February 21, 2019
One sided news story fair enough
The Broadcasting Standards Authority has rejected a complaint from New Zealand Māori Council chair Sir Taihakurei Durie and his wife Donna Hall against a Māori Television news story.
The pair complained Te Kaea's reporting on a Court of Appeal judgment that established a new public interest defence in defamation proceedings misrepresented the findings.
It also failed to include their views on the outcome of the decision.
The authority says in news broadcasting complex situations facts will often be reduced to key points to convey the essence of the story to viewers, and it is not usually possible, or reasonable, for every detail to be included.
It found the broadcast accurately reported the essence of the Court of Appeal’s judgment and comment from the complainants was not required to be included in the item.
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