BSA rules TVNZ and TV3 coverage of Electoral Finance Bill flawed

The Broadcasting Standards Authority has ruled, in two decisions, that coverage of the Electoral Finance Bill broke broadcasting standards.

Now before everyone in Labour breaks out the champagne, I have bad news for you.

The complaints of inaccuracy are about the fact TVNZ and TV3 said the initial Bill would outlaw secret and big donations. As most will know it did no such thing – there were no changes at all in the initial bill to donations to parties.

Now to be fair to TVNZ and TV3, they made the mistake of trusting the Minister, Mark Burton, who gave that impression at his press conference.  But regardless they should have checked.
I am amazed the broadcasters didn’t plead guilty – they tried to argue  that their story about big donors was referring to third parties, who are donors in some sort of generic sense.  It was a pathetic defence. In fact they should have run a correction at the earliest opportunity.

Big kudos to Steven Price who laid the complaint, especially as Steven became a supporter of the revised Bill. It’s a great example of putting the interests of accuracy first.

He also has an Press Council complaint in about the NZ Herald, complaining they didn’t make clear that the registration regime for third parties only is required if you spend over $12K, or over $1K in an electorate.