The makers of consumer affairs programme Target have been
ordered to broadcast an apology and pay the Crown $4000 after
being found guilty of airing a misleading and alarmist
episode on formaldehyde in clothing.
Target sparked a national outcry and a government probe in
August 2007 when it broadcast a programme which said testing
had found dangerous levels of formaldehyde in children's
clothing, with some test showing levels up to 900 times the
safe limit.
However, it later emerged Target used the wrong test --
testing clothing for total formaldehyde content rather than
for unbound "free" formaldehyde -- the amount of the chemical
that easily comes loose from the garment and is potentially
dangerous.
Target used the results from the total formaldehyde tests and
compared them against standards for free formaldehyde.
Top Shelf, the production company for the TV3 programme,
refused to apologise for the episode, saying it had raised
customer and government awareness of the issue.
A complaint was made to the Broadcasting Standards Authority,
saying the episode was inaccurate and misleading.
Complainant Raymond Gough also said the Target report was
damaging to New Zealand's reputation as a reliable and
trustworthy trading partner.
TV3 said the basic premise of the programme was accurate and
there were only "minor glitches in an overall success story".
The programme had raised awareness, and prompted the Ministry
of Consumers Affairs to launch a probe into the issue.
The authority found that by measuring the total formaldehyde
-- levels of the chemical both unbound and bound in the
clothing -- against the standard for free formaldehyde,
Target produced results that could not be validly compared to
international limits.
It said the broadcaster could have located the international
standards by doing its own research, and would have realised
by making that comparison, the programme would mislead
customers.
The authority upheld the complaint.
It said the broadcaster had failed to appreciate the
seriousness with which the authority viewed the breach of
broadcasting standards.
"This decision makes it clear that the programme was not an
overall success; rather the entire story was based on
inaccurate and invalid information and testing methods. The
results in the programme were not only meaningless, but
statements in the item would have unnecessarily alarmed
viewers."
The authority ordered Target broadcast its decision, and pay
$4000 to the Crown.
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