Events

AGM - 9 November 2011 - starting 7pm

AGM - 9 November 2011

Dear Friends of Media Matters

We are advising you of the 2011 Annual General Meeting which begins at 7 pm before the politicians panel.

Please come if you can.

This is an election year and as our politicians gather to play Tweedledum and Tweedledee, we know that they probably don't care too much what we think, since we are a minority of people in this country, those few who are not just struck dumb by TV, but who also recognise its dangers, especially its threat to the well-being of the young and vulnerable in our society.

BSA Decision:

One of the few avenues available to us is the complaints system, administered by the Broadcasting Standards Authority, which has become so permissive that it is now turning on the very people it was set up 20 years ago to serve.  (See BSA Decision 2011-020: McDonald and Television NZ Ltd - 9 August 2011)

In an unprecedented move, the BSA has actually fined one of our members, Donald McDonald of Wellington, just because, in their view, he complains too much.  And why would he not, given the disregard for accuracy which characterizes our television news.

Simply put, they want to stop him from complaining (as he does on a regular basis) so they can ignore the serious negative effects of TV on the young, reflected in things like the rising rate of youth crime, the misuse of drugs and alcohol, and the climate of greed and envy and all the other ills in our society which televisions feeds and nurtures.

Do visit the BSA website if you want the details of their decision to penalise Mr McDonald, a pensioner of limited means who is, however, a member of the Royal Society of NZ and a respected scientist, while at the same time, they penalise our television channels with a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket when they err, instead of imposing a hefty fines for their shameless exploitation of our kids.

THAT IS WHY WE ARE APPEALING FOR YOUR HELP.

We have engaged Tony Ellis QC, one of our most respected Civil Rights lawyers, to fight the BSA decision to penalize complainants, in the High Court of New Zealand.  This is a contest which we expect to win, but we do need your support, because the BSA and TVNZ are naturally counting on their battery of expensive taxpayer funded lawyers to win the day.

Our cause is just and we will win!  We are supported by people of real substance in our community, like respected media commentator Brian Edwards, Russell Brown of TV7s Media Seven programme, and the members of the Science Media Centre.

John Terris

John Terris

If you are willing to contribute to this appeal, please send your donations to:

Complaints System Defence,
Media Matters in NZ,
PO Box 31618,
Lower Hutt 5040.

John Terris
National President


 

Broadcasting Standards Authority - Decision

Dominion Post:

Brian Edwards:

Media7:

Media7 looks at the Broadcasting Standards Authority and how the media deal with public complaints.

Sciblogs:

Media Matters:

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