Parents Warned about ‘News at Sex’

Parents Warned about ‘News at Sex’

Family First NZ is warning parents that the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s decisions released today have given the green light to full frontal nudity and other offensive sexual content in news coverage – as long as it’s deemed humourous.

Family First made complaints to the BSA against TV3’s 6pm News and Nightline, the latter which featured full frontal nudity of a group of men including their genitalia. An earlier complaint had been made to TVNZ regarding a porn feature on Close Up .

“The morally dysfunctional BSA has given the green light to full frontal nudity in our current events and news programmes and has no problem with sexual innuendo and offensive comments, as long as it’s said in humour,” says Bob McCoskrie . “They have effectively said that news programmes can now include full frontal images of women as well.”

“The BSA has set a dangerous and harmful precedent and parents and teachers should be aware that encouraging young people to watch the news for educational purposes may not be safe anymore.”

Ironically, the BSA decisions follow on from an apology from TVNZ after a huge number of complaints from families regarding a recent Close Up programme which offended many families with its promotion and explicit images of the porn industry.

“The incoming tide of sexual content disguised as news is a disturbing trend. Parents are sick and tired of lunging for the remote to protect children from offensive and inappropriate content during family viewing hours. The tv channels are trying to mask sexual innuendo and pornographic material as news and current events.”

In a recent poll of 1,000 NZ’ers, respondents were asked, “Television broadcasters are obliged to protect children from sexual content, violent material, and language that exceeds current norms of good taste and decency. Are you concerned about the type of language used, or the level of violence and sex shown on TV before 8.30 pm when children are likely to be watching?”, 65% said they are concerned, 29% said they aren’t, and 6% didn’t know or refused to answer. Women and over 60 year olds are most concerned.

“Unfortunately we have no watchdog with the moral backbone to put the welfare of families first and protect them from this increasing level of offensive and sexual material,” says Mr McCoskrie
ENDS

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