Graphic news items attacked

A viewers' group is upset that graphic news items are still being shown on One News at 6pm a year after TVNZ lost an appeal against a Broadcasting Standards Authority decision.

Viewers for Television Excellence (Vote) successfully defended the appeal by TVNZ last year, after the authority ruled that the broadcaster should have warned viewers before screening a graphic 6pm news item.

The item on July 5, 2003, was about children who had escaped the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda, and reported that as many as 20,000 children had been kidnapped over the last 17 years and tortured, mutilated, raped or forced to kill.

Vote said it was not acceptable for TVNZ to show such a distressing item at an hour when children could see it.

The broadcaster said young children did not usually watch the news alone, and that the item was not "gratuitous".

The authority upheld Vote's complaint but did not impose a penalty.

TVNZ appealed in the High Court at Wellington, but Justice John Wild decided that the objective of a warning before graphic images - to protect young viewers - was sufficiently important to warrant such a measure, even if it was perceived to be an infringement of the right to free expression.

Vote secretary Glenyss Barker said yesterday that a trend of graphic news portrayal was continuing despite TVNZ losing its appeal.

"We are very disappointed that TVNZ has basically disregarded what the judgment was."

Mrs Barker said 6pm was a time children were should be safe watching TV, but parents could be caught out if they were in the kitchen making dinner while their children were near the screen during graphic news items.

"If it's a very important news item, they could just mention it and tell viewers there would be a full report on the 10pm news."

She said TV3 and Prime were also guilty of showing graphic images early in the evening.

- NZPA