Complaint over John Key prison rape joke upheld
A complaint regarding a radio stunt on The Rock Morning Rumble, that involved prime minister John Key and references to prison rape, has been upheld by the Broadcasting Standards Authority.
Key was invited to take part in the stunt in December last year.
During the segment, the prime minister was asked to enter a cage inside The Rock FM's studio and to "pick up the soap" by the hosts, who then quoted a line from a rape scene in the film Deliverance.
"You have a pretty little mouth prime minister," one of the hosts said.
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The authority found the stunt was a deliberate reference to prison rape and trivialised sexual violence.
"Sexual violence is a serious issue which affects some of the most vulnerable people in society, including those who are incarcerated," the authority said in its decision, released on Thursday.
"This was not an off-the-cuff or fleeting joke made in the spur of the moment. Rather, the gathering and use of props such as soap, as well as quoting from the film Deliverance, in our view clearly required some forethought."
The stunt went beyond good taste and decency and showed poor judgment, the authority said.
MediaWorks will have to broadcast a statement summarising the authority's findings, and pay $1000 in costs to the Crown.
MediaWorks said it accepted the BSA's decision and would not be commenting further.
– With NZN
