The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) appears to be regulating podcasters such as Sean Plunket – a move far beyond its legal mandate. The Free Speech Union warns this is a serious threat to free expression in New Zealand, says Jillaine Heather, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union.

“Who gave the Broadcasting Standards Authority the power to determine what Kiwis can and can’t say online? Plunket, a veteran journalist and founder of The Platform, operates entirely online after repeated clashes with regulators and mainstream media. Today, he received a complaint from the BSA that his recent online comments breached broadcasting standards. Is the BSA claiming authority over internet content?

“If the BSA is allowed to extend its reach into podcasts and online media, it will be policing speech it was never designed to regulate. This kind of mission-creep always starts with someone controversial. Today it’s Sean Plunket. Tomorrow it could be anyone who asks the wrong questions.

“The BSA has previously published material implying that freedom of expression itself can cause ‘harm’. This risks turning regulators into censors, punishing opinions rather than protecting open debate.

“Given that the BSA is funded in part by broadcaster levies, this attempted scope creep to claim podcasts and online media raises serious questions about motivation. Is the Authority seeking to expand its revenue base as well as its regulatory reach?

“The Union calls on Parliament to make clear that the BSA has no authority over podcasts or internet content, and to ensure any future changes to broadcasting law are debated openly – not smuggled in behind closed doors.”

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