Sean Plunket’s iwi checkpoint interview ‘amplified negative stereotypes about Maori,’ says BSA

The Broadcasting Standards Authority awarded a $ 3000 fine and confirmed two complaints about radio host Sean Plunket’s interview with iwi at Covid-19 checkpoints.

The BSA said the Magic Talk Afternoons interview with Sean Plunket with Te Whānau ā Apanui spokesperson Louis Rapihana amplified negative stereotypes about Maori and had the potential to cause widespread harm.

In the May 6 interview, Rapihana was questioned about roadblocks in the eastern Bay of Plenty under Covid-19 Alert Level 4 and what the iwi intended to do if someone refused to comply with the requirement of travel permit set at alert level 3.

The BSA said Plunket’s comments and approach had the effect of reflecting and amplifying casual racism towards Maori.

“The broadcaster felt that the segment did not contain a ‘high level of vitriol.’ We do not agree,” he said.

“We consider that Mr. Plunket’s tone, his disdain, Mr. Rapihana’s repeated interruptions, and the 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. “

Independent cultural advisor Dr. Carwyn Jones (Ngāti Kahungunu) was hired by the BSA to provide a Maori perspective on the issues raised in the May 6 interview.

In response to the complaints, MediaWorks said in its submission to the BSA that while “some aspects of the broadcast were concerning,” taken as a whole, they did not amount to “hate speech or a sustained attack, nor did it reach the threshold for finding a breach”.

After initially defending the program, in a statement today, MediaWorks said it accepted the BSA’s decision.

“By its nature, talk radio is an opinion environment that encourages provocative and nervous debate with challenging points of view.

“[We] I understand that comments made during this live broadcast may have caused some discomfort, and for that we apologize. “

Mediaworks said Plunket was not available for comment because it was on license. Plunket served on the BSA board briefly in 2017.

Rapihana, a community leader from Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, manned a border along Highway 35 that overlooks the Bay of Plenty earlier this year in a desperate attempt to keep Covid-19 out of the territory.

Rapihana said today that he supports the BSA’s decision, but it was a “great shock.”

“I am happy with the authority’s decision to follow up on Sean’s behavior and how he treats people who come for an interview.

“I was very surprised that the BSA took something seriously because he has a history of being that way with other interviewees. For me, it was a huge shock that they even objected.”

Rapihana said he did not know the people who made the complaints, but that he was grateful for their actions “because now it has manifested, the behavior that is not acceptable to me.”