Maori TV profanity complaint upheld

The BSA says the use of profanity during an episode of Hunting Aotearoa was unacceptable. Photo / supplied

A complaint made against the use of the c-word on a Maori Television reality programme has been upheld by the BSA.

The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has found that Hunting Aotearoa breached the good taste and decency standard during the episode which screened at 9.30pm on Thursday February 24.

During the programme one of the hunters featured in the programme said, "F**k, wonder if I should shoot the c**t now," in reference to his dog.

In response to a complaint, Maori Television apologised for the use of "such an offensive phrase" and said that it had taken steps to ensure that new episodes of the programme did not include "language of this nature".

The most offensive word had been edited out so that it would not be used if the programme were to be re-broadcast.

Maori Television also said that while it considered this kind of language was "a lamentable choice" it did not breach the good taste and decency standard when broadcast during an adults only timeslot.

The use of the language was also "well within Maori Television's right to freedom of expression," the broadcaster said.

The complainant referred the matter to the BSA saying that that Hunting Aotearoa was shown in an Adults Only timeslot because it involved killing animals, and that viewers would not have expected to hear such words on the programme.

In its decision the BSA said that research it conducted in 2010 indicated that 80 percent of people surveyed considered 'c**t' fairly or totally unacceptable in the context of a reality television programme, while 55 percent considered 'f**k' unacceptable in that context.

"Against that background, we consider that the hunter's remark in the absence of the word 'c**t' would likely have been consistent with the expectations of the programme's regular viewers," the BSA said.

"However, we consider that the inclusion of that word, which the research indicates is considered to be the most offensive, elevated the phrase to a different level, and that most viewers would have been surprised to hear it in the context of a jovial, light-hearted programme about hunting."

The BSA said that effect of the words was made worse by the fact that the programme was preceded by a warning for violence toward animals, but not for language, and that the hunter uttered the expletives in English, while the majority of the programme was in Te Reo.

"In our view, adult viewers would still have appreciated the meaning and tone of what the hunter was saying if the language had been censored. The broadcaster's right to freedom of expression would not be unduly restricted in this regard; it accepted in its response to the complainant that the broadcast of the comment was regrettable, and has taken steps to censor the language for future broadcasts of the episode," the BSA said.

- Herald Online staff