Veitch off TV and radio

Within a few hours Tony Veitch has been taken off both TVNZ and Radio Network, due to allegations of assault against his former partner.

I am not surprised the broadcasters have made this call. I suspect many of their own staff would have been uncomfortable with just pretending nothing had happened.

Now of course we still don’t know how correct the allegations are, but just ignoring them isn’t viable. What I think sticks in most people’s craws is the possibility that a serious domestic assault did happen, and that there is no contrition or consequences over what happened – just a hush money settlement.

One has to avoid a lynch mob mentality, but there is a recognition that as a prominent TV and radio personality one can’t just avoid allegations that directly affect your credibility, when it involves alleged criminal behaviour.