A programme broadcast by Mainland TV breached broadcasting standards with inaccurate and misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines and their safety, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found.

The BSA found the programme also promoted conspiracies and advocated for ineffective COVID remedies. It has ordered Mainland TV and Daystar, an American network whose programmes are broadcast via a Mainland channel, to each pay $500 in costs to the Crown. Daystar has been ordered to air a statement summarising the BSA’s decision.

The decision and orders relate to an episode of Marcus and Joni, a faith-based Daystar programme hosted by husband-and-wife Marcus and Joni Lamb. On 31 August 2021, Dr Judy Mikovits and Dr Lawrence Palevsky appeared as guests to discuss the pandemic.

The discussion included references to a “plandemic” or deliberate spreading of COVID-19, along with claims the virus was developed to be a bioweapon, and that COVID vaccines are unsafe.

The BSA ruled this breached the accuracy standard, finding the broadcaster did not make reasonable efforts to ensure the programme was accurate, particularly as the guests were not recognised experts in the subjects discussed.

In its decision, the BSA said Dr Mikovits was not a reliable expert on COVID-19, or associated vaccines or treatment, noting she appeared in COVID conspiracy documentary Plandemic (removed from YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook for violating community guidelines) and had made “many unfounded claims”.

Dr Palevsky was a leading proponent of the discredited conspiracy theory that vaccines are related to autism. “He is known for spreading vaccine misinformation even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and theories he spreads about COVID-19 vaccines have been debunked,” the Authority said.

In response to arguments from Daystar that standards were not breached due to context and the likely expectations of their regular audience (noting the complainant was channel surfing), the Authority found this was not a relevant consideration.

“There is no audience to which it is appropriate to target inaccurate, misleading or unbalanced news, current affairs or factual information – particularly in relation to critical matters of public health,” the BSA said.

The full decision can be seen at https://www.bsa.govt.nz/decisions/all-decisions/new-bsa-decision-2/. The decision was made under the Free-to-Air Television Code of Broadcasting Practice (2020 edition) which is available to view on our website: https://bsa.govt.nz/broadcasting-standards/broadcasting-code-book/.

© Scoop Media