The Registrar received a complaint against Radio 702 from the The Citizen newspaper that John Robbie, one of the radio station’s presenters, had made an unfair comment about one of its news items. The newspaper should, it was argued, have been given a right to reply by the radio station. The Tribunal was in no [...]

During the course of a murder trial the mother of a girl who had allegedly been raped and murdered by the accused, told a reporter that the accused had lied when he said that he had not known the girl who was allegedly raped and murdered. This opinion was published in a news bulletin by [...]

The Registrar received a complaint against Radio 702 in regard to a news item followed up by an interview with the Complainant. The news item accused the recently published book of the Complainant, quoting a firm of auditors, KPMG, as amounting to fiction and as riddled with errors. Investec, a bank, also denied any knowledge [...]

A complaint that a remark by a radio presenter about hypocritical conduct of people holding Calvinistic beliefs amounts to impairment of the dignity of the Complainant in that such persons are among those “who are found in brothels”, held not to amount to speech which is prohibited by the clause in the Broadcasting Code which [...]

Complaint that John Robbie criticised the former president about his speech on affirmative action without doing proper research, that he failed to apologise about his mistake and that he laughed in De Klerk’s face. CLICK TO VIEW FULL ADJUDICATION 

The complainant appealed against an adjudication by Commissioner Gilfillan. Commissioner Gilfillan came to the conclusion that cause 38 of the Code was not contravened when the presenter did not question a statement by a caller describing the complainant as a paedophile. The Tribunal held that by re-opening the subject with the caller, the matter could [...]

Complaint that opinions expressed during an interview with guest from the USA amounted to the advocacy of hatred based on religion. Interview by Respondent radio station with guest, being the curator of the Holocaust Museum in New York, on the topic of extremism.  Complaint that guest equated Islam with Nazism and thereby advocated hatred towards [...]

Complaint about an alleged offensive and homophobic joke broadcast by Radio 702 on 8 November 2006 at 15.07.  The programme included a discussion about shows that children watch.  A caller made the joke that a gay Teletubby should be called a ‘Stinky Winky’. The Tribunal held that it must be taken into account that the [...]

A complaint was lodged concerning the debate that followed the so-called canning of a controversial film by the broadcaster. The complaint was that the withholding of the broadcast of the film was of public importance, thus bringing the debate within the ambit of clause 36.1 of the Code of Conduct.  The complaint was further that [...]

The Registrar received complaints from the complainant concerning the comments made on the programme called “Saturday Early” where the presenter was asked if the term “Dutchman” could be used he in turn replied “We call them ‘bonehead’ ”.  Talk radio is well known for the outspoken comments by some of its presenters and this should [...]