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LoginSamoan ‘gangs, drugs and guns’ too gung-ho for the BSA
TVNZ's Barbara Dreaver. An image from her 'gangs, drugs and guns' story. Image courtesy of Café Pacific.
Pacific Scoop:
Opinion – By David Robie, Café Pacific.
SO THE Samoan government has jumped the gun on the Television New Zealand “gangsta paradise” affair. In its eagerness to win a political point or two over the state-owned broadcaster (which incidentally has just supplied a “Pacific TV” gift of broadcast equipment to Samoa) in its long-standing controversial complaint about TVNZ accuracy, fairness and ethics, the government has itself breached the broadcast industry’s watchdog embargo.
This is a violation of an important part of the adjudication process, which enables both parties to prepare their response to the orders and to consider an appeal. In fact, Café Pacific wonders what part of the “NOT FOR PUBLICATION” label stamped on each page of the draft ruling, the Samoan government officials did not understand. If it was a court, this would be contempt.
According to TVNZ’s corporate affairs manager Megan Richards, an appeal could well be on the cards. She told Pacific Media Watch that TVNZ had complained to the Broadcasting Standards Authority about the embargo breach. TVNZ had expected the adjudication to be released on March 29. Richards said TVNZ was “considering an appeal in this case, which has a number of very unusual aspects. TVNZ stands by the substance of the story and the integrity and professionalism of the journalist concerned” – respected Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver.
The BSA ruled against TVNZ on accuracy and balance grounds in its 25-page adjudication against the news item broadcast on ONE News on April 6 last year and also run on Tagata Pasifika. It has reportedly ordered TVNZ to make a public apology, awarded costs of $5000 to be paid to the Samoan government and $2000 to the Crown. But two other complaints over fairness and the impact on law and order were not upheld by the BSA.
Unsurprisingly, TVNZ is spitting tacks over the adjudication. This ruling signals a growing trend for Pacific governments to use the BSA as a means of waving a big stick against stroppy and independent journalists. Fairfax’s Michael Field faced a similar caning from the BSA following a complaint by the Fiji regime’s solicitor-general in September 2008.
Pacific governments 2 – Regional journalists 0.
Radio New Zealand International picked up the Samoan press release but ran five paragraphs of the government’s spin with no follow-up comment or balancing interviews. It did not get comment from TVNZ or mention that the government had broken the embargo:
The Samoan government has welcomed a ruling by the New Zealand Broadcasting Standards Authority, which found that Television New Zealand breached standard broadcasting laws in a news item suggesting the widespread presence of gangs, drugs and gun smuggling in Samoa.
The complaint was lodged by the Samoan government last April year when it claimed that the item tarnished the country’s image and would dissuade tourists from visiting.
In its ruling, the BSA says the report by Barbara Dreaver presented only one perspective and viewers needed information about the gravity of the problem in a wider context and from other perspectives.
TVNZ has been ordered to make a public statement, pay costs to the Samoa government and the Crown.
Samoa’s prime minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, says he sees the ruling not so much a victory for his government but a victory for responsible and substantive reporting.
But RNZI didn’t mention the prime minister’s further comments:
There have been far too many incidences of unbalanced reporting with reporters and editors alike bent on producing and publishing half-cooked, sensationalised stories with the sole aim of stirring up controversy.
The ruling by the BSA is an onus for broadcasters and publishers to produce fair, balanced, in-depth and accurate news items.
There are also some very important lessons there for our local editors and budding journalists in how they do their jobs.
The ruling wasn’t to be found on either BSA online or the Samoan government press releases website.
No doubt there will be plenty of clucking in Samoan media circles, but it doesn’t stem the concerns that many of the region’s journalists have about the dreadful threats or vindictive witch hunt faced by Dreaver or the hysterically partisan reporting of the issue in some sections of the Samoan press. It would be unfortunate if the BSA has not balanced its ruling with some stern criticism of the culprits in the Samoan media.
Of course, none of these stories below would have much to do with Samoan “gangs, drugs and guns”, would they?
- For more on this issue see…
Pacific Scoop: Complaints about Samoan guns, drugs story upheld – BSA press release
Café Pacific: Samoan ‘gangs, drugs and guns’ too gung-ho for the BSA
Pacific Media Centre: YouTube channel's latest videos
there’s a popular saying in Samoa…” e le po pea se nu’u.. it means that we have attended your universities and graduated… it also means ..”you don’t fool nobody no time..”
Drugs are big business for these guys and it makes sense why. I mean I could imagine these people make a hefty amount by doing this. Obviously this creates a structure for gangs and of course gangs have to fight for turf. In an underdeveloped economy you have very little else to fight for in order to make a living.
glad to see you still hold that little thing called truth in the highest regard david..not
The Samoan government breached the embargo but this must not distract us from the real issue – that is, the accuracy and impact of the TVNZ broadcast.
What you see as “Pacific governments using the BSA as a means of waving a big stick against stroppy and independent journalists” — as a Pacific Islander, I saw it as big corporate Western media “sexing up” a crime story (as per usual) and not thinking about the effects it will have on the already stereotyped, margianalized, Samoan population in New Zealand.
Kiwis likely watched the embellished scene with the Makoi boys and think “typical gangster Samoans”… or, “typical scary savages”… when in fact those Makoi boys are probably regular, funny, kick-back local guys you see around your village – I know many of them in Tonga. Samoan gangs in NZ have an entirely different dynamic to the communities back home, but this story – how it was edited, pieced together – in my view, took advantage of the NZ stereotype.
I certainly don’t agree with many of the Samoan govt’s statements (saying that the story threatened tourism industry was a bit over the top), and totally disagree with commentators personally attacking Barbara Dreaver – she is very brave.
But the BSA ruling should bring attention to the “norm” we’ve come to call TV journalism. I believe there IS a Samoan drug trade, but it has a very different face to how it was portrayed in the TVNZ broadcast. The story just dipped its toe in the water (which is good, it needed the attention), but then went on to over-embellish the few facts it held, at the cost of an accurate representation of the Samoan community.
This articles appears to be about defending the actions of Ms. Dreaver than what the initial case was about i.e. balanced reporting. The Samoan media are not accountable to the NZ BSA nor are the Samoan Government and hence the argument conveyed by Mr. Robie redundant.
It is interesting that Mr. Robie does not acknowledge the power balance of the New Zealand media versus the Samoan or Pacific Island media within the context of a global media market. If you wish the Samoan media to be accountable make a complaint to JAWS and likewise with RNZI use the BSA again. This was the mechanism that the Government of Samoa used.
I am glad that Ms. Dreaver is being held accountable by a neutral body which no Pacific Government has any influence over. So when the outcome is not positive for TVNZ or Ms. Dreaver does that mean its a coup drug youth influenced kangaroo court corrupted by outsiders? NO but then thats not news worthy and one would never get away with such an over sensationalised story in New Zealand about New Zealand.
This is perhaps why the Government of Samoa did what it did. END OF STORY
Fully concur with the above comments. Barbara’s story was an embarrassment to NZ journalism. We all know TVNZ has been picked apart to the point where its professional journalism has given way to its commercial objectives which is to gain higher ratings, to get more advertisers dollars, to pay its bills because successive NZ govts have under-funded what should be our public broadcaster. In a way Barbara is merely a porn in the continued slide of TVNZ into a commercialised tv-ratings organisation being readied for privatisation. But personally, how can Barbara think the item shown on TV was fair and balanced? How can Barbara think the Makoi boys were drug dealing thugs yet cried on national Samoan tv apologising for shaming the nation? How can Barbara think sensationalism is better than the truth?