TV item on Catholic school anti-gay comments deemed unfair by BSA

Friday, October 11th, 2013

A Close Up item based on a Catholic school newsletter objecting to gay marriage has been found to be unfair and inaccurate by the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA).

A complaint from Pompallier Catholic College in Whangarei about the televised item was upheld in a decision released this week.

Close Up, which no longer screens on TV One, said the principal suspended a teacher, and that students who opposed the newsletter comments were “threatened”, the authority said.

The college said the item suggested the teacher was suspended merely for holding a different opinion to the principal.

It was also inaccurate to claim students were threatened, it said.

The college said it made it known before the programme aired, that it could not comment on the suspension or provide the suspension letter for privacy reasons.

The BSA found that while the suspension letter was directly related to the teacher’s support for students who opposed the principal’s comments, it was misleading and unfair not to make reference to additional reasons for the suspension, such as challenging the order and authority of the school.

Failure to provide context around the reasons for the suspension, created an unfair impression.

The item was also misleading in stating students were threatened in relation to setting up a Facebook page.

The principal was not given the chance to rebut claims that students were threatened, nor was he told this allegation would be put forward in the item.

The BSA made no order for a statement or apology saying that the essence of the story was reflected in extensive coverage by other media at the time so the impact of any statement would be minimal particularly as Close Up was no longer on air.

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