29 September, 2012
Legal News & Analysis – Asia Pacific – Australia – TMT
The ACMA has found the licensee of the Channel 7 program Today Tonight, HSV Melbourne, breached the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice 2010 (the Code) in regards to a segment broadcasted on 5 October 2011.
The relevant segment reported on a Council in Melbourne which apparently used a grant from the Federal Government's Counter-Violent Extremism Fund to advertise for an Outreach Project Officer to work with the local Muslim community. The words "Muslim Council", "Spreading Sharia Law" and "Community Crusade" were displayed onscreen during the introduction to the segment.
The ACMA received a complaint that the segment was factually inaccurate, created public panic regarding the Muslim community and placed gratuitous emphasis on the Islamic faith and practices.
The investigation considered the licensee's compliance with clauses 4.3.1 [factual accuracy], 4.3.2 [create public panic] and 4.3.10 [portray in a negative light] of the the Code.
The ACMA found the licensee breached clause 4.3.1 of the Code in relation to the reference to a "limited job description" of the Outreach Project Officer; breached clause 4.3.1 of the Code in relation to the statement "the [D] Council has form when it comes to implementing Sharia customs…" and breached clause 4.3.1 of the Code in relation to statement, "…no-one, including the Mayor, were prepared to speak to us".
View the decision
For further information, please contact:
Gordon Hughes, Partner, Ashurst
