As Press Council expands, is it time up for BSA?

The Press Council released:

Members of the NZ Press Council have decided to launch a new classification system and independent consumer complaints process for video-on-demand (VOD) programmes in New Zealand.

To reflect its growing multi-media role, the Press Council will also undergo a name change next year to New Zealand Media Council.

The new VOD system was developed in conjunction with local and international media organisations including TVNZ, Sky Television, Lightbox, Netflix, RNZ, Google YouTube Originals, Maori Television, MediaWorks, Stuff/Fairfax and NZME.

This is highly significant. The broadcasters a year ago wound up OMSA which dealt with their website content, and move it to the Press Council. Now the broadcasters and major Internet players are giving the Press Council coverage of VOD content complaints.

This means that almost all media content complaints are going to the Press Council except complaints about broadcast programmes. By law these go to the BSA. The BSA do a good job but they are appointed by the Government and I prefer media content regulation to be self-regulation not government regulators.

So with everything else having gone to the Press Council (now the Media Council) is it time to wind up the BSA (which would require a law change) and have all media complaints go to the Media Council? I prefer a single regulator model.