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The Christchurch
Civic Creche Case |
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Radio New Zealand has
lost an appeal against a Broadcasting Standards Authority ruling that it
apologise to convicted child molester Peter Ellis. Radio NZ had argued
that an apology was a voluntary expression of contrition and to be ordered to
say sorry, when it was not, amounted to dishonesty. The order for an
apology and publication of a summary of the authority's decision in four
major daily newspapers was the result of finding that National Radio's Nine
to Noon programme in August 2003 was not fair and balanced. A man interviewed
on the programme had made new allegations against Mr Ellis. Radio NZ also had to
pay Mr Ellis $5300 costs and $5000 to the Crown. It accepted the finding that
the story lacked fairness and balance but objected to apologising. Justice Tony Randerson
and Justice Forrest Miller disagreed that there was "something
abhorrent" about ordering a broadcaster to apologise. "As an
expression of contrition, an apology is also remedial in nature, and a
natural consequence of findings of that kind." |
