizz on Planet FM, the host made derogatory comments about “an ex-member of the family”, the mother of his named nephew. The Authority upheld complaints that this was unfair, as the host abused his position by making comments that were insulting and abusive to the complainant, and the complainant had made repeated attempts to stop the content being broadcast. The Authority determined that the privacy and good taste and decency standards were not breached, however. The host’s comments were opinion, not private facts, and would not have offended or distressed most listeners. The Authority made no order.
Upheld: Fairness
Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Privacy, Accuracy, Discrimination and Denigration, Responsible Programming
No Order
During Overnight Talkback with Bruce Russell, the host and a caller discussed a meteorite exploding over central Russia and causing a shock that injured many people. The host made comments to the effect he would rather it happened in Russia than in New Zealand. The Authority did not uphold the good taste and decency complaint, as the host’s comments were expressed in a light-hearted and flippant manner and would not have offended or distressed most listeners in context.
Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency
An item on Sunday profiled a young man who was a recidivist car thief. It showed brief footage of a car he had stolen, including its number plate. The Authority did not uphold GW’s privacy complaint. The complainant and her husband were not identifiable through the footage of their car and number plate, and no private facts were disclosed about them that would be considered highly offensive to an objective reasonable person.
Not Upheld: Privacy
An AO comedy programme, A Night at the Classic, contained extensive coarse language and sexual references. Given the late time of broadcast (10pm), the specific pre-broadcast warning and the AO classification, the Authority concluded that the programme did not breach standards of good taste and decency and responsible programming.
Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Responsible Programming
During the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, characters made two brief references to smoking “weed” and “leaf”. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that the references breached the law and order standard: they did not necessarily relate to marijuana or glamorise its use and did not encourage viewers to break the law or otherwise promote or condone criminal activity, when taken in the context of a fantasy film.
Not Upheld: Law and Order