Kicking standards in the guts

The Government’s sudden decision to get rid of the Broadcasting Standards Authority kicks over another pillar of our hitherto highly regarded democracy.

The manner and comments of the Minister of Broadcasting in announcing the policy of self-regulation were tantamount to saying “let’s give this a go” with no real thought as to the consequences.

The mainstream media still has a vital role to play in informing and educating New Zealanders on what is really happening in our country and the wider world.  Having it subject to an official and impartial watchdog is a key part of maintaining standards of integrity and professionalism.    

The key word is “standards”, for without standards our few remaining serious broadcasters risk being reduced to nothing more than creators of click bait, promoters of sensationalism and generators of AI slop.   

One of the faults of the last Government was that whenever a serious issue came up it set up committees and commissions to examine them and then either ignored the advice given or were too slow to make decisions and act.   Now it seems the pendulum has swung completely.   Rather than embark on a root and branch revision of the 37 year old legislation covering the BSA there’s a lazy decision to get rid of it.

As a former manager of Public Affairs in Government departments and agencies I spent decades interacting with all sections of the media.   For example, when it came to constructing contracts for Police reality tv programmes the first thing we turned to were the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s standards.    Under my watch we continued to apply the standards yardstick when issues came up with programme suppliers.

The current standards were codified in 2022 in eight well honed standards covering social responsibilities, balanced and accurate reporting and privacy and fair treatment.

The value of the standards doesn’t  lie as much in the penalities for breaches as in the necessary guidance they provide to Editors and Managers within the wider system.

While the self regulated Advertising Standards Authority and Media (formerly Press) Council perform useful functions they lack the independence of the Broadcasting Standards Authority. 

The Government’s hasty decision to save a modest amount of taxpayer dollars (around $1 million per annum) cloaked in a level playing field may well be one they come to rue.   Ponder too on what might become of the BSA’s standard and code on election programmes; another chapter perhaps in this developing saga.....