BSA: Hosking wrong on ponytail case

Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, October 1st, 2015 - 23 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, accountability, john key, Media - Tags: , , , , ,

The echos of John Key’s ponytail pulling harassment of a waitress continue:

Ponytail-gate: BSA rules against Mike Hosking

The Broadcasting Standards Authority upheld four complaints against Mike Hosking for unfair remarks about the waitress whose ponytail was pulled by Prime Minister John Key.

The comments were during Hosking’s Final Word segment, where he gives his views on a chosen topic often in a provocative manner.

However, the Authority said the nature of this segment meant there was no opportunity for any response or defence to be given.

They also said that while public figures can be subjected to this sort of criticism, the waitress was not a public figure and should not have been scrutinised as such. …

23 comments on “BSA: Hosking wrong on ponytail case ”

  1. Nck 1

    Hosking’s will get a pay rise.

  2. Brian 2

    Hosking clearly thinks that only John Key should be allowed to be in touch with a blogger.
    Still, he gets away with it, effectively. Good job so many are starting to realise what a joke he is.

  3. Tiger Mountain 3

    Jeremy “Like Mike” Wells is so close to the actual “Hosko”…

    happy days, Hosking can go back to his Ferrari and dustbuster
    http://www.scout.co.nz/Hosking-hoovers-new-Ferrari-on-a-busy-Remuera-Rd/tabid/295/articleID/5574/Default.aspx

  4. Detrie 4

    Hosking certainly is a shallow, egotistical individual. But I expect his employers only encourage this sort of behaviour. TV broadcasting we’re told is for pure entertainment purposes only. Objectivity plays no part now. Still, there’s always Radio NZ.

  5. PhilDC 5

    But nothing happened to him – no apology to the victim – no reprimand – nothing – publishing its finding wont change his lepered spots it will encourage him….

  6. Tracey 6

    Hand. Wet Bus Ticket. Slap. Hosking will be laughing,

  7. Morrissey 7

    They got rid of Dita Di Boni and Brian Rudman, but they kept this fool.

    The Herald is crap. And so is Television One.

    • David H 7.1

      As is TV3, and the rest of the Sky rubbish channels, along with all the MSM, bought n paid for Papers and News shows..

  8. Pasupial 8

    for this torrent of abuse, what does Hosking get? Nothing, just a slap on the wrist. So one of the most powerful male voices for the Right can denigrate a young woman on the state broadcaster for having the courage to stand up to the Prime Minister touching her at her place of work, can be found in breach of the BSA and nothing happens to him. He doesn’t have to apologise on screen, he doesn’t have to say he was wrong and TVNZ get off completely free.

    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/10/01/compare-what-tvnz-said-to-me-regarding-mike-hosking-and-what-the-bsa-has-just-said/

    • dukeofurl 8.1

      You mean old Mr Positive !
      Thats how he thinks of himself ., I know. dont fall down laughing

      WE know have it confirmed hes a nasty creep using his position to attack non public figures.
      However he wont be allowed to do THAT again. So its a victory of sorts

  9. RedLogix 9

    I’ve tried in my mind to separate out the fact that Hosking is an appalling broadcaster, an appallingly shallow and bigoted right-winger, and the kind of male boofhead that makes me cringe – and still my conclusion is that this incident fails even the most basic test of humanity.

    This was power publicly bullying vulnerability. The BSA could scarcely name it otherwise.

    But their abject failure to visit ANY consequence whatsoever on Hoskings completely nullifies, erases and betrays their own findings. It can be read as nothing more than a covert way to effectively endorse Hoskings rant.

    • BLiP 9.1

      . . . But their abject failure to visit ANY consequence whatsoever on Hoskings completely nullifies, erases and betrays their own findings. It can be read as nothing more than a covert way to effectively endorse Hoskings rant.

      Well, I think it can be read as much more than that. The BSA has just signaled the fact that all female victims of male violence who dare to speak up now run the very real risk of being further abused, in public, by the New Zealand broadcasting service. Chilling.

      Welcome to John Key’s “brighter future”.

      • dukeofurl 9.1.1

        Inm wondering if behind the scenes , his lawyers wriggled him out of any stronger censure by threatening to take it to court. ?

        Thats the part they hate , apologizing on screen- normally they would wait till hes off screen so he doesnt have the say those words- I apologize…..

        • Grindlebottom 9.1.1.1

          Piss poor decision by the BSA. The personal attack was made on air. An acknowledgement of the decision and on air apology should have been required.

  10. Smilin 10

    Yep john keys brighter future, watch the power prices rise and we become more myopic .
    Hoskings emotive mood is like a dimming 75 watt bulb you just wonder when it will finally go out and the language is like he is screwing double the profit for every painful word

  11. Philj 11

    BSA B… Sh.. Artists.. It’s a sad reflection of our failing standards, from this who should know better.

  12. NZJester 12

    I said this in the Daily Review last night and I will say it again here.
    Just publishing the decision is not enough as the BSA have announced.
    Mike should be forced to apologize on air to her.
    His Final Word segments at the end of Seven Sharp are mostly National Party cheerleader pieces. They are nearly always extremely biased and should not be allowed on a public broadcaster without someone on the left getting equal air time.

    I do wonder if his so called opinion pieces are even his sometimes or if he is just mindlessly parroting the National party line feed to him by others on everything. Evidence seams to be of no value to Mike in his final word segments as he ignores it in favour of his hyper bias toward the National party.
    The National government gets a free political broadcast most nights on any subject.

    Maybe the BSA needs to be flooded with complaints about this bias broadcasting being paid for by public money! If Mike wants to keep his last word he should pay for that air time out of his or the National Parties pocket not ours.

    • tc 12.1

      TVNZ is not a public broadcaster it’s an SOE under the thumb of the govt and the BSA are all nat apointees.

      They’ve got it all stiched up which is why the opposition needs to play hard and fast at it’s own game and not get sucked into the rigged system that passes for a media in this country.

      Nice guys finish last in this environment.

      • Rodel 12.1.1

        What amazes me is That Hoskings claims to not to be a journalist but Slater does. They are both of the same breed but Hoskings probably has a higher IQ..still both can’t transcend bigotry or egocentricity though…pity really.

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