3 National News. Broadcast soon after 6.00pm of public execution in China of a group of men described as criminals. Upheld (children's interests, violence). No order.
All Decisions
One Network News and the Midevening News. Commuter plane crash. Coverage included views of the crash site, recovery of the bodies by the ground crew, and interviews with company executives, passengers and the pilot's family. Not upheld (good taste and decency, fairness, accuracy, responsible programming).
60 Minutes. Item about the mother of three children who were killed by their father who then killed himself. Not upheld (balance).
Comedy Central. Skit parodied da Vinci's well-known painting of The Last Supper and other skits parodied child sponsorship advertisements and dog obedience classes. Further, a man was shown talking aggressively about a woman. Not upheld (good taste and decency, discrimination and denigration).
Rising Sun. Film contained a scene of sexual violence. Upheld (good taste and decency). No order.
One Network News. Item of sports news dealt with forthcoming day-night cricket game between New Zealand and Zimbabwe. A sign for DB beer was seen tied to the nets. Not upheld: majority (liquor).
One Network News. Item dealt with President Clinton's visit to Northern Ireland. Complaint that the coverage was biased and unbalanced in that it suggested that the death and destruction in Ulster over the past 25 years was solely the work of Catholic republican terrorists. Not upheld (accuracy, fairness).
Morning Report. Interview with the Acting Director of the Maori Health Research Centre in Wellington.dealt with report on the progress in dealing with social problems facing Maori. Exchanges with the presenter of the Maori bulletin. Interview by the same presenter with the Prime Minister in which the presenter had been accused by the Prime Minister of a lack of integrity. Not upheld: interview and exchanges (good taste and decency, discrimination and denigration). Declined to determine: interview by the same presenter with the Prime Minister.
Morning Report and news bulletins on National Radio and The Radio Network. Wellington nursing students claimed they were being used as slave labour while on work experience in hospitals. Item was updated in news bulletins on National Radio, and on The Radio Network, throughout the day. Not upheld: majority (balance, accuracy, fairness).
Radio Liberty midnight to 6.00am talkback show. Complainant telephoned the station and expressed his agreement with a sponsor's action in withdrawing its sponsorship following complaints they'd received about the show. The host said on air that the station had the technology to trace the complainant's call and made abusive and menacing comments towards the complainant. Upheld (fairness, responsible programming): action taken insufficient. No order.