CAMPBELL GODINAGH AGAINST SPARK SPORT
Case Number: 3404
Council Meeting: 26 JUNE 2023
Decision: No Grounds to Proceed
Principle: Photographs and Graphics
Ruling Categories:
Nudity and Indecency
Taste Lack of
- Campbell Godinagh complained about an image shown on Spark Sport's Alternative Cricket Commentary (ACC) channel during the NZ vs Sri Lanka test on March 20, 2023.
- He said the image of a man with his pants down and another man standing behind him brandishing a sausage was disgusting and was shown multiple times during the broadcast. It should not have been allowed.
- Spark Sport offers live and on demand sports coverage to subscribers. Cricket is streamed on two channels - one with a standard commentary and the other a commentary provided by a group of Hauraki radio hosts, who streamed the image that prompted this complaint.
- The Media Council notes that the image could be regarded as crude school-yard humour, but it is not the council's function to rule on questions of taste and manners.
- The Council also notes that Spark has subsequently improved the content warning label on its ACC channel.
- There is no evidence that the streaming of the image complained of breached any Media Council principles. One that might be cited - Principle (11) photographs and graphics, which requires photos showing distressing or shocking situations to be handled with care - is not applicable to this complaint. While the image could be described as silly and childish, such matters are not in the Media Council’s jurisdiction.
- Decision: There were insufficient grounds to proceed.