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Media Release

20 September 2017

BSA finds National Party election advertisement not in breach of Election Programmes broadcasting code

The BSA has not upheld a complaint that a National Party campaign advertisement parodying the Labour Party’s campaign motto, ‘Let’s do this’ with the tagline, ‘Let’s tax this’ was inaccurate and misleading.

The Authority found that the advertisement ‘promoted National’s views of Labour’s various tax announcements and, in critiquing those announcements, contrasted National with the Labour Party, with the aim of promoting its own party’. As such, the advertisement promoted the political opinions of National regarding Labour’s policies rather than making assertions of fact.

The Authority considered whether the advertisement breached the standard under the Election Programmes Code, which requires factual information to be clearly distinguishable from opinion or advocacy. The Authority noted that the standard is aimed at ensuring that political parties and broadcasters take care not to mislead viewers by presenting political assertions as statements of fact.

The Authority was satisfied that it would be clear to viewers that the election programme was a campaign advertisement for the National Party, which clearly advocated the National Party’s own views on Labour’s tax policy in an effort to convince voters to vote for National.

‘[W]e consider it would have been clear to viewers that the advertisement did not contain factual information, but rather National’s own analysis of Labour’s comments, policies and tax announcements’, it said.

In making its decision, the Authority took into account the public interest in election programmes and party policies, and the robust political environment in the lead up to the general election.

ENDS

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