The Broadcasting Standards Authority has upheld a complaint that a Radio Pacific newsreader's laughter, as he read an item about a woman being swept away in a flood, was offensive.
Glen Lee, of Waipawa, complained that the newsreader's "giggle" during the June 21 news broadcast was "disgusting".
The broadcaster, The Radio Works, said that the newsreader laughed as a result of an off-air joke. He and another announcer immediately apologised for the laughter.
But the authority said the "rather cursory on-air apology" did not ameliorate the offensive nature of the broadcast. "The authority accepts that incidents such as the one complained about occur occasionally," it said.
"It also agrees with the broadcaster that the delivery style of the item was unprofessional."
- NZPA
Laughter on news found offensive
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