Broadcaster TVWorks has been ordered to pay a recycling
company almost $14,000 and the Crown $3000 in costs after an
item on Campbell Live alleged the company's plant was
unsanitary and rat-infested.
The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) found a story
about striking workers at the Paper Reclaim plant in
Auckland, broadcast on TV3 on July 6 2010, and a promo for
the item breached standards relating to accuracy and
fairness.
Introducing the item, host John Campbell said 25 striking
workers were claiming an extra dollar an hour to reward them
for hard work and loyalty, "and compensate them for the
rats".
"Now we haven't seen the rats because we weren't allowed in,
and we've used movie footage of rats in this story, but each
of the workers told us about them," Campbell said.
Numerous references to rats were made during the item and
movie footage of rats running around and squeaking was also
shown.
Paper Reclaim complained to TVWorks about the item saying
Campbell Live had relied on the unsubstantiated claims of a
small number of workers and had "over-dramatised a pay
dispute, by references to a rodent health problem, when no
such problem existed".
The union had acknowledged in a signed joint statement that
there was no rat problem, the company said.
TVWorks declined to uphold the complaints, saying workers had
told Campbell Live about the rats and that their working
conditions were the main reason they felt they should be paid
more.
There was no doubt the item was sympathetic to the workers
and presented in a manner that was "entertaining and
informing", TVWorks said.
However, it was clear that much of the "rat" footage was
something of a "send up" and the presentation was fair to the
company and its directors, TVWorks said.
Paper Reclaim had ample opportunity to provide a spokesperson
or a statement and a portion of the company's statement that
Campbell Live did receive was included in the story, TVWorks
said.
Paper Reclaim referred the matter to the BSA, which found the
item was misleading, because it depicted a serious rat
problem at the company's plant that the BSA was satisfied
"did not exist to the extent portrayed in the programme".
Numerous references to rats, "coupled with sensationalist
clips of masses of rats and audio of rats squealing, created
the clear impression for viewers that Paper Reclaim had a
serious rat problem", the BSA said.
While Campbell Live did include a statement from Paper
Reclaim, "this was overwhelmed by the excessive imagery and
references to rats throughout the story.
"We consider that no response from the company could have
countered the way this aspect of the story was presented to
viewers," the BSA said.
A complaint that the item also breached the privacy standard
was not upheld.
TVWorks was ordered to pay the company $13,742.20 costs, the
Crown costs of $3000 and to broadcast a summary of the
decision.
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