A One News item reported on the continuing debate over who owns New Zealand water, as part of the wider discussion about the Government’s proposal to sell state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and contained the graphic of a sign: “For Sale, NZ SOEs”. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached the accuracy standard: the graphic was not a “material point of fact”, and given the extensive coverage of the Government’s proposed partial asset sales, viewers would not have been misled.
Not Upheld: Accuracy
A One News item reporting on the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press referred to British Prime Minister David Cameron as “an old mate of John Key’s”. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached the accuracy and fairness standards: the reference to “old mate” in the introduction to the item was not a material point of fact and would not have misled viewers, and the brief comment did not implicate Mr Key in the manner alleged.
Not Upheld: Accuracy, Fairness
A One News item reported on the verdict of not guilty in the Ewen McDonald murder trial. At the end of the item the reporter commented, “You could well be thinking, if he’s not guilty, why hasn’t he walked out these doors behind me and spoken to media? The reason for that of course is that he’s admitted causing vandalism, graffiti and arson…” The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached the law and order, and fairness standards: the item was a legitimate news story with a high level of public interest, and as the accused in a high-profile murder case Mr McDonald could expect to be the subject of media scrutiny; and the reporter’s question did not encourage viewers to break the law or otherwise promote or condone criminal activity.
Not Upheld: Law and Order, Fairness
Two items on Checkpoint, broadcast on Radio New Zealand National, discussed the results of a recent “clamp down” on drug-taking truck drivers in New Zealand and Australia. The items included interviews with the CEO of the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency and with a representative of First Union, the union for road transport workers. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that the items breached the controversial issues standard: consideration of whether drug-taking by truck drivers is a widespread problem in New Zealand, and the implications for road safety, did not amount to a discussion of a controversial issue of public importance – at this stage it is not an issue that has been widely discussed or debated publicly – but the broadcaster nevertheless provided some balance in the items.
Not Upheld: Controversial Issues
Two episodes of Piha Rescue, a reality TV series following the work of lifeguards at Piha Beach, showed rescues involving unidentified surf schools at Piha. In the second episode there was a confrontation between a surfing instructor, who had his face pixellated, and members of the Piha Surf Lifesaving Club when the lifeguards attempted to rescue students and the instructor resisted. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that the episodes breached the fairness and accuracy standards: no surf school was named in the 12 March episode and the narrator referred to surf schools in a general way only, and the Piha community and surf coaching industry are not “organisations” for the purposes of the fairness standard. The 19 March episode captured events as they played out and the footage was not unfairly edited – viewers were left to make up their own minds about the incident, the complainant was not identifiable and his perspective was clear from his comments in the item and from the narrator’s statement at the end of the segment, and the police presence was not emphasised. The statements subject to complaint amounted to the opinion and comment of the lifeguards and patrol captains on duty, as presented by the narrator, and were not statements of fact so were exempt from standards of accuracy.
Not Upheld: Accuracy, Fairness
Episodes of Last Chance Dogs, a reality television series on TV2 about dogs with behavioural problems and their owners, featured a resident dog trainer who worked with badly behaved dogs. Her dog training methods were alleged to be outdated and harmful. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that the programmes breached standards relating to controversial issues, accuracy, responsible programming and violence: they did not discuss a controversial issue of public importance but focused on individual cases; the programme commentary would have been interpreted by viewers as opinion rather than fact; the episodes were appropriately classified PGR and contained a clear disclaimer; and the display of dog training methods was not “violence” as envisaged by the standard. Overall, the Authority considered that the complainant’s objection to the methods shown was not an issue of broadcasting standards.
Not Upheld: Controversial Issues, Accuracy, Responsible Programming, Violence
During Nine to Noon on Radio New Zealand National, the host interviewed the chair of the Productivity Commission about the Commission’s recent report to Government on housing affordability. The introduction by the interviewer included the comment, “with section prices actually falling in some of the city’s outlying areas”. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this comment was inaccurate: the host’s brief comment in the introduction was not a material point of fact in the context of the interview and would not have materially altered listeners’ understanding of the issues discussed.
Not Upheld: Accuracy
In a segment on Police Ten 7 profiling an aggravated robbery of a bar, a wanted offender was described as “possibly Māori but pale skinned” and “possibly Māori, [with a] light complexion”. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this breached the discrimination and denigration standard since it did not encourage the denigration of, or discrimination against, Māori as a section of the community.
Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Accuracy, Fairness, Discrimination and Denigration
Votes for Women: What Really Happened? (More or Less) was a Sunday Theatre docudrama based on historical facts about women in New Zealand being given the right to vote in 1893. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that it was inaccurate to claim that New Zealand women were the first to be given the vote: the programme was a docudrama legitimately employing dramatic licence to portray historical events, not a news, current affairs, or factual programme to which the accuracy standard applied.
Not Upheld: Accuracy
Three news items on One News Tonight and 3 News that covered the debate around legalising “gay marriage” used the word “gay” numerous times to mean “homosexual”. The Authority declined to determine complaints that the items breached the accuracy standard: the Authority has previously declined to determine an identical complaint from this complainant on the ground that it was frivolous and trivial.
Declined to Determine: Accuracy