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The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has criticized Newstalk ZB presenter Mike Hosking on knuckles following “misleading” comments about the number of deaths from Covid-19 in Italy.
During his breakfast show on April 6, the controversial announcer said: “99.2 percent [of people in Italy who have died of Covid-19] died with underlying health problems. In other words, the same things that were killing them anyway, over 1600 a day. “
The BSA held a complaint that these comments were misleading because the figure of 1600 deaths per day was incorrect, that figure is all deaths per day in Italy, not just from coronavirus, and because they ignored the cause of death and the notion of ” excess mortality “. ”.
TVNZ / Supplied
Mike Hosking misled the public with his interpretation of the statistics, the BSA discovered.
“Mr. Hosking did not consider or acknowledge the possibility that [these people] They may have died much earlier than they would have due to contracting Covid-19, ”said BSA.
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The authority also found that Newstalk ZB and its owner, NZME, “did not make reasonable efforts to ensure that the program was not misleading.”
The decision stated: “Relevant contextual information that was readily discernible from the same sources relied on for Mr. Hosking’s comments was omitted, with the result that the broadcast had the potential to mislead listeners of the facts. behind the relatively strong views of Mr. Hosking criticizing the government’s measures. to manage the impact of Covid-19 “.
The BSA said the decision highlighted the importance of data literacy, particularly in a news and current affairs context.
“We urge broadcasters to be careful when interpreting statistics and drawing conclusions from scientific or other studies, as audiences rely heavily on the media to provide accurate and reliable information on matters of public importance.”
Hosking is no stranger to the BSA, having been found in breach of broadcast codes on several occasions.
It was discovered that he misled the public in 2017 when, at his previous concert as host of TVNZ Seven sharp, told viewers that they could not vote for the Maori Party if they were not Maori.
In response, he called the BSA “humorless waste of time.”
Although Hosking was found to be in violation of the Radio Broadcasting Code of Practice, the BSA did not issue an order, instead saying that its decision “was sufficient to censor the station and provide guidance to broadcasters in general.”
