TIMOTHEUS FRANK AGAINST THE NZ HERALD
Case Number: 3556
Council Meeting: 21 October 2024
Decision: No Grounds to Proceed
Publication: New Zealand Herald
Principle: Accuracy, Fairness and Balance
Ruling Categories:
Politicians
Politics
- The NZ Herald published an article on the 2nd August, 2024 headlined Trauma surgeon says lifting speed limits will drive up deaths, injuries, traffic.
- The story was based on a New Zealand Medical Journal in which the chair of the trauma surgeon's committee expressed concern about Government’s plan to lift speed limits on some roads.
- It included a paragraph saying Transport Minister Simeon Brown planned to “reverse Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions on local streets, arterial roads, and state highways.” The article included comment by Transport Minister Simeon Brown outlining his plan. There was also a paragraph which explained the previous rule did not mean blanket speed limit reductions.
- Timotheus Frank complained it was inaccurate and unfair of the NZ Herald to describe the Labour government as introducing “blanket speed limit reductions” as if the statement was fact. It should have attributed the statement to Mr Brown. He said the phrase was also wrongly used in a video embedded in the story.
- He said the regulations introduced by Labour required that roading authorities take into account certain matters if they wanted to reset speed limits. This normally resulted in speed limit reductions. There was no blanket or overall requirement to reduce speed limits. In contrast the current Government proposed a blanket increase of speed limits.
- The NZ Herald responded that the term 'blanket' referred to a rigid speed limit imposed regardless of local roading conditions. It added that the video report was an entirely accurate report of the Government's plan to remove the previous Labour administration's approach to speed limits.
- The NZ Media Council notes this was a long-running political issue where a lot of exaggerated statements had been made. The complainant made the same statement in reverse, saying that the Coalition would introduce blanket reduction. If blanket meant all speed limits, then that was also incorrect.
- The NZ Media Council understands the point made by Dr Frank. Although the NZ Herald should have attributed the arguable statement about “Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions” to Simeon Brown, most readers would have seen it as political puffery, and not as a serious factual assertion.
- However, the NZ Herald covered itself by correcting things later in the story by reporting the previous 2022 policy did not mean blanket speed limit reductions.
- There were no grounds to proceed.