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TVNZ upholds Paul Henry complaint
By Steven | December 21, 2009
TVNZ’s complaints committee has found that Paul Henry breached the taste and decency standard with his comments on Susan Boyle on Breakfast last month. He giggled when reporting that she had been starved of oxygen at birth and said she was “retarded” and you could see it from her photograph. It’s worse when you see it.
This was probably a savvy move by TVNZ, as the BSA very probably would have decided the same thing.
I have to say, the thing I found most offensive was the say he cracked up all the way through the item, all the while protesting, entirely disingenuously, that it wasn’t funny.
A couple of issues remain though: whether the action taken by TVNZ after upholding the complaint (and it’s not clear from this report that they’ve taken any) was sufficient. And whether TVNZ may also have breached standards of fairness (I’m assuming at least one person complained under that ground). The BSA may yet have to consider this complaint.
Topics: Broadcasting Standards Authority | No Comments »
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