Broadcasting Standards Authority finds Mike Hosking’s election comments about the Māori Party inaccurate and misleading

Written By: - Date published: 6:15 am, December 20th, 2017 - 56 comments
Categories: broadcasting, democracy under attack, democratic participation, maori party, Media, tv - Tags:

https://twitter.com/melulater/status/942940414671077376

The BSA summary:

During an item on Seven Sharp, broadcast on 23 August 2017 during the election period, the presenters discussed TVNZ’s ‘Vote Compass’, a tool available to assist the New Zealand public to make voting decisions. In response to comments by presenter Toni Street about the usefulness of the tool, presenter Mike Hosking said, ‘…so is the fact that you can’t vote for the Māori Party because you’re not enrolled in the Māori electorate, so what are you going to do now? I’m joking.’

The following evening, Mr Hosking attempted to clarify his comment by saying, ‘Now, the fact that anyone can vote for [the Māori Party] as a list party I automatically assumed we all knew given we have been doing this for 20 years…’

The Authority upheld a complaint that Mr Hosking’s comments were inaccurate, finding that Mr Hosking’s statement about who was eligible to vote for the Māori Party was a material point of fact that was inaccurate and misleading. Further, his comments the following evening were confusing and insufficient to correct the inaccurate information for viewers.

The Authority acknowledged the high value of political expression during an election period, but found that the potential harm in this case – providing inaccurate information which had the potential to influence voters, despite the alleged clarification – outweighed the broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression.

https://twitter.com/Mitch_NZ/status/942897040454950912

https://twitter.com/MJWhitehead/status/942976443700494336

 

56 comments on “Broadcasting Standards Authority finds Mike Hosking’s election comments about the Māori Party inaccurate and misleading ”

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  1. Sanctuary 1
    20 December 2017 at 6:28 am

    A fine bookend to a rubbish show.

    • cleangreen 1.1
      20 December 2017 at 7:25 am

      Well said Sanctuary 100% post.

      • jcuknz 1.1.1
        20 December 2017 at 10:14 am

        Why do folk waste their time watching this rubbish? I gave TV away when I was required to get a different set to continue .. what was that eight twelve years ago ?

        • cleangreen 1.1.1.1
          20 December 2017 at 12:18 pm

          Your’e a rock jcuknz.

          You have our respect for this,

          Pity many other’s dont do this to.

          Then the media might clean up their act from being a biased tumpet mostly just for the broken national party.

          • veutoviper 1.1.1.1.1
            20 December 2017 at 12:30 pm

            Cleangreen – this is totally unrelated to this post, but thought you might want to watch/listen to this video of Shane Jones’ speech this morning in the Second Reading of the Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill.

            At about 5 mins in, Jones makes a promise re the regional fund and the reopening of the Wairoa to Napier railway.

            I don’t want to derail etc this post/thread; simply wanted to get this to you in particular and did not want to lose this on Open Mike etc.

            https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=197972

            • cleangreen 1.1.1.1.1.1
              20 December 2017 at 8:34 pm

              Thanks veutoviper.

              Apreciate this as I missed the beginning of the speeches and now you have given it to me to diseminate.

              Thank you very much.

              Hope we open all the way to Gisborne so we can connect to Muripara 70kms of easy land access from behind above Gisborne at Te Karaka and south of Rere through a small hill and down alongside the valley road to Murupara and Galitea then to Kawerau to Tauranga and up to the Rotorua main truck line, to finally complete our long awaited East coast rail line.

              All plans formerly plotted by surveyers since 1911 through to 1939 but the second world war got in the way then and was never finished.

              Merry xmas.

              • veutoviper …
                21 December 2017 at 10:43 am

                You are welcome. I did not watch the full second reading speeches and decided to just see what Jones had to say on the Bill via the Parliamentary TV On demand recordings.

                His promise re the Wairoa – Napier Railway was really a tangent to his overall speech – and stuck out as something that should be noted and recorded for future reference if needed by those who are affected/active in the future of the railways up that way. I am a Wellingtonian* and not really one of those, but immediately thought of you.

                * but have a fondness for that part of the country having worked with Meka Whaitiri and others from that region for some years.

                All of the second reading speeches on the Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill are available on demand at the NZ Parliament website if you want to see them during the political hiatus of the next month or so.

                To save you having to find them here is one (filtered) link which lists and provides individual links to them all for you:

                https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?keyword=Te+Rohe+o+Te+Wairoa+Claims+Settlement+Bill&from=&to=&subject=&person=&stage=

                Kia kaha

  2. Ad 2
    20 December 2017 at 6:35 am

    We need to find the leftie version of Mike Hosking.

    With Hosking and Leighton gone, the rightists are weak.

    Where is the tough new contender?

    • tc 2.1
      20 December 2017 at 7:01 am

      Bradbury is closest IMO if he wasn’t so unhinged at times in his delivery which turns off those he needs to be listening.

      You need an environment for them where none exists unless TVNZ gets tipped on its head and cleaned out of nactiods.

      • cleangreen 2.1.1
        20 December 2017 at 7:34 am

        TC well said;

        RNZ “needs to be tipped on its end and cleaned out of nactiods.”

        Yes RNZ first needs CEO Tommpson gone by lunch he is a national party activist.

        He has closed down many regional reporters including palmerston north, napier, and gisborne;

        So the whole central north island hinterland now has no regional reporters now yesterday this was confirmed by our calling RNZ – shameful loss of our rights to our voices on public taxpayer media, this must be remedied.

        This was a purely poitical move to silence national Party critics. Criminal move he did here.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 2.2
      20 December 2017 at 7:32 am

      Stephanie Rogers and Robert Reid are quite impressive. John Campbell…

      • Whispering Kate 2.2.1
        20 December 2017 at 10:12 am

        Karyn Haye and Andrew Fagan – or Karyn and David Slack.

      • Ad 2.2.2
        20 December 2017 at 10:54 am

        If Stephanie can build herself out of the standard Wellington enclaves and get a regular syndicated show on either radio or tv1 then that would be a breakthrough.

    • cleangreen 2.3
      20 December 2017 at 9:42 am

      Martyn Bradbury is a perfect replacement using a left wing ‘tough contender?

      He has long been at the coal face of attacks from the right and even dirty politics under Key administration so he is tough especially as he was threatened to be raided by the police and beat that off with a legal case.

    • Ed 2.4
      20 December 2017 at 9:54 am

      Bradbury.

    • McFlock 2.5
      20 December 2017 at 4:28 pm

      Hell no. We need to find a decent media commentator, rather than someone who will blatantly make shit up to support their party of choice.

      Reality’s liberal bias will take care of the rest.

  3. tc 3
    20 December 2017 at 6:57 am

    Long after any damage was done and no financial sting against TVNZ (the employer responsible) so where’s the incentive to not do this again ?

    its a rhetorical question and Hoskins knew exactly what and why he was doing it also that there’d be zero comeback personally on him.

    Curran needs to sort this out or be moved on if Labour are serious about a more level msm playing field.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 3.1
      20 December 2017 at 7:39 am

      It’s that famous disappearing personal responsibility on display again.

      Bit of a moot point with Hoskings gone. I’m struggling to see what Curran can do that the National Party can’t destroy at the first opportunity.

      • tc 3.1.1
        20 December 2017 at 4:01 pm

        On that basis OAB you do nothing and hope for the best, that’s not why people voted the nacts out as change was being asked for.

        Of course they’ll have a go but if you look across the ditch you’ll see how you can entrench public broadcasting you’ll see it’s quite doable. Does labour/NZF have the will ?

        Curran needs to get on with reforming TVNZ/RNZ and put some financial penalties on breaches like this egregious one from the Hosk or be moved on as useless.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 3.1.1.1
          21 December 2017 at 12:30 pm

          Oh I’m not saying do nothing. Just wondering if there’s anything that can be done that the National Party cannot destroy. I like your optimism though, and it’s certainly worth the effort.

    • cleangreen 3.2
      20 December 2017 at 7:45 am

      Agreed TC you are correct.

      We have sent several emails over the weeks past, and no response has came back to us yet from Clare Cullan.

      Except from Her parliamentary secretary saying quote

      “it is inappropriate for the minister to become involved with RNZ as this is a operational manner” unquote”

      Sad state of affairs we are now in, when our Minister of broadcacting apparently ‘cannot become involved with changing our public media platform that has been controllled by national party members’ now. so wrong.

      this now must change; –

      We demand + need change now Clare Curran we voted for change!!!!!!!!.

      Bring us our democracy back and our rights to speak out with our community’s concerns again.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 3.2.1
        20 December 2017 at 8:31 am

        It isn’t a “sad state of affairs”. Independent media are essential to democracy.

        If the Minister should get involved in operational matters it would be grounds for her resignation.

        I expect there will be some changes in personnel at RNZ’s board of governors.

        Now call me a neoliberal shill, it’ll make you feel all cosy.

        • red-blooded 3.2.1.1
          20 December 2017 at 9:08 am

          Absolutely right, OAB. If it’s OK to demand more identifiably left voices on the airwaves it’s OK for the right to do the same and our national media becomes a political football and a means of indoctrinisation. We don’t have to like all viewpoints expressed on RNZ or TVNZ; we just have to support balanced reporting and a range of viewpoints being explored. Claire Curran should certainly not interfere in operational matters.

        • cleangreen 3.2.1.2
          20 December 2017 at 9:56 am

          Funny OAB we never saw you demanding Steven Joyces removal from his office during his involvement with the media through his administration the the broadcasting agancy within MBIE so he was involved in the media through that portfilio.

          He carefullly ‘disguised the connection’ but we know instrctively he was “infuencia” in installing his man Paul Thompson as CEO within RNZ who has since stripped the ‘ballance’ you seek from the network.

          But we have some confidence & hope Clare Curran will follow along the same lines as ‘Joyce; did to place labour’s own policies as equal again, rather than the tired old repetitive useless policies of National.

          Dont fear you right wingers RB/OAB, as we will see RNZ toll over RNZ who does not show any “balance” to remove the planted remains of National clingons, and place RNZ again as a true balanced fair broasdcaster of public affairs.

          • marty mars 3.2.1.2.1
            20 December 2017 at 10:50 am

            Lol rb and oab are not right wingers you doofus. Try arguing your point of you have one rather than being very silly.

            Balance isn’t doing what those we don’t like or respect do – that approach is doomed to failure in so many ways.

            • Bill 3.2.1.2.1.1
              20 December 2017 at 11:20 am

              And yet…”fundy”. Hmm.

              • marty mars …
                20 December 2017 at 11:31 am

                Pity youre so small minded you can’t let it go eh – must be awesome never having made a mistake but we can’t all be saintly white like you Bill.

                [Take the day off marty. The on-going level of snark in your commentary has become too tiresome for me to be bothered fielding.] – Bill

                [I’m pretty unhappy to see this degree of unnecessary snark too. You’re better than this marty, and authors shouldn’t be having to deal with these kinds of comments. – weka]

            • cleangreen 3.2.1.2.1.2
              20 December 2017 at 12:34 pm

              We need to respond to your outburst MM

              If it sounds like a dog and barks like a dog; – it is a dog.

              We rest our case.

      • jcuknz 3.2.2
        20 December 2017 at 10:22 am

        The amusing thing is that right-wingers over at KB consider that RNZ is a hotbed of socialism, and it does appear to be from my viewpoint too… such a shame it has descended to its current state of unprofessional incompetence compared to when I joined BCNZ years ago.

  4. dv 4
    20 December 2017 at 8:23 am

    Hosking having a whine

    I was only joking!!!

    My Christmas gift from the BSA, the Broadcasting Standards Authority, is I misled the nation. Sorry nation, I misled you.

    I didn’t of course, but they don’t have a sense of humour, or indeed any understanding of the realities of broadcasting, like you shouldn’t take everything literally.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11962974

    BSA should release a statement

    Haha Mike, were only joking.
    Where is your sense of humour.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 4.1
      20 December 2017 at 8:26 am

      Personal responsibility means it’s always someone else’s fault.

      • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1
        20 December 2017 at 12:16 pm

        Unless you’re poor in which case it’s always your fault.

      • cleangreen 4.1.2
        20 December 2017 at 12:31 pm

        OAB,

        From a national party point of view only we progress OAB.

        quote OAB;
        “Personal responsibility means it’s always someone else’s fault.”

        • red-blooded 4.1.2.1
          20 December 2017 at 2:40 pm

          Learn to recognise sarcasm, cleangreen. OAB wasn’t espousing this attitude – he was mocking it.

          And note that Anne’s comment (below) relates to Hosking and his response, not OAB and my response to you.

    • Anne 4.2
      20 December 2017 at 9:04 am

      Well, he didn’t look like he was joking when he said it. What a weak response.

    • riffer 4.3
      21 December 2017 at 8:05 am

      “I was only joking” has been the classic excuse of those accused of sexual harassment. While not the same, I believe the excuse should be viewed in a similar light.

  5. Marcus Morris 5
    20 December 2017 at 8:28 am

    Now, Hoskins, in unbelievable arrogance, is using his platform in the Herald, (and no doubt the radio – I never listen to that particular station) to attack the BSA. This is a statutory authority which certainly won’t enter into the debate, neither is it appropriate that it should. However Hoskins’ tirade should be an offence in itself (although he would claim freedom of speech of course) and the Herald editorial staff should be reprimanded for publishing and promoting it.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1
      20 December 2017 at 8:35 am

      Disagree: Hoskings looks like a sore loser and entitled arrogant twit. The Herald should be congratulated for showing its true colours again.

      • Marcus Morris 5.1.1
        20 December 2017 at 9:16 am

        I wonder how many Herald readers interpret it your way. Hosking will have plenty of “cheer leaders” amongst its readership.

      • cleangreen 5.1.2
        20 December 2017 at 12:40 pm

        OAB

        it was a far bigger scheme than just ‘Hoskings showing himself’,

        As we side with others who believe he was used for National party propaganda (S Joyce) and selling false narratives.

    • Ed 5.2
      20 December 2017 at 9:00 am

      It only makes Hosking like a complete tool.

  6. weka 6
    20 December 2017 at 9:04 am

    Speaking of which, I loved this line from the BSA,

    “… a tool available to assist the New Zealand public to make voting decisions.”

    • cleangreen 6.1
      20 December 2017 at 1:14 pm

      Weka that is a strong point why did BSA let this go by when we before the election witnessed the national party dirty politics atacks widely broacast over the public media against all opposition mp’s but let national off the hook?

      So these words are very questioonable and should be invesigation.
      this line from the BSA,

      “… a tool available to assist the New Zealand public to make voting decisions.”

  7. ianmac 7
    20 December 2017 at 9:20 am

    Hoskings response: (Hope not already published.)
    “But the BSA was having none of it. And so sadly, once again, we have paid for a bunch of humourless earnest clipboarders to sit around pontificating and writing reports.”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11962974

    • Ed 7.1
      20 December 2017 at 9:25 am

      “I’ve quit.”

      I reckon he saw this was coming and got out before he was pushed.

      • red-blooded 7.1.1
        20 December 2017 at 9:55 am

        People don’t get fired for this kind of stuff – they get rapped over the knuckles and told to apologise. If Hosking was still doing Seven Sharp he would have given an “I’m only doing this because I have to” faux apology, and then moved on.

        He’s an immature, self-important, puffed up pigeon and he’s not capable of admitting to any kind of wrongdoing. On one level, he’s right (I do think it was intended as a throwaway comment – it wasn’t scripted or intended to be informative), but that actually doesn’t matter. The fact is, it’s sold as a current affairs/commentary type show, he’s sold as a political commentator, he made a misleading statement that could have discouraged some people from voting Māori Party and when he was given a chance he didn’t correct it adequately. All he had to do was:
        a) avoid the smartarse comment, or
        b) admit that he misjudged things when he made it and make a straight-forward clarification and apology when he was given a chance to do so.

      • cleangreen 7.1.2
        20 December 2017 at 12:59 pm

        Mickey is right here;

        These words are very questionable.

        So why didn’t labour invesigate this since the BSA seemed happy to allow the raft of “dirty politics” by the nat’s on Labour NZF and green patry mps.

        But then let national off the hook?

        “This line from the BSA,

        “… a tool available to assist the New Zealand public to make voting decisions.”

    • Sanctuary 7.2
      20 December 2017 at 9:48 am

      LOL Hosking clearly took that personally! His sense of exceptionalist entitlement is quite something.

      • cleangreen 7.2.1
        20 December 2017 at 10:10 am

        “Hosking clearly took that personally! His sense of exceptionalist entitlement is quite something.”

        Sanctuary;

        Its called “self induced fantasy.”

  8. adam 8
    20 December 2017 at 10:49 am

    So Hoskin will be paying a huge fine and apologizing to the Māori Party, no wait…

    He will make a donation to a charity, preferably a Māori charity, no wait…

    So Hoskin get nothing, just told he was misleading, so wet bus ticket then.

  9. Priss 9
    21 December 2017 at 12:17 pm

    I just about choked on my herbal tea when I read this tweet from Matt-y Kirihimete Whitehead; “His job is to provide accurate, informative, and interesting comment to New Zealanders” .

    I trust he was being sarcastic?

    • weka 9.1
      21 December 2017 at 1:03 pm

      I doubt it. TVNZ is that state broadcaster. On the night in question they were talking about the General Election. Of course they should be presenting accurately and informatively (you can read the twitter thread for more argument on that).