The SABC broadcast a discussion on gun control in South Africa on Morning Live. A Mr Moss 
complained that the programme did not comply with most of the prescriptions of the Broadcasting Code on News and Comment. Factual errors were made and the sourcing was ill-informed.
The Tribunal ruled that since the subject was not part of conventional News, it was not governed by the rules concerning News, which are generally more strict than the rules concerning Comment.
The accent in Morning Live was on the film Bowling for Columbine and the comments by the guest did not reach the level of extensive comment: the programme was simply too short to be categorized as being of any relevance to the debate. Any wider discussion of the issue should include representatives from the relevant lobby to which, for example, Mr Moss belongs. The scope for opinion is a particularly wide one and only where the programme, judged as a whole, unequivocally contravenes the Code, would a finding against a broadcaster be made. This short programme would be seen as a mere passing comment, with an accent on film comment and should not be taken seriously. The subject is simply to complex to deal with it in a few minutes. Accordingly, even if wrong inferences were made, such inferences must go into the melting pot of the world wide debate: do guns kill or do criminals kill?
Complaint not upheld.