The BSA Just Realised 1News Is Biased
In breaking news, the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has just figured out that 1News is biased, and particularly so towards President Donald Trump. Too little. Too late. We show you how many other examples they’ve missed.
Show Script:
BSA Just Realised 1News Is Biased
In breaking news, the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has just figured out that 1News is biased, and particularly so towards President Donald Trump.
This is a perfect example of why we won’t miss the BSA. It has served no useful purpose.
Do you remember this?
In September last year, The NZ Herald reported
A TVNZ-commissioned review of TVNZ’s news coverage has identified only “minor” issues – and “no evidence of systemic bias or lack of impartiality in 1News’ reporting”, according to a TVNZ summary of the report. However, publicly owned TVNZ is refusing to release the actual report…
Well, they could just redact any personal names eh.
TVNZ … has provided its own summary of Sunderland’s report along with three “key extracts”
Yes – TVNZ published a summary – their own summary with their own spin. 2 Pages.
But the BSA which is about to be fired for being useless, having no standards, and showing a level of bias that everyone was sick of, has suddenly called out 1News for Trump Derangement Syndrome.
The problem for the BSA is that the bias has been there for years.
EXHIBIT 1
How can you forget this one from Breakfast on 1
Shooting the doll of Jacinda Ardern, sorry Kamala Harris, I mean Hillary Clinton
No – silly – it could only be Donald Trump…
Yep – definitely no bias there
EXHIBIT 2
During the 2024 presidential vote, 1News mocked – “Trump town hall event: ‘Let’s just listen to music’”
Here was their 6pm news bulletin coverage
But what actually happened?
Trump showed some humanity by halting a political rally so that sick people could be tended to by emergency services – twice – and then turned it into a fun event of music and signing Trump caps.
But the media mockers pounced on it – and totally tried to fool you.
But remember what the report said last week – no evidence of systemic bias or lack of impartiality
EXHIBIT 3
1News reporter Jack Tame grossly misrepresented former President Donald Trump’s comments about protecting women from illegal immigrants.
Trump clearly said he would protect Americans (and women) from illegal immigrants who are killing innocent people (including many women) whether “the women like it or not.” (likely referring to Kamala and others who allow open borders).
Now watch 1News coverage.
The speech coverage is stopped – mid-sentence! And Jack says Trump was referring to – abortion.
And then Jack says “After Donald Trump’s comments around reproductive rights in Wisconsin last night, Kamala Harris was quick to pounce”.
Slight problem. Trump’s comments were not about reproductive rights. Abortion wasn’t even mentioned in the speech.
EXAMPLE 4
On TVNZ’s Q&A, there was a feature on the US election and an interview entitled “US faces ‘chaos’ if Trump wins 2nd term”
Here’s the intro
What they didn’t tell you – apart from a minor comment well into the interview was that he has always opposed Trump. He’s described as a “celebrated observer” BUT he’s Founding member of Never Trump lobby group, Author of “Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic”, Voted for Hillary in 2016, His magazine endorsed Biden in 2020.
You think that should have been disclosed by Q&A. Absolutely. Feel free to interview him but tell us his biases first.
EXHIBIT 5
Some Elon Musk Derangement Syndrome from 1News – because he supported Trump
Elon Musk is not your normal type of guy. No normal person has achieved what he has done – in terms of his space travel, technology, Tesla electric cars, opening up Twitter to free speech.
And you only have to watch him being interviewed to see that he’s… quirky.
Yep – note that they show half of it – but not the emphasis on the heart, and not the statement.
They do eventually connect the heart message – but it’s an afterthought.
EXHIBIT 6
You can’t forget about this one either.
Trump’s speech which is also butchered by the BBC.
Note the context – “we’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong.”
And then he says – “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
So let’s watch SEVEN examples of TVNZ reporting.
Watch the speech excerpts. Watch the accompanying imagery. Listen to the commentary by the reporter.
#1
12 January 2021 – 5 days after the event
“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol…” (then violent imagery)
#2
14 January 2021
“We fight, we fight like hell – and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore…”
#3
7 January 2022 – the first year anniversary
“if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore…”
#4
10 June 2022 – as the Democrats being their hearings on the issue
“We fight, we fight like hell – and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore…”
#5
22 July 2022 – more hearings.
“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol…” followed by violent imagery
#6
November 2024 – leading into the US election – and the same time that the BBC were playing the Panorama documentary.
TVNZ’s Q&A
“we fight like hell – and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore…”
#7
Here’s the interesting thing…
In ONE of the first reports on the events, in fact three days after the event (9 January 2021), INews actually gave some context to the speech
You will hear “…I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol Building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard…”
But note the reporter’s accompanying narrative fixed that up eh.
So it wasn’t that they didn’t have access to the full clip in context. They just didn’t want to keep showing it because it undermined their overall narrative.
There was this recent report where they made out that the Vice President JD Vance had been heckled throughout his speech. Except he hadn’t. Vance actually engaged with the lone protestor. INews also misrepresented his comments on the Pope also. He welcomes the Pope’s input but also said that input could be challenged.
That’s quite the line-up, isn’t it.
And note, I could probably do the same expose on ThreeNews and Radio NZ and Stuff and Newstalk ZB.
But here’s the most recent bust on the bias of 1News.
The BSA suddenly woke up.
TVNZ breached broadcasting standards in its reporting of comments by President Trump in an item on the arrest of the man suspected of shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. The Authority has upheld three complaints that the 1News item, broadcast on 13 September 2025, breached the accuracy standard by misrepresenting the President’s comment, “I couldn’t care less”, in response to a question. The report’s introduction stated, “[W]hen the President was asked what he’d do to unite the country after this tragedy, he said, ‘I couldn’t care less’, blaming the radical left, and vowing to go after political violence”. This was accompanied by a large banner with a photo of Trump and the words, “I couldn’t care less”. The BSA found this was inaccurate
Let’s watch it – in context.
From the BSA decision
TVNZ had indicated the report reflected its genuine interpretation of Trump’s comments.
TVNZ had argued that similar reporting of the President’s comments by other “respected media providers” was evidence another interpretation was available.
However, the Authority did not consider TVNZ’s interpretation was reasonably available. “We note TVNZ was not simply re-reporting supplied content in this broadcast; it created the introduction and selected the text and images to be used, putting particular emphasis on Trump’s edited quote,”
…. TVNZ has now accepted the BSA’s decision and advised that the 1News team will use it as an opportunity to review its scripting processes.
The BSA has suddenly come to the party that the reason trust in media is so low is because news media are no longer just reporting the news – they’re also strongly pushing a preferred narrative – predominantly left wing. And they’re shutting down dissenting views on things like COVID, climate alarmism, critical theory, gender ideology, abortion, LGBT issues, opposition to drug use. In others, mainly social conservative issues.
As I said, the BSA have finally figured out that our state broadcaster 1News is biased.
Too little. Too late.
