The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has decided the used of the word ‘poof' by a Radio New Zealand media commentator was “not a breach of decency and good taste”. A complaint was also made against the radio broadcast in which the commentator denied media reports that a public figure was homosexual by saying: "it is absolutely absurd; the fact is (this man) is not a poof". The BSA rules state "a high level of invective is necessary for the authority to conclude that a broadcast encourages denigration" and declined to uphold the complaint. The latest batch of decisions from the BSA, released last Friday, showed other complaints included calling the King of Tonga a "fat brown slug" and reference to "panty raids" in a children's cartoon were also not upheld. Jack magazine editor and gay media commentator David Herkt thought the use of the word ‘poof' in the Radio New Zealand broadcast was “mildly offensive, not extremely offensive. “Like all words, it depends on who's actually saying it, and in what tone,” says Herkt. “I could imagine the word ‘poof' to be extremely offensive, and something that would also hurt me, to be quite frank. “But I could also see it used in a context when I'd laugh, or I'd empathise with the word being used. So it depends on the context.” Ref: Stuff, GayNZ.com (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Monday, 29th January 2007 - 12:00pm