The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) has fined e.tv R35 000 after finding the free-to-air channel's eNews as well as the eNews Channel (DStv 403) guilty of ''unnecessary detail'' of graphic bloody images of the attack that led to the death of the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
e.tv plans to appeal the ruling. Asked for comment Patrick Conroy, the head of the eNews Channel tells TV with Thinus that ''The eNews Channel and e.tv plan to appeal the BCCSA's ruling. We will be meeting with our lawyers and will respond further when the appeal is heard.''
e.tv in broadcasting the bloody images on eNews, said in the hearing before the BCCSA that the visual material shown, was already in the public domain. The BCCSA found that e.tv on 5 occasions contravened the code for free-to-air broadcasters, as well as the code of conduct for a pay TV channel. e.tv runs the free-to-air e.tv channel, as well as the 24 hour eNews Channel.
The BCCSA said eNews on e.tv is guilty despite the advisory that images are going to upset viewers. The BCCSA said the the eNews Channel is guilty for breaching the code of conduct by not providing a prior warning to viewers for showing the images during headlines.
The broadcaster has to pay R35 000 by the end of February and has to, before the end of the month and on specific days, broadcast a statement that it breached the code of conduct for South African broadcasters ''showing unnecessary detail of the attack on Colonel Muammar Gadaffi''.
The BCCSA said the repeated shots of the bloodied face and body of Muammar Gaddafi ''served no purpose in the public interest'' and fed into what could be described as ''sensational interest''.
