BSA upholds Campbell Live complaint

The Campbell Live show finished in May following a six-week review period that saw ratings climb. Photo / Greg Bowker

The Broadcasting Standards Authority has upheld a complaint about a Campbell Live episode about unresolved Canterbury earthquake insurance claims four years on from the first earthquake.

The episode was broadcast live on the fourth anniversary of the September 4 earthquake from a Christchurch school hall, with an audience of several hundred residents who had unresolved insurance claims.

The authority upheld the Insurance Council's complaint that the programme breached standards of balance and accuracy, because it did not include the insurance industry's perspective and was misleading about the industry's and the Insurance Council's willingness to take part in the programme.

The authority ordered the owner of TV3, MediaWorks, to broadcast a statement summarising the upheld aspects of its decision.

Comment was not immediately available from MediWorks.

The authority noted Campbell Live's reputation as a leading current affairs programme and that this item was of importance not only to the home owners in question but to New Zealanders generally.

"The difficulties Cantabrians still face as a result of the Canterbury earthquake ... are important issues and legitimate to investigate and report on," said the authority.

However, it found the programme would not have enabled viewers to arrive at an informed and reasoned opinion about the progress of the Canterbury recovery.

This was because "it did not adequately present an alternative view point to balance the story's overall message that the insurance industry was "substandard, lamentable and generally failing the people of Canterbury."

The authority said it was misleading for the programme to say that the insurance industry, and the chief executive of the Insurance Council in particular, were "not willing to front" as the council had clearly made offers to engage with the programme and to take part in a live interview.