BSA releases two new decisions
The BSA today released two new decisions (with one complaint upheld and the other not upheld) about items on Seven Sharp, with both decisions highlighting the importance of political speech during the election period.
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You can read our media release on one of these decisions here.
The upheld complaint related to comments made by Mike Hosking about who was eligible to vote for the Māori Party, with the Authority finding that the comments were inaccurate and misleading. The Authority recognised the high value and public interest in political speech during the election period, but found that Mr Hosking’s comments were made at a critical time when voters required accurate information to help them make informed voting decisions.
The complaint that was not upheld related to an interview between Mike Hosking and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, on the day Ms Ardern became leader of the Labour Party. The Authority did not uphold the complaint that the interview was overly negative and unbalanced, finding that Ms Ardern was given a reasonable time to answer interview questions and could expect robust questioning during the election period.