Hon. Georgina te Heuheu MP

National Party Broadcasting Spokeswoman

08 April 2004

Broadcasters urged to seize the initiative on violence

National Party Broadcasting spokeswoman Georgina te Heuheu is congratulating TVNZ on taking the initiative on TV violence.

She's commenting on reports today which suggest that TVNZ is launching an effort to cut back on on-screen violence, following a survey which shows Kiwi kids are exposed to some of the highest levels of TV violence in the world.

"Good on TVNZ for taking the initiative. It's better the state broadcaster take action, rather than face the spectre of more Government intervention.

"There is already far too much state intervention in our broadcasting industry.

"Local producers may also be part of the answer when it comes to what some people see as the too much violence on TV.

"If more local producers - who understand New Zealand - are given more opportunities to tell kids about our stories, that would inevitably have an impact on the amount of violence our children see on TV," says Mrs te Heuheu.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>