The Complaints Committee,
Television New Zealand
One News, 12 April: Oil & Gas Exploration Ban
Both news readers in this programme claimed that the purpose of the Government’s ban on new offshore exploration for oil and gas was to cut New Zealand’s greenhouse emissions and was necessary because New Zealand signed up to the Paris Climate Agreement. Continue Reading →
Views: 780
A pristine blue sky ruined by carbon dioxide pollution
The Oxford Dictionary of Chemistry says of carbon dioxide (CO2) that it is “a colourless, odourless gas.” It’s non-toxic except in very high concentrations, it’s essential food for all terrestrial and marine plants and therefore makes all animal life possible, and its level in our blood regulates breathing. From it, plants create the oxygen that we and animals need to survive and its carbon component provides the basis of our anatomy and physiology. Continue Reading →
Views: 1003
CLOUDS – water vapour (think steam); non-polluting, non-toxic, form on micro-particles, make fantastic animals and shapes
TV One managed to plumb new intellectual depths last Friday when it tried to associate photo-chemical smog and micro-particle emissions in urban areas with carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. It frequently displayed images of real air pollution. Continue Reading →
Views: 601
Drought — the big dry
TV One’s great “climate change” campaign continued last Thursday, featuring a medley of nonsense about “extreme events” and New Zealand’s future scorching temperatures before sounding off about Donald Trump’s foolishness in withdrawing the USA from the Paris Climate Agreement. As we have come to expect, TVNZ was wrong on each point. Continue Reading →
Views: 656
Vunidogoloa, Fiji
TV One is emphasising climate change this week and demonstrating just how bad the media can be. It’s not clear if it’s incompetent journalists or incompetent climate advisors but it makes a mockery of the idea that TV One tells the whole story accurately and honestly. Continue Reading →
Views: 386
I posted a letter to TVNZ today as follows.
Dear Sirs,
Formal complaint — TVNZ News 7 July
This confirms my formal complaint emailed to you yesterday.
Concerning your TV1 news item last evening and available at http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/low-lying-island-threatened-rising-sea-levels-video-5498764, I would have imagined that a careful, experienced reporter like Barbara Dreaver, in her research, might have noticed that an earthquake occurred on Lifuka in 2006, causing a subsidence of about 23 centimetres, causing a noticeable advance of sea level and causing a single householder to abandon his house. A documentary about the island was made by Tiy Chung and posted at http://vimeo.com/53200521 seven months ago.
Still, she evidently failed to check. Continue Reading →
Views: 69
Sorry, I’ve been trying to post this for a week. – Richard Treadgold
TVNZ now admits to me that its press release was wrong in claiming that Dr Renwick blamed the recent drought on global warming.
But TVNZ don’t apologise to us or the New Zealand public — or even to Dr Renwick. The Corporate Affairs Department is entirely absorbed in explaining their mistake, rather than caring that they made it.
That’s the third strike against these public relations masters.
Un – be – lievable. Continue Reading →
Views: 37
A few days ago I reported on TVNZ’s naughty porky after James Renwick’s March interview. I have since been in correspondence with TVNZ and have news.
In their reply TVNZ have made an amazing error. Like a careless schoolboy failing to read the exam directions, someone didn’t read my letter properly. They’ve given a response that annoys me and will surely displease senior managers. Continue Reading →
Views: 98
What appeared to be a startling development in the important topic of global warming started with Dr James Renwick on Sunday 17 March, 2013, in an interview aired on TV1 at about 11:17 am. Susan Wood introduces it by describing the current severe drought.
TVNZ issued a press release a few hours later, stating: “Dr Renwick told the programme that global warming was the only explanation for the drought,” even though that was not a faithful reflection of the interview.
The NBR followed up the same day with an article in which they make an identical statement: “Dr Renwick told the programme that global warming was the only explanation for the drought,” which suggests that the NBR obtained the statement from TVNZ.
Rodney Hide picked up the story (which is how I discovered it) a week ago with an article in the NBR criticising Renwick for blaming global warming for the drought.
My initial post supported Rodney’s article in the NBR and I defended him when he was lambasted by Gareth Renowden.
It was a startling story, since reputable scientists say that you cannot blame this or that specific weather event on global warming. Although warming might increase the frequency or ferocity of an event, warming alone cannot create one. But the statement was corroborated by the very broadcaster which interviewed Renwick. They should know. So it appeared to be true.
Because the statement was outrageous, I was sceptical, but after reading the transcript and studying the video, I thought that taking that meaning from it was plausible and I wrote a post carefully explaining my reasoning.
There was a clamour of dissent until Andy suggested someone contact James Renwick. Good idea, I thought, and I emailed him.
Within half an hour, James politely confirmed that he never blamed the drought on global warming: “This is just not so.” It’s good to hear him say that, actually, but we must deal with the fallout.
So, I apologise to Dr Renwick for misquoting him so badly — that is, over a statement so disastrously incorrect. And I am asking TVNZ for an explanation.
Our public broadcaster has told a very naughty porky.
Views: 270