The Registrar received a complaint concerning a kidnap insert on Carte Blanche, the weekly news related programme presented by M-Net, the subscription broadcaster. It was argued that the insert furthered kidnapping by stating that it is easy to kidnap a child. The only issue before the Tribunal in terms of the Broadcasting Code is whether [...]
Complaint that a prank perpetrated on a willing participant in the programme “Laugh out Loud” was inhuman and distressing. Held that the likely informed viewer of the programme would be aware that the prank is a send off intended to take the mickey out of the participants – the pranks perpetrated in the programme are [...]
The Complaint was that in referring to a corruption scandal in Lesotho the Respondent Broadcaster had omitted to mention that Schneider SA had not been involved in the corruption committed by Spie Batignolles. Although the corporate identity of Spie Batignolles had remained unaltered, it was negligent to have omitted the detail of the involvement of [...]
The Registrar of the Commission received a complaint against M-Net, the South African subscription broadcaster, as a result of its broadcasting the film Killing Me Softly as from 21:30. The complaint was that the film included pornographic images of sexuality in the form of bondage. The Tribunal held that that the film amounted to bona [...]
The Registrar received a complaint about a promo on M-Net. The Tribunal has viewed the material referred to and has come to the conclusion that it does not amount to a contravention of the Code. It most certainly advertises a post watershed show in which lesbianism is portrayed as normal and natural. This accords with [...]
A promotion for a horror festival was inadvertently broadcast when a large number of children were likely to be in the audience. This Tribunal agrees with M-Net that the broadcast of the promo just before the start of a children’s programme was unacceptable The promotion is understandably intended to be frightening, but then it should [...]
A complaint was received concerning a hi-jack sequence in the well known Soap, Egoli, broadcast by M-Net, a subscription broadcaster. The broadcast was during so–called “open time” when non-subscribers also have access to M-Net. The Tribunal has considered the violence portrayed in the episode of Egoli referred to. Contextually, we regarded it as important to [...]
“Fear Factor” is the title of a television series presented to test the capacity of the contestants to succeed in hair-raising and gruesome experiences. In the present case, competitors were, inter alia, placed in a pen with hundreds of rats crawling over them. The task was to remove as many as possible rats within a [...]
Complaints were received when Respondent broadcast an explicit sex film directly after the commencement of the subscription watershed at 20:00. As to Showgirls it was held that the sex simulation and rape scenes were too explicit for the first phase of the watershed. As to Romance X, the film was broadcast at 05:00 when the [...]
Complaint that broadcaster accorded parties unequal time in the presentation of opposing views and unfairly edited the programme, thus rendering the broadcast unbalanced, distorted and biased. Held, that the Broadcaster enjoys editorial freedom to decide on content and context of broadcast - broadcaster is enjoined to make reasonable efforts to fairly present opposing viewpoints, subject [...]