PRESS RELEASE

8 December 2016

Margaret Harkema welcomes TV3 apology

Hastings horse and dog breeder Margaret Harkema welcomes the broadcast of a fulsome apology to her by TV3 last night.

TV3 had broadcast a series of deeply unfair and inaccurate stories about her on Campbell Live in 2011. After a long battle, the Broadcasting Standards Authority upheld Ms Harkema’s complaint last year. In a scathing decision, it ruled that Campbell Live’s stories repeatedly breached standards of accuracy, fairness and privacy.

The BSA’s decision is here: https://bsa.govt.nz/decisions/7635-harkema-and-tvworks-ltd-2012-042 It contains a detailed discussion of the background facts.

Ms Harkema then threatened to bring a lawsuit, and a settlement was reached. To mark the seriousness of the wrongdoing, TV3 agreed to pay Ms Harkema a confidential sum for damages and broadcast its apology in primetime on three successive evenings.

The text of TV3’s apology is also set out below.

Ms Harkema said she was relieved her ordeal was over and her reputation vindicated. “Those programmes left me debilitated financially and mentally,” she said. “To this day I am shocked that a so-called reputable news organisation and its journalists could behave in such a reckless and irresponsible way.”

Ms Harkema said that she would prefer to make no further comment at this point. She asked that anyone who wanted to know anything more read the BSA’s decision, and if they had questions, contact her lawyer Steven Price.

TV3’s apology

In 2011 Campbell Live broadcast a series of stories critical of Hastings horse and dog breeder Margaret Harkema and the Valley Animal Research Centre.

The Broadcasting Standards Authority found the programmes were inaccurate, unfair, “based on a pre-determined, narrow view of Ms Harkema and her practices,” were wrongfully edited to portray Ms Harkema as dishonest, and left out important information that was inconsistent with Campbell Live’s allegations. It found Campbell Live didn’t give Ms Harkema a fair chance to respond and “sensationalised or over-stated the situation by failing to distinguish guesswork from fact.”

The Broadcasting Standards Authority also condemned Campbell Live for secretly filming Ms Harkema in two highly offensive breaches of privacy.

TV3 accepts that Campbell Live’s allegations were wrong and unreservedly apologises to Ms Harkema for the damage caused to her reputation and the severe distress caused to her and her family.

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