The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) has found Carte Blanche on M-Net not guilty in a case of alleged misrepresentation of a story about the company Global Visas.
Global Visas made a complaint to the BCCSA over an insert shown in the pay-TV broadcaster's longrunning weekly investigative magazine programme on Sunday evenings entitled "Visa to Nowhere" which were shown in July 2013.
According to the BCCSA, in its summary of its findings over the case, Carte Blanche broadcast a story about the business allegedly "making inaccurate representations to the public as to the likelihood of obtaining visas and employment in other coutries and to shift the risk of failure to obtain such onto the clients".
The BBCSA found that the Global Visas had itself to blame for "not representing his side of the case".
The BCCSA found that there "was balance in the presentation and that the complainant's right to privacy and dignity were overridden by a legitimate public interest".
"After viewing the programme and listening to the arguments on both sides, we have come to the conclusion that the comments made by Carte Blanche were honest expressions of opinion and were made on facts truly stated or fairly indicated and referred to," says the BCCSA in its judgement.
"No contravention of the broadcasting code of conduct could be found and the complaint is not upheld," says the BCCSA.
