Geoff Neal against TVNZ
Case Number: 3591
Council Meeting: 3 February 2025
Decision: Not Upheld
Publication: TVNZ
Principle: Accuracy, Fairness and Balance
Ruling Categories:
Accuracy
Balance, Lack Of
Overview
1. Geoff Neal complained about a TVNZ Breakfast programme in which Daniel Faitaua interviewed Prime Minister Christopher Luxon about violent crime. The item was initially broadcast on 17 September 2024 and was subsequently available on YouTube. Mr Neal complained that the item breached Principle (1) Accuracy, Fairness and Balance. The complaint is not upheld.
The Article
2. The interview, as it is now presented on YouTube, begins with an image of Mr Luxon and the headline Violent Crime Skyrockets. The heading directly under the interview says How is the Government tackling surging crime? In an interview that lasts approximately 10 minutes, Mr Faitaua asks Mr Luxon questions related to the latest New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey (NZCVS) that showed an increase of 30,000 people affected by violent crime. The introduction to the interview said that the Government had been warned by officials it was on track to fail to meet its target on violent crime. The interviewer asked about why this had been portrayed as Labour’s fault, and what the Government was planning to do about crime rates. It also canvassed crime in Auckland’s CBD, the Government’s policy on limiting sentencing discounts, whether Nazi insignia should be included in the ban on gang patches, and Police Minister Mark Mitchell’s performance.
The Complaint
3. Mr Neal complained under Principle (1) Accuracy, Fairness and Balance. He said the broadcast deceived the audience, identifying two critical points. Firstly, two-thirds of the latest New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey occurred when Labour was in power, yet the programme attributed 100 per cent of the blame to the Coalition Government. Secondly, official police violent crime statistics were decreasing in total, and even more per capita, yet this was not included.
4. The YouTube thumbnail image showed a bold headline Violent Crime Skyrockets with an image of Mr Luxon. This was misleading given much of the reported rise occurred under Labour. This was a breach of Principle (1) as it was inaccurate and unfair. An image of former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins should have been shown.
5. Violent Crime Skyrockets was not an accurate headline, as the story was based on data from one subjective survey, which had a high margin of error. The NZCVS itself had said that, as with all sample surveys, there was a level of uncertainty about whether the results accurately reflected the whole population. Mr Neal also said that police proceedings data, which was arguably superior, showed that violent crime had decreased under the current government. Not including this data set breached Principle (1).
6. The YouTube heading How is the Government tackling surging crime? was also misleading because it only relied on one data set, and the statement “30,000 more people have experienced violent crime up over the past two years” should have also been qualified by saying that official police statistics showed violent crime decreasing.
7. The interviewer stated that while Mr Luxon said crime had decreased in the Auckland CBD, it had just been pushed out to the suburbs, but no evidence of this was provided, Mr Neal said.
8. Mr Neal said questions about prison sentences and including Nazi insignia in the ban on gang insignia, either showed bias or were ridiculous. Asking if Police Minister Mark Mitchell should resign was also unfair.
The Response
9. TVNZ replied that the Government’s quarterly report on Government targets for the June quarter 2024 showed violent crime had substantially increased from January to June 2024, the time period of the current Coalition Government. Stuff had reported that Mr Luxon said violent crime rates had increased steadily since the Coalition Government came to power. “When the coalition came to power, there were 185,000 reports of violent crime in the preceding year. The June 2024 update showed a further 30,000 victimisations, up to 215,000.” The title Violent crime skyrockets and the presenter’s comments were therefore not misleading or unfair.
10. The parameters of the NZCVS were explained, so viewers would understand the time period being considered. The party responsible during those time periods was also discussed. For example, the Prime Minister said his government could be responsible for about a third of it.
11. While Mr Neal would have preferred different data, specifically police figures, to have been used, TVNZ noted that Mr Luxon said the NZCVS was the best measure that approximated what was happening in society. The NZCVS research was relied upon by the Government and widely quoted and recognised. Mr Luxon also agreed violent crime had increased.
12. Because the Coalition Government was in power when the latest figures were released it was appropriate to show a photograph of Mr Luxon, TVNZ said. They also noted that it was Mr Luxon’s view that the issue wasn’t who was in power when offending occurred but what was going to be done about it.
13. Regarding the questions about prison sentences, including Nazi insignia in the gang patch ban, and whether the Police Minister should resign, the questions were put in a reasonable way and Mr Luxon had the chance to respond.
The Discussion
14. The Council finds that it was acceptable for the item to rely on the NZCVS research. Mr Neal may believe there are more revealing data sets that TVNZ could have referenced, but it was reasonable for TVNZ to rely on this widely accepted and quoted survey, which Mr Luxon said in the interview he believed was the best measure. The Prime Minister also did not dispute that violent crime had risen, and he had ample opportunity in the interview to put his view.
15. The Council notes TVNZ does report on police data as well, for example a story in September 2024 said police data showed a drop in serious assaults in Auckland’s CBD, but the Council would not uphold a complaint about a story that relied on that dataset and didn’t also mention the NZCVS data. There are multiple crime statistics released, reported on and used in interview questions; when reporting on one set of data, news outlets are not required to report on all.
16. The story also made it clear that the NZCVS covered a two-year period and the Prime Minister’s comment that the Coalition Government was not responsible for that whole period was included.
17. The Council also found that the use of the image of Mr Luxon was acceptable, as were the various headings, although the use of the word “skyrockets” could be seen as slight hyperbole. However, the item further explained the survey results and survey period, adding further context.
18. Regarding the various questions Mr Neal objected to, the Council could find no fault. Tough questioning is expected when a Government is at risk of failing to meet a target. The Prime Minister was given ample opportunity to put his point of view on all the questions, including explaining his Government’s plans to turn the crime statistics around, and Mr Luxon forcefully defended the performance of the Police Minister.
19. For these reasons, the complaint under Principle (1) Accuracy, Fairness and Balance is not upheld.