KEY POINTS:
TVNZ has been accused of trying to change history after cutting an embarrassing gaffe from its Olympic highlights.
A mistake by rowing commentator Peter Montgomery has been removed from the coverage so that it appears he correctly called the result of Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell's gold medal row.
In an edited clip that screened last Saturday, Montgomery triumphantly calls the win as it happens, crying "New Zealand have won it. It's black to gold."
In the full version, he calls the twins in third place after mistaking their lane number for their final placing.
TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards said the clip was edited to focus on the twins' achievement in the double sculls, rather than the mistake by Montgomery.
But media analysts said the edit was a "cheap trick" designed to cover up Montgomery's mistake.
Canterbury University head of journalism Jim Tully said the gaffe was a "Minties moment" that should have been saved for posterity.
He said it was a shame the drama of the moment had been cleaned up to cover TVNZ's embarrassment.
Those who watched live will remember the nail-biting wait for results after the race finished too close to call. Even the twins did not know they had won until a photo finish revealed they had pipped the Germans by one-hundredth of a second.
"While they may not want his (Montgomery's) inept call to be part of history, it's slightly dishonest to edit it out," said Mr Tully.
"In many ways it shows his lack of confidence in calling the final moments of what was a very important race."
AUT head of journalism Martin Hirst said the move was a "cheap trick" that crossed the line of acceptable editing.
"If they're prepared to do that over this fairly minor thing, where will they stop?" he said.
Dr Hirst said the edited highlights would be the version of the coverage that went down in history. "They've erased an Olympic moment, and it's sad that they felt the need to do that," he said.
But Ms Richards said it was not uncommon for audio tracks to be "tidied up".
In an emailed statement, she said TVNZ was not trying to hide Montgomery's mistake. "Everyone knows that in the few seconds of confusion before the scoreboard showed the result, Peter Montgomery initially miscalled the race, so there was no intention to hide that," she said.
"However, on a race of this significance it was felt that repeating the error on the audio track would detract from the athletes' achievement and that the focus would be on the mistake in the commentary, rather than where it should be, which was on the win."
The highlights of the games, including the Evers-Swindells' gold medal, are available on TVNZ's website.
HISTORY GETS A REWRITE
How TVNZ edited the audio: (cut section in bold type)
The full version:
Peter Montgomery: Get your photo finish out. It's going to be tight as New Zealand's coming down to the line. And New Zealand's getting their bow out. New Zealand's getting in front. It's New Zealand getting in front. New Zealand ... Germany first, Britain second and New Zealand third.
Mike Stanley: No I think New Zealand and, and, they have, and they're going to the photo finish. They're going to the photo finish. I think the Germans may have just got there.
PM: Yep. They've got that wrong.
MS: They may have just got there. What a race from the twins. Oh, and they look across, they're waiting for confirmation. They don't know where it, here we have it.
PM: New Zealand is ... New Zealand is ... New Zealand is ...
MS: Oh!
PM: Could New Zealand have got there?
MS: Well, New Zealand may have got there.
PM: New Zealand may have got there. New Zealand. It's a photo finish, it's a fraction in it. New Zealand have won it! It's black to gold! Gold and gold again for Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell - women's double are now double Olympic champions. Gold at Shunyi, Beijing 2008.
The edited version:
PM: Get your photo finish out, it's going to be tight as New Zealand's coming down to the line. And New Zealand's getting their bow out. New Zealand's getting in front. It's New Zealand getting in front. New Zealand have won it! It's black to gold! Gold and gold again for Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell - women's double are now double Olympic champions.
