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ComplaintMost Wanted – music video – "Hey Boy Hey Girl" by The Chemical Brothers – depiction of two skeletons having sex – breach of good taste and decency – broadcaster not mindful of the effect of broadcast on young children FindingsStandard G2 – video acceptable in context for general audience – no uphold Standard G12 – unsuitable for children when broadcast at 9. 30am on Saturday morning – uphold No Order This headnote does not form part of the decision. Summary The music video "Hey Boy Hey Girl" by The Chemical Brothers, broadcast on TV3 during the programme Most Wanted at 9. 30am on 10 February 2001, depicted a young man and woman who morphed into skeletons and then back into humans. The skeletons appeared to be having sex....

Summary An interview with a bisexual author of erotic books was included in 60 Minutes broadcast on TV One on 31 October 1999 between 7. 30–8. 30pm. The woman described herself as "an amateur sexologist" and explained how she had become an expert on the subject of erotica. Mr Hausmann complained to Television New Zealand Ltd, the broadcaster, that the material was pornographic, breached the good taste standard and was unsuitable to be shown at a time when younger viewers could be watching. He also maintained that the item lacked balance because it did not show the serious downside of what he termed sexual addiction. TVNZ responded that the programme had profiled a New Zealand woman who had been approached by a publisher to produce a work on female erotica. It suggested that the complainant had made an unfair assumption by concluding that the woman had a sexual addiction....

Complaint under section 8(1B)(b)(i) of the Broadcasting Act 1989Intrepid Journeys – dancing champion Brendon Cole visited Vanuatu – locals told him how to kill a chicken using a slingshot – he could not manage to hit it and eventually killed it with his hands – allegedly in breach of good taste and decency and children’s interests standards FindingsStandard 1 (good taste and decency) – programme showed daily reality of a different culture and way of life – was clear that Mr Cole was upset about killing the chicken so viewers were not encouraged by the programme to kill animals in that manner – footage was not gratuitous in context – not upheld Standard 9 (children’s interests) – programme was correctly rated PGR – scene was signposted so parents could exercise discretion with regard to their children’s viewing – broadcaster adequately considered children’s interests – not upheld Standard 10 (violence) – footage did not…...

Summary [This summary does not form part of the decision. ]During The Edge Afternoons with Guy, Sharyn and Clint the hosts ran a segment called ‘Shaz Dog’s Love Shack’, where listeners could text and call in to ask for advice on love and relationships. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that ‘a discussion of sexual positions’ breached standards. The segment was consistent with the style of content and humour regularly broadcast on The Edge, and was unlikely to surprise or offend the target audience of 15- to 39-year-olds. Most of the content was in the nature of sexual innuendo and would have gone over the heads of younger listeners....

The Authority did not uphold a complaint under the good taste and decency standard about the use of the phrase ‘child pornography’ in a Newshub item reporting on the arrest of Sir Ron Brierley. The complaint was that the item should have instead referred to child sexual exploitation, as ‘pornography’ infers consent and normalises a terrible practice. The Authority acknowledged the complainant’s concerns about the use of appropriate terminology with regard to very serious criminal conduct against children, and noted that what is appropriate terminology is contested internationally among authorities and global agencies. The Authority also consulted the Digital Safety Team at the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), which deals with issues including countering child sexual exploitation. DIA advised that it does not use the phrase ‘child pornography’ and considers the term ‘child sexual abuse material’ most accurately describes the illegal material involving children....

Summary[This summary does not form part of the decision. ]The music videos for ‘Starboy’ by The Weeknd and ‘Sexual’ by Neiked were screened between 9pm and 10pm on MTV’s Top 20 Hits. The introduction to the music video for ‘Starboy’ featured singer The Weeknd being suffocated to death with a plastic bag. The music video for ‘Sexual’ featured a variety of animated sexual imagery, including animals having sex and a girl lifting her shirt to expose her breasts. The Authority did not uphold a complaint that these videos were offensive and disturbing. It recognised that the content was challenging and understood the complainant’s concerns regarding the graphic content of such music videos and their impact on young audiences. However, the videos were classified 16C and broadcast between 9pm and 10pm on a Sunday evening, and the programme featured an audience advisory for content....

The Authority has not upheld a complaint that a radio host’s description of a rugby match between the Blues and the Crusaders as ‘a battle of good versus evil’ breached broadcasting standards. The Authority found that the comment was used to describe a competitive sporting rivalry between the Blues and the Crusaders and in context it was not likely to cause undue distress or harm. The Authority determined that the comment was not unfair to the Crusaders as it was a general comment about the nature of the match, and that there was no identified section of the community for the purposes of the discrimination and denigration standard. The Authority also emphasised the importance of freedom of expression and the value of hearing the authentic New Zealand voice. Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Fairness, Discrimination and Denigration...

The Authority did not uphold a complaint under the good taste and decency standard about a brief segment on The Project displaying an image of a scented candle developed by celebrity Gwyneth Paltrow. The complaint was that the name of the candle was disgusting and vile and unnecessary to report on. The Authority acknowledged that this content could have been better signposted for viewers, and some may have been surprised by it and found it distasteful. However reporting the name of the candle in itself did not threaten standards of good taste and decency at a level which warranted limiting freedom of expression, taking into account the wider context of the broadcast. The segment reported on a real product available for sale and the item viewed in its entirety was consistent with audience expectations of The Project and its typical style of presentation and humour....

Complaint under section 8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1989Off the Wire – participants discussed a food outlet that had opened in a church – commented “the body of Christ does come with six grams of fat” – allegedly in breach of good taste and decency and denigratoryFindingsPrinciple 1 (good taste and decency) – in context, not indecent or in poor taste – not upheld Principle 7 (social responsibility) – item not critical of Christians or Christian practices – not upheldThis headnote does not form part of the decision. Broadcast [1] The participants in Off the Wire, broadcast on National Radio on 3 October 2004 at around 3:00 am discussed recent news events, including the opening of a food outlet in a New York church....

Complaint under section 8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 198960 Minutes – footage of teenagers committing animal cruelty offences – images of hedgehogs and ducks subjected to cruelty – allegedly in breach of good taste and decency, and children’s interestsFindingsStandard 1 – good taste and decency – contextual factors – not upheld Standard 9 – children’s interests – contextual factors, particularly warnings, were sufficient – not upheldThis headnote does not form part of the decision. Broadcast [1] TV3 broadcast an item on 25 July 2005 at 7. 30pm entitled “God’s Creatures”, as part of the 60 Minutes current affairs programme. The item covered the recent arrest of two people in Huntly for animal cruelty. The item also dealt with the suggested link between animal cruelty and subsequent violent offences against people. [2] The item reported that the teenagers had set fire to cages which had trapped two feral cats....

Complaint under section 8(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 19893 News Special – programme entitled “Let Us Spray” – discussed some of the issues surrounding the manufacture of chemicals at the Dow Chemical plant in Paritutu – showed images of babies born with various deformities – allegedly in breach of good taste and decency and children’s interests Findings Standard 1 (good taste and decency) – contextual factors – not upheld Standard 9 (children’s interests) – subject matter easily recognisable as being appropriate for adults – clear and sufficient warnings immediately prior to images being shown – not upheld This headnote does not form part of the decision. Broadcast [1] A 3 News Special entitled “Let Us Spray” was broadcast at 7pm on 23 October 2006. The programme discussed some of the issues surrounding the manufacture of chemicals – particularly 2,4,5T – at the Dow Chemical plant in Paritutu....

Complaints under section 8(1B)(b)(i) of the Broadcasting Act 1989House of Noizz – host made derogatory comments about “an ex-member of the family”, the mother of his named nephew – allegedly in breach of standards relating to good taste and decency, privacy, accuracy, fairness, discrimination and denigration, and responsible programmingFindingsStandard 6 (fairness) – host abused his position by making comments that were insulting and abusive to AB – AB made repeated attempts to stop the content being broadcast – AB treated unfairly – upheld Standard 3 (privacy) – AB identifiable for the purposes of the privacy standard because limited group of people who could potentially identify her may not have been aware of any family matter – however host’s comments were his opinion and did not amount to private facts – not upheld Standard 1 (good taste and decency) – hosts’ comments would not have offended or distressed most listeners in context –…...

Complaint under section 8(1B)(b)(i) of the Broadcasting Act 1989Masterchef NZ – three teams shown taking part in cooking competition – all teams used fresh crayfish as an ingredient – live crayfish shown accidentally being dropped onto the floor –one contestant placed three live crayfish into boiling water – allegedly in breach of good taste and decency, responsible programming, children’s interests and violence standardsClose Up – item on how to kill a crayfish correctly – interviewed the Masterchef NZ judge and contestant who boiled the crayfish – using a live crayfish the chef showed viewers how to kill it humanely – allegedly in breach of good taste and decency, responsible programming, children’s interests, and violence standards FindingsStandard 1 (good taste and decency) – contextual factors – not upheld Standard 8 (responsible programming) – Masterchef NZ correctly classified G – Close Up was an unclassified news and current affairs programme – neither programme required…...

ComplaintOff the Wire – radio comedy – National Radio – reporting relating masturbation to religion – offensive FindingsPrinciple 1, Guideline 1a – not offensive in context – no uphold This headnote does not form part of the decision. Summary [1] Off the Wire, a radio comedy, was broadcast live on National Radio at 12. 15pm on Sunday 4 August 2002. A participant in the programme related an item that had previously been reported in the media in the United States. He stated: "A Sunday school teacher was convicted of a misdemeanour for counselling a teenage boy that a good way to curb his masturbation habit was to write ‘what would Jesus do’ on his penis". [2] Janet Armstrong complained to Radio New Zealand Ltd, the broadcaster, about the nature of the item. She described it as highly offensive to Christians and other listeners....

Summary[This summary does not form part of the decision. ]A promo for Face Off, a reality competition show in which the contestants are special effects make-up artists, screened during the animated movie Chicken Run. The Authority upheld a complaint that the promo breached standards of good taste and decency. The promo’s images of gory and wounded prosthetic body parts went beyond audience expectations of a G-rated family movie and were likely to distress child viewers. The Authority however did not agree that the images showed ‘violence’ or violent acts as envisaged by the violence standard. Upheld: Good Taste and DecencyNot Upheld: ViolenceOrder: Section 16(4) $500 costs to the CrownIntroduction[1] A promo for Face Off, a reality competition show in which the contestants are special effects make-up artists, screened during Chicken Run, an animated family movie which was rated G (for general audiences)....

Summary[This summary does not form part of the decision. ]A radio play, Playing With Fire, was broadcast on RNZ National on 22 and 26 February 2017, around the time of the Port Hills fires in Christchurch. The play followed a family as they were evacuated from their home in rural Canada due to a forest fire. The focus of the story was the struggling relationship between married couple Judy and Arnold, and its effect on their son, Daniel (who was described as having learning difficulties). The Authority did not uphold a complaint that the broadcast of this play, around the time of the Port Hills fires, was in poor taste. Programme selection and scheduling decisions were ultimately at the discretion of the broadcaster, and the Authority recognised the high value of the fictional work in terms of the right to freedom of expression....

BEFORE THE BROADCASTING STANDARDS AUTHORITY Decision No: 1998-076 Decision No: 1998-077 Dated the 23rd day of July 1998 IN THE MATTER of the Broadcasting Act 1989 AND IN THE MATTER of complaints by ALICE HALLIWELL of Auckland Broadcaster TELEVISION NEW ZEALAND LIMITED S R Maling Chairperson L M Loates R McLeod J Withers...

Summary A song entitled Closer by the group Nine Inch Nails which was broadcast by 9inety6ixdot1 on 2 February 1999 at around 5pm contained the lyrics "I want to fuck you like an animal". Mr Calver of Auckland complained to 9inety6ixdot1, the broadcaster, that the lyrics were inappropriate to be broadcast, as they offended against the observance of good taste and decency. He also complained that the lyrics had "connotations of a certain level of violence" which was inappropriate for the time of the day the song was broadcast. 9inety6ixdot1 denied that the lyric "I want to fuck you like an animal" encouraged violence. It contended that the lyric "must be read – and heard – in relation to the station’s intended audience" and, therefore, that it complied with the good taste standard in the context of its audience....

Summary A line from the movie American Anthem which included offensive language was the subject of a complaint. In the movie, two gymnasts fall in love and deal with stressful personal lives, while training for the US national team trials. The movie was broadcast on TV2 on 10 October 1999 beginning at 12. 00pm. Kellie Watkins complained to Television New Zealand Ltd, the broadcaster, that the language was inappropriate for the time of broadcast. TVNZ upheld the complaint as a breach of standards G2 and G12. As a consequence, it reported that the movie was reclassified AO, so that future broadcasts in PGR time would be prevented unless the film was cut. TVNZ also apologised to Ms Watkins and her household. Ms Watkins contended that TVNZ’s action in response to the upheld complaint was inadequate....