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Cameron burnell
Sean Plunket had a brief stint on the BSA board, is a veteran broadcaster and current host of Magic Talk.
The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has reprimanded MediaWorks, fining $ 3,000 and asking for an on-air apology, for an “offensive and damaging” interview between its Magic Talk host, Sean Plunket, and a spokesperson for Te Whānau ā Apanui.
The BSA said that Plunket amplified racism, misinformed listeners, ridiculed Te Tiriti and insulted Te Whānau ā Apanui.
The spokesperson, Louis Rapihana, had been coordinating roadblocks during the Covid-19 level 4 lockdown to discourage non-essential travel that could have brought the virus to Te Whānau ā Apanui rohe (territory).
I call Magic Talk Afternoons with Sean Plunket for an interview that, according to the BSA, contained a “high level of vitriol”.
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In its ruling, the authority said broadcasters required “a high level of conviction, often with an element of malice or malice” to violate the standard. It found that Plunket exceeded that standard with aggressive interrogations, innuendo that the iwi were “bullies” and, in particular, his suggestion that they did not care about child abuse.
The BSA criticized their “apparent mockery of Maori rights under Te Tiriti or Waitangi”, saying that their broadcast views “reflected ignorance on a level that is offensive and harmful to Maori.”
MediaWorks responded to the BSA, accepting that part of the broadcast was “concerning” but said there was public value in his “robust” questioning, and that he was well known for his “provocative and adversarial style.
“We accept the decision of the Broadcasting Standards Authority and understand that the comments made during this live broadcast caused distress, and for that we apologize,” he said. Stuff.
In response to the complaint, he defended Plunket’s challenge to child abuse, saying that Maori child abuse was a “well-established” problem. “We believe that it takes more to violate this standard than lazy or even incorrect assumptions,” he said.
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Te Whānau-ā-Apanui closed its borders to non-essential travelers during the Level 4 blockade.
Plunket said on air that the road blocks were “all for separatism” and repeatedly accused the iwi of acting illegally. The police had supported the barricades, but Plunket accused the iwi of being “bandits”.
He said, “Have you ever considered this type of intervention … on an issue like child abuse among your population?” But the authority and MediaWorks said Plunket had not investigated to justify such a question.
In a statement, the authority said it was fining MediaWorks and condemned Plunket’s interview.
“We consider that Mr. Plunket’s tone, disdain, Mr. Rapihana’s repeated interruptions, and comments he made after the interview, were intended to encourage harmful tropes and views, or reflect ignorance at a level that is offensive and harmful to Maori, “he said. .
Plunket is a veteran broadcaster, who had a brief stint on the BSA board. He started out as a talkback host on Magic Talk when the station launched last year.
“The broadcaster felt that the segment did not contain a ‘high level of vitriol.’ We do not agree, ”said the authority in its decision released on Tuesday.
Dr. Carwyn Jones (Ngāti Kahungungu) claimed that Plunket’s interview perpetuated a misinformed view that respecting Maori rights and forming treaty associations “undermines our society.”
The fine would be paid to the Crown, and the BSA said an on-air statement should also be read “given the high level of damage” it said the interview caused.
Rapihana has also been contacted for comment.
Plunket resigned from the BSA, without once sitting on the board, after controversially tweeting asking if anyone felt sorry for Harvey Weinstein in 2017.
