BSA
Watchdog warns media laws need urgent upgrade
The chief of the country’s most powerful media watchdog says we need new laws now to hold media to account in future. The outgoing government had a plan for one single body to oversee rules for all… Video, Audio
The right to be wrong - even in a crisis
Dolphins mating in a prime-time TV documentary was deemed a breach of broadcasting standards this week by the broadcasting watchdog - but dismissing official information and experts on air during… Audio
Mediawatch: Mounting fake news prompts calls for action
Two government agencies have revealed mounting concern about the intensity and the impact of online misinformation - and prompted loud calls for government action. But behind the scenes the… Video, Audio
Why you can swear on bFM, but not on Morning Report
After flying under the radar for 25 years, student radio station bFM's expletive-laden BSA promo landed in front of the Authority. So why was the complaint not upheld?
RNZ challenged on turning stolen data into news
Unknown cyber-criminals sent stolen information to the media to pile on pressure to pay a ransom. RNZ subsequently aired a scoop sourced from it before a court ordered all media to dump the dodgy… Audio
Using te reo Māori not in breach of broadcasting standards
Using te reo Māori on air is not in breach of the country's broadcasting standards.
This comes from a recent Broadcasting Standards Authority decision following a complaint about TVNZ using te reo… Audio
Watchdog runs the numbers on Covid death claims
This week the broadcasting watchdog upheld a complaint that comments about Covid-19 death rates by Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking were misleading - and highlighted “the importance of data literacy” in the… Audio
Further fallout from Alan Jones and 'sock-gate' comments
Lots of listeners heard Alan Jones’s violent verbiage directed at Jacinda Ardern last week on the air in Australia, but the worst of it only hit headlines this week. Will the outcry run the… Audio
Watchdogs draw different conclusions on Christchurch gunman’s footage
The Broadcasting Standards Authority has sanctioned Sky TV for screening snippets of the gunman’s video of the Christchurch mosque attacks in March. But other broadcasters escaped censure here and in… Audio
Media commentator Gavin Ellis - toxic blogs
Gavin Ellis talks to Kathryn about the closure of whaleoil.net.nz, but says this won't be the last we see of toxic blogs. Audio
Broadcaster watchdog weighs up our attitudes to nudity on screen
Back in the day, nudity on TV was rare and the isolated sightings were almost national events. There's plenty of it available on-demand and on any device these days, but does it do us harm? The… Audio
Broadcasting watchdog targets ‘harm’
‘Freedom in Broadcasting without Harm’ is the newly-stated mission of our most powerful media watchdog. The BSA is also asking if broadcasting standards need to change after the Christchurch mosque… Audio
Mediawatch for 14 July 2019
World Cup coverage highlights off-pitch inequalities; broadcasting watchdog targets 'harm'; Mediaworks kills the video star; Audio
Broadcaster’s blurts breach standards of decency and discrimination
Newstalk ZB broadcaster Heather du Plessis-Allan has been censured for Pacific Island slurs in a ruling that contains uncharacteristically strong language from the official broadcasting watchdog. Audio
Media warned about sourcing stories from Social Media
The Broadcasting Standards Authority has just put out some guidelines for broadcasters on using images, videos and other content sourced from social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Audio
No facts in cleared National ad - BSA
A complaint against a National Party campaign ad parodying Labour's campaign motto has been dismissed by the BSA because the ad "clearly did not contain factual information".
Broadcasters warned over mining social media
New research from the broadcasting regulator has found that many New Zealanders willingly share stuff on social media,but they reckon broadcasters should get permission to use it. Is that realistic… Audio
Media freedom fears under new cyberbullying law
If they're not actually victimising people online, why should they worry? Should the new Harmful Digital Communications Act prompt a rethink of how news media exploit social media for stories… Audio
Bikers Bit of a Do
Scores of bikers ride their BSAs and Nortons, Indians, Harley Davidsons, Ducatis - you name it - to the Boyle Kawasaki shop in the Wellington suburb of Newtown. As well as the bikes, beards (mostly… Audio