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Summary[This summary does not form part of the decision. ] A segment on Seven Sharp featured an interview between Mike Hosking and Jacinda Ardern on the day Ms Ardern became leader of the Labour Party. Mr Hosking questioned Ms Ardern about the state of the Labour Party and her leadership credentials, and also commented on what he believed to be the ‘chaotic’ state of the Labour Party and its chances of winning the 2017 General Election. The Authority did not uphold a complaint that the segment was unbalanced and inaccurate, finding that the broadcaster provided sufficient balance by allowing Ms Ardern a reasonable amount of time to answer the interview questions. The Authority also noted the significant amount of coverage the leadership change received during the period of current interest....

Complaint under section 8(1B)(b)(i) of the Broadcasting Act 1989Fair Go Ad Awards – two teams of advertisers were asked to “sell us Quade Cooper for New Zealand’s next Prime Minister” during live advertising awards – included comments such as, “everyone hates Quade Cooper” – allegedly in breach of fairness and discrimination and denigration FindingsStandard 6 (fairness) – piece was intended to be light-hearted and humorous, rather than malicious or abusive – presented in the spirit of good-natured ribbing and team rivalry – Mr Cooper not treated unfairly – not upheld Standard 7 (discrimination and denigration) – standard only applies to sections of the community, not individuals – not upheld This headnote does not form part of the decision....

Complaint under section 8(1B)(b)(i) of the Broadcasting Act 1989MasterChef New Zealand – contestants used the words “crapping” and “pissed off” – allegedly in breach of good taste and decency standard FindingsStandard 1 (good taste and decency) – language was low-level and would not have offended most viewers in the context of a PGR programme – not upheld This headnote does not form part of the decision. Introduction [1] During the final episode of MasterChef New Zealand, references to “crapping myself” and “crapping yourself” were made by one of the contestants and one of the judges, and another contestant said she was “pissed off with [herself]” for forgetting important ingredients. The episode was broadcast at 7. 30pm on TV One on 12 June 2012. [2] Janet Lockyer made a formal complaint to Television New Zealand Ltd, the broadcaster, alleging that the language was offensive and unacceptable....

Summary [This summary does not form part of the decision. ]At the end of a One News weather segment, the weather presenter made reference to ‘bejewelled, corpulent, affluent tourists with big fat wallets’ in relation to a photo of a cruise ship. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that the comment was inaccurate and in poor taste. While derogatory, it did not reach the threshold for threatening current norms of good taste and decency. The comment was an off-the-cuff remark delivered in a light-hearted tone, without invective, and was obviously intended to be humorous. Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency, Accuracy, Discrimination and DenigrationIntroduction[1] At the end of a One News weather segment, the weather presenter showed an image of a cruise ship anchored in Hawkes Bay, saying: …they’re not disgorging logs; they’re disgorging bejewelled, corpulent, affluent tourists with big fat wallets....

Summary [This summary does not form part of the decision. ] An episode of Seven Sharp included a short round-up of things that had recently ‘caught the attention’ of the presenters, including cheese ‘made of milk with human toe jam and belly button bacteria’. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that this was offensive and breached standards of good taste and decency. While some viewers would have found the subject matter unpleasant and distasteful, it did not threaten current norms of good taste and decency to an extent which breached the standard. Not Upheld: Good Taste and Decency Introduction [1] An episode of Seven Sharp included a short round-up of things that had recently ‘caught the attention’ of the presenters. Commenting on a picture of a round of cheese, one presenter said: This cheese might look delicious – like a good aged brie perhaps. Wrong....

Complaint under section 8(1B)(b)(i) of the Broadcasting Act 1989Country Calendar – showed footage of young woman setting a leg-hold trap and moving behind a tree to kill a possum – allegedly in breach of good taste and decency standardFindingsStandard 1 (good taste and decency) – footage was extremely brief and did not show anything graphic or gruesome as possum was killed off-screen – showed pest control as a normal part of rural life – acceptable in context – not upheld This headnote does not form part of the decision. Introduction [1] Country Calendar, an iconic New Zealand series about people living off the land in rural areas, showed footage of a young woman setting a leg-hold trap before moving behind a tree to kill a possum (the actual killing was not shown). The episode was broadcast on 6 April 2013 at 7pm on TV One....

Download a PDF of Decision No. 1991-019:Seymour and Television New Zealand Ltd - 1991-019 PDF1015. 04 KB...

Download a PDF of Decision No. 1993-006:Bertram and Television New Zealand Ltd - 1993-006 PDF223. 26 KB...

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 that a TVNZ news report concerning an Israeli military operation in the Occupied West Bank breached the balance and accuracy standards. The Authority found the balance standard was not breached as the requirement to present additional perspectives is reduced for programmes narrowly focused on one aspect of a larger complex matter, and the audience could reasonably be expected to be aware of significant context and viewpoints from other media coverage.  While noting the balance standard is not directed at bias, the Authority also identified no bias in the language used in the broadcast. The Authority also found reasonable viewers were unlikely to be misled by the content, language used or absence of further context. Not Upheld: Balance and Accuracy...

The Authority has not upheld a complaint that a segment on 1News about Oranga Tamariki-run bootcamps breached the balance standard. The complainant considered the 1News reporter’s attitude, questioning and body language evidenced a ‘left bias’ and ‘a fair representation of the story’ was not given. The Authority found the balance standard was not breached as the broadcast presented sufficient viewpoints and the audience could reasonably be expected to be aware of additional perspectives from other media coverage. The Authority noted the standard does not direct how questions should be asked or require news to be presented without bias. Not Upheld: Balance...

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...

An item on 1 News covering COVID-19 vaccination mandate protests disrupting Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s engagements showed a protester claiming the Pfizer vaccination was ‘experimental until 2023’. The complainant argued the item lacked balance as it did not clarify that the views expressed by the protester were their own, or include any counter views from an expert. The Authority found the balance standard did not apply as the broadcast did not amount to a relevant ‘discussion’ of the issue which the complainant alleged was unbalanced (the safety of the Pfizer vaccine). Not Upheld: Balance...

The Authority has upheld an accuracy complaint from John Minto on behalf of Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa about 1News’ reporting of violence that unfolded in Amsterdam surrounding a football match between the local team Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv. The reporting comprised a pre-ad-break trailer reporting ‘antisemitic violence’, an introduction by the presenter which included a montage of ‘disturbing’ footage of violence described by Amsterdam’s mayor as ‘an explosion of antisemitism’, and a pre-recorded BBC item. The broadcaster upheld one aspect of the complaint, relating to mischaracterised footage used in the trailer and introduction, which was originally reported as showing Israeli fans being attacked, but later corrected by Reuters and other outlets to indicate it showed Israeli fans chasing and attacking one Dutch man....

A segment on Seven Sharp reported on an electric tugboat named ‘Sparky’ going to meet the first cruise ship to come to Auckland following the COVID-19 pandemic. Sparky was described as ‘the world’s first fully electric ship-handling tug,’ which the complainant alleged was inaccurate. While the Authority acknowledged that this detail was likely technically inaccurate, in the context of a human interest piece focused on Sparky’s mechanical features, it found this was unlikely to significantly affect viewers’ understanding of the item as a whole. Not Upheld: Accuracy...

The Authority has not upheld two complaints about an interview on Q+A with Jack Tame with recently-appointed Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, covering a wide range of topics. One complaint alleged Tame was rude and disrespectful in his interviewing style and showed ‘complete disregard for the position of the country's Prime Minister’. The other complaint alleged comments made by Tame about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s strengths particularly in the foreign policy sphere (including that she appeared on the cover of Vogue and had ‘soft power’) amounted to ‘misogyny’ by suggesting this was due to her looks, and reflected ‘bigoted views towards women’. The Authority found Tame’s interview style and questioning did not go beyond the level of robust scrutiny or challenge that could reasonably be expected in an interview with the Prime Minister on issues of high public importance....

The Authority has not upheld a complaint alleging a 1News item on a Donald Trump campaign rally breached the promotion of illegal or antisocial behaviour standard. The complaint was that the item portrayed Trump, his supporters and the Trump campaign in a positive light, while failing to mention his participation in election denial; as a result, the segment could encourage some viewers to participate in election denial. The Authority found this was a straightforward news item covering Trump’s campaign rally, before offering typical political commentary from the US Correspondent on Trump’s election chances. The broadcast did not promote or glamorise illegal or antisocial activity, nor encourage New Zealand voters to engage in election denial. Not Upheld: Promotion of Illegal or Antisocial Behaviour...

BEFORE THE BROADCASTING STANDARDS AUTHORITY Decision No: 1996-160 Dated the 21st day of November 1996 IN THE MATTER of the Broadcasting Act 1989 AND IN THE MATTER of a complaint by SIEGFRIED BAUER of Raetihi Broadcaster TELEVISION NEW ZEALAND LIMITED J M Potter Chairperson L M Loates R McLeod A Martin...

BEFORE THE BROADCASTING STANDARDS AUTHORITY Decision No: 1997-071 Dated the 19th day of June 1997 IN THE MATTER of the Broadcasting Act 1989 AND IN THE MATTER of a complaint by ROBERT TERRY of Reefton Broadcaster TELEVISION NEW ZEALAND LIMITED J M Potter Chairperson L M Loates R McLeod A Martin...