Ray Hadley show breached factual rules and faces sanctions over budget cuts broadcast
The ACMA has ruled that The Ray Hadley Morning Show has breached the Commercial Radio Australia Codes of Practice, and now faces ‘remedial measures’.
The show faces remedial measures
The ACMA found that the show failed to use reasonable efforts to ensure that factual material was reasonably supportable as accurate.
The show had claimed that children visiting Canberra’s political headquarters would no longer be offered fruit snacks and bottles of water due to budget cuts. The broadcast had been based on a newspaper report that was later corrected in response to a statement from federal treasurer Wayne Swan.
“The Australian Communications and Media Authority found that, in all the circumstances, 2GB had not used reasonable efforts to ensure that the factual material broadcast was reasonably supportable as accurate,” the ACMA said in a statement.
“The ACMA noted that reference to a current mainstream media source will in many (if not most) situations be indicative of a broadcaster’s reasonable efforts to ensure that factual material is reasonably supportable as accurate. However, given Mr Swan’s media statement (being credible material casting doubt on the accuracy of the newspaper article), the ACMA found that more was required in this particular circumstance.
“2GB submitted that any inaccuracy was corrected in later broadcasts in which Mr Hadley made clear that the hospitality program cuts would not go ahead. However, the ACMA determined that these later broadcasts were not corrections as they did not clearly acknowledge that the original statement was incorrect.”
The station and the ADMA are “in discussions” over the remedial measures to be taken in response.