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The Authority has not upheld an accuracy complaint about a 1News segment on the dangers of crossing sand bars. In the segment, a Coastguard representative said, ‘We recommend crossing the bar at high or low tide, so we can try and take the current out of the equation’. The complaint alleged the recommendation to cross at low tide was ‘wrong’ and ‘dangerous’ and Coastguard were not an authoritative source regarding maritime matters. The Authority considered there were reasonable arguments for a finding the statement was not materially inaccurate in the context of the broadcast. The segment’s overall emphasis was on the dangers and complexity in crossing sand bars, and the statement addressed just one of several risk factors mentioned. In any event, the Authority found it was reasonable for the broadcaster to rely on information provided by the Coastguard representative on this topic. Not Upheld: Accuracy...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint a 1News item breached the discrimination and denigration, and accuracy standards by stating allegations of a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa were a ‘conspiracy theory’ and omitting to include footage shown by United States President Donald Trump to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Authority found the statement and omission of footage were not materially misleading because the ‘white genocide’ allegations have been repeatedly debunked and widely discredited, with numerous sources calling the allegations a ‘conspiracy theory’. The discrimination and denigration standard did not apply. Not Upheld: Discrimination and Denigration, Accuracy...

The Authority has declined to determine a complaint under the offensive and disturbing content standard, regarding a 1News football match preview which included a montage of crowd shots. The complaint was about a crowd shot where a Palestinian flag was visible. The Authority has declined to determine the complaint on the grounds it concerned matters of personal preference and did not raise issues of potential harm which required the Authority’s intervention. Declined to Determine (section 11(b) of the Broadcasting Act 1989 – in all the circumstances of the complaint, it should not be determined) Offensive and Disturbing Content...

The Authority has not upheld an accuracy complaint about a 1News segment that reported, ‘Many scientists are concerned the US Health Secretary's decision to pull funding for international vaccine development may increase hesitancy and also mean future pandemics are harder to stop. ’ The complainant alleged the broadcast was inaccurate and materially misleading because it did not specify that US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s decision ‘was specifically about mRNA vaccines’ and  background footage of protesters was irrelevant. While broadcasts can be misleading by omission, the Authority found the item in question was not materially misleading. The brief report centred on the scientific community’s response to Kennedy’s decision and clearly identified that Kennedy’s decision did not impact all vaccines. In this context, further detail about the type of vaccines affected was not material to viewers’ understanding of the broadcast....

The Authority has not upheld two complaints that it was inaccurate for a 1News reporter to state ‘[The International Court of Justice] so far has said it's plausible that genocide is happening on the ground in Gaza’. The complainants alleged the court’s ruling only stated Palestinians had plausible rights to be protected from genocide, rather than finding genocide was plausible. The Authority found the nature of the ICJ ruling represented a statement of fact to which the standard applied, but did not consider the statement was materially misleading taking into account the legal technicalities in the ruling and the subsequent clarification, the continued debate around the ICJ’s ‘plausibility’ test, and the context of the item. Not Upheld: Accuracy...

The Authority has declined to determine two complaints under multiple standards relating to segments of a 1News broadcast that concerned a pro-Palestinian protest in Auckland and developments in the Israel-Hamas conflict, and aid funding for Ukraine. The Authority found the complainant had not raised arguments relevant to the standards raised, had raised matters of personal preference, the relevant issues had been satisfactorily addressed in the broadcaster’s decisions on his complaints, and/or related to issues that have previously been dealt with and did not warrant further determination. Declined to Determine (section 11(b) of the Broadcasting Act 1989 – in all the circumstances the complaints should not be determined): Offensive and Disturbing Content, Promotion Of Illegal or Antisocial Behaviour, Discrimination and Denigration, Balance, Accuracy, Fairness...

The Authority has declined to determine a complaint that 1News’ ANZAC Day bulletin, which included coverage of Māori soldiers, the 28th Māori Battalion and a pre-recorded story by 1News’ Māori Affairs Correspondent, breached the discrimination and denigration, balance and fairness standards. The Authority considered the relevant content appropriate to the context of the broadcast, which marked the first ANZAC Day without a surviving member of the 28th Māori Battalion. It also found the complaint reflected the complainant’s own personal preferences on a matter for the broadcaster’s editorial discretion and did not raise any issues of broadcasting standards that warranted determination. Declined to determine (section 11(b), Broadcasting Act 1989 – in all the circumstances of the complaint, it should not be determined): Discrimination and Denigration, Balance, Fairness...

The Authority has declined to determine a complaint, under multiple standards, regarding two news items broadcast on Labour Day 2024: one about a protest against a proposed sewerage project and the other about commemoration of New Zealand’s Land Wars. Noting the complaint was not about content in the broadcasts but content the complainant wished to see included, the Authority found it related to editorial discretion and personal preference, which is not capable of being determined by a complaints procedure. The Authority considered that, in all circumstances of the complaint, it should not be determined by the Authority.   Declined to Determine (s 11(b) of the Broadcasting Act 1989 - in all circumstances): Promotion of Illegal or Antisocial Behaviour, Discrimination and Denigration, Balance, Accuracy, Privacy, Fairness...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint a 1News item on 80-year commemorations for D-Day breached the accuracy standard by stating that D-Day ‘was the turning point in the war against Nazi Germany’. The complainant considered this was inaccurate as D-Day was only the turning point for the Western Front, not the Eastern Front or World War II as a whole. The Authority found the alleged inaccuracy was not material to the segment, and would not have impacted audience’s understanding of the broadcast as a whole. Not Upheld: Accuracy...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint about an item on 1News about a spate of dog attacks in South Auckland. During the item’s introduction, an image of a black and white dog was depicted behind the presenter. The complainant said the image was of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier (‘Staffy) and its use may erroneously ‘encourage viewers to be fearful of Staffies, maybe even encouraging mistreatment’. The Authority found use of the image would not have caused viewers to fear or mistreat Staffies. The item did not suggest certain dog breeds are dangerous. The discrimination and denigration standard did not apply. Not Upheld: Discrimination and Denigration, Accuracy...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint a 1News item reporting the latest developments in the Middle East conflict and the end of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas breached the accuracy standard. The Authority found reasonable viewers were unlikely to be misled by neither the reporter’s brief statement that ‘Israel and Hamas have accused each other of breaching the January ceasefire’ nor the absence of further context. Not Upheld: Accuracy...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint regarding an item on 1News covering a Hobson’s Pledge campaign against bilingual road signage. The complaint was that the coverage was biased and unfair by suggesting feedback using the Hobson’s Pledge template was ‘bad’, trying to influence how people gave feedback, and only interviewing members of the public in support of bilingual signage. The Authority found the broadcaster provided sufficient balance and the item was not unfair, as Hobson’s Pledge was given an opportunity to comment, and its position was adequately presented in the item. The complaint did not identify any inaccurate statement or reasons why the item was inaccurate, and the discrimination and denigration standard did not apply. Not Upheld: Balance, Accuracy, Fairness, Discrimination and Denigration...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint about an item on 1News where a reporter repeatedly asked Winston Peters ‘Has the Prime Minister asked you to pull your head in? ’ The complainant alleged these comments were rude and biased. The Authority did not uphold the complaint as while some members of the audience may have found the questioning rude, it was within audience expectations of programmes such as 1News and was unlikely to cause widespread offence and distress. The discrimination and denigration standard did not apply. Not Upheld: Offensive and Disturbing Content, Discrimination and Denigration...

The Authority has upheld an accuracy complaint about a statement, ‘Public submissions for Phase Two of the Inquiry closes at midnight tonight’, in a 1News item reporting on the deadline for submissions to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned. The Authority found the statement was materially inaccurate as the correct deadline was the following night and, in the context of the broadcast, this was a material point of fact. The COVID-19 Inquiry’s communications regarding the deadline for public submissions could have been clearer, but TVNZ did not make reasonable efforts to ensure accuracy. It relied on information from official press releases and communications by the Inquiry but did not seek clarification of the ambiguous deadline from a relevant person/organisation....

The Authority has not upheld a complaint alleging a clarification broadcast by 1News, stating ‘Israel says it does not target civilians in any of its actions’, breached the accuracy standard because the statement was a ‘blatant inaccuracy’. The Authority found the broadcast did not state as fact that Israel does not target civilians. It accurately reported Israel’s official position and clearly attributed the statement to Israel. Not Upheld: Accuracy...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint that a 1News item on the government’s proposed amendments to expand citizen’s arrest powers, as part of its efforts to address retail crime, breached the balance standard. The complaint alleged the report ‘crossed the line’ into political bias by focusing on violent robberies and interviewees expressing concerns about increased danger and vigilantism, while failing to mention the proposed changes were intended to address incidents such as supermarket shoplifting. The Authority found the balance standard had not been breached as the item included significant perspectives on the government’s proposal, including comments from Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith’s announcement. It also noted the standard does not apply to the complainant’s concerns about bias. Not Upheld: Balance...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint that a 1News report breached the accuracy standard through its story about the Independent Police Conduct Authority’s findings concerning a fatal shooting. The complainant considered the story misleading for its emphasis on the shooting being ‘unjustified’ without further context, including regarding the ‘fine margin’ of the decision. When considered as a whole, the Authority found a reasonable viewer was unlikely to come away from the broadcast with a wrong idea or impression of the facts. Not Upheld: Accuracy...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint that a 1News item breached the accuracy standard by claiming a 24-hour period in October 2024 was Dunedin’s ‘wettest day in a century’. In the context of an almost 10-minute-long live broadcast reporting on a regional state of emergency, the comments did not amount to material points of fact. Their inclusion would not have affected viewers’ understanding of the overall item, as its purpose was to provide information to New Zealanders during a natural disaster. Furthermore, live reporting on extreme weather events carries high public interest, and this broadcast did not create harm at a level justifying restriction of the broadcaster’s freedom of expression. Not Upheld: Accuracy...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint about a 1News item reporting a leaked recording showed National MPs were ‘keen to pinch’ a Labour Party policy to improve financial conditions for retirement village residents ahead of the next general election. The complaint was that the item was unbalanced as neither the Retirement Villages Association (RVA) nor the sector were approached for comment regarding claims made in the item. The Authority found the focus of the 1News item was clearly political, highlighting the Government’s desire to address residents’ concerns before the next election, rather than claiming to be a balanced discussion of how retirement villages operate or the merits of Labour’s policy. In this context, the audience would not have expected a countering viewpoint to be presented from RVA or the sector. Not Upheld: Balance  ...