KEY POINTS:
TVNZ footage of a distressed and injured woman in a war zone during this Olympic Games was likely to be upsetting to children, the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has found.
A One News promo screened about 5pm on August 10 during the Olympic coverage and contained a headline about the conflict between Georgia and Russia.
It depicted a distressed woman sitting in rubble with fire and destroyed buildings around her. She was covered in dust and blood and was holding her hand out for help.
Victoria Galpin of Devonport complained to the BSA saying she had been watching the Olympics with her three young children and was "horrified" to see the "gruesome" scene, which prompted her three year-old son to say "look at the burning bodies Mummy".
She did not let her children watch the news and said it was "disturbing to us as parents that our children were subjected to such horrific scenes".
The authority ruled TVNZ had breached broadcasting standards because the footage was "graphic" and "disturbing" and would have alarmed child viewers, particularly because it was real.
However, it did order any reprimand.
"The Authority is satisfied that its decision with serve as a reminder to those construction news promos that they must exercise special care and discretion when deciding what material to include in promos broadcast in G-rated programmes and during children's normally accepted viewing times."
- NZPA
