TV3's Campbell Live under fire for alleged Dotcom suppression breach
The Chief High Court judge has ordered the Solicitor-General to investigate TV3’s alleged breach of suppression orders relating to the police raid on Kim Dotcom’s mansion.
A three-day hearing continues today at the Auckland High Court into the reasonableness, or otherwise, of the January raid.
Justice Helen Winkelmann had earlier imposed strict suppression rules about what the media can and cannot publish relating to the raids.
The suppressed material includes call signs and codes used by police during the raid, which can be heard in a police helicopter video of the event.
Justice Winkelmann said media could show the footage, but only if those codes were taken out.
However, a call sign could allegedly be heard in TV3’s promo for last night’s Campbell Live.
The Crown alerted Justice Winkelmann to the fact this morning, and the matter has been referred to the Solicitor-General.
John Campbell was not present in court this morning, but another TV3 reporter attempted to explain, saying there was a “miscommunication”.
Justice Winkelmann says that is “no excuse”, and court suppression orders must be taken seriously.
Meanwhile, Mr Dotcom’s Queen’s counsel Paul Davison is continuing to question police officers involved in the raid.
Mr Davison is trying to prove police were over-the-top in the raid, which included officers armed with semi-automatic guns being dropped in by helicopter.
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Comments and questions35
Why all the fuss about the call sign that was heard on C.L? Most of us know the meaning of " That's a Roger 10-4".
Actually, in NZ police codes 10-4 means "repeat" :p
Since technology has made scanners obsolete and all my old retired police, fire & ambulance mates can no longer sticky beak (along with towies and those annoying crims) I fail to see the big deal about codes and acronyms. Oh dear only talk back at 2am now, pretty sad.
In the corporate scene so IT can read everyones emails and HR knows everyone salaries. What me paranoid?
Typical Campbell - he & his "team" regularly ignore Broadcasting Stds & other rules as the story is more important than the facts to that lot. Doesn't matter whether it was an immaterial call sign or not - the suppression order was there & they had to follow it. I sincerely hope they come down with a ton of bricks & if we're really lucky (I won't hold my breath) it'll be the end of this low rating rubbish.
So why do you bother watching this "low rating rubbish" then? Ever considered it was human error that the code was broadcast? It would be wasted in a promo - surely if they were going to ignore the suppression on purpose - as they "regularly" do according to you, they'd have put it in the story too?
Campbell ,about time he was given his wake up call.He seems to forever,flaunt all and sundry ,with his so called he knows best outbursts.
I wouldn't have thought editing the promo was John Campbell's responsibility.
Police manipulation of the media is utterly routine so a bit of boot on the other foot for a change is quite nice.
Couldn't agree more :)
The whole idea of call signs and codes is that it doesn't matter if they are over heard as they are not real names or are in code.
I have heard the original tapes and have no idea who "the big fat pr*ck" and the "small asian girl" they were referring to are? The bodyguards maybe?
Call signs furore are a typical red herring, misdirection, smokescreen that cops' PR wonks knew would make great media bait.
The illegality, brutality and bullying involved in the raids is what the media need to focus on.
This has all the hallmarks of the covering-up of the the 2 satellites at Waihopai. Our famed S.I.S. were worried that a random passerby could tell if they were eavesdropping on Bob the Butcher. (As if he could). So, shell out $2m of taxpayer money to "hide" them.
In getting suppression orders on their Rambo jargon comms, the raiding Coatesville Ninja Muppets were just following suit.
No one cares, for god's sake!!!!
I infer Dotcom is accusing the cops of lying about their assault on him during the arrest.
Yes, I think this stuff is mostly a diversionary smokescreen PR tactic.
Heard the voice of the cop 'second in command' on the CL show last night, sounded like a third year fifth former, hardly the brightest tree in the knife draw.
Ha Ha...love the mixed metaphor...brilliant
I heard they dropped in the Hon. Parakura Horomia and Tama Iti just to set the tone for the G-Men from Uncle Sam. And was that fat useless Howard Broard still the Police Commisioner at the time?Got all his hall marks of incompetence.
Campbell Live is head over heels in love with Kim so he will hardly care. Kim will invite him up for another BBQ at Coatesville.
I can't stand Campbell (as a person), but the show does champion the cause of (and is a voice for), the underdog. What other media will do that in NZ?? Keep it up Campbell.
C'mon Paul, KDC is hardly an "underdog"! Is he?
Reading NBR comments I think one could be forgiven thinking that the NZ Police are the underdogs!! :-)
I might be wrong John, but somehow I thought we as a society, had evolved a smidge since the cowboy days of a jolly good lynching without a trial. One of us is obviously living in the wrong era.
I believe you may be right, and I think it's probably me.
But I tell you what, please do not ever try to convince me it is right that someone can buy refuge in NZ. You be just wasting your time.
Like they used to say in the Navy
"Wheel the guilty basket in, give him a fair trial, then hang him"
"In a time of war truth is the first victim"
Kim Dotcom for Mayor
Kim Dotcom for mayor - YES !!
Deport him to USA NZ dosn't need bought and paid for immigrants.If he had no money ,he wouldn't be here.
I think you posted on the wrong website, this is the NBR, not the red neck NRA.
Rock on Dot Com - stick to the yanks!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Dotcom
Due to the arrant incompetence displayed by all those involved in this sorry affair the support for KDC grows daily.
Probably time we settled with KDC and moved on to substantive matters.
How is it that the police and our politicians have so much spare time to waste on persecuting KDC?
liberte
I love you John
This is interesting - it's not just the NZ Police
On January 5, 2012,indictments were filed in the United States against Dotcom on criminal copyright infringement charges along with Július Benčko and 5 other associates. On January 20, 2012, Kim Dotcom, Finn Batato, Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk were arrested in Coatesville, Auckland, New Zealand, by New Zealand Police, following an armed raid on Dotcom's house. New Zealand authorities were cooperating with the United States' FBI and Justice Department, Hong Kong Customs and the Hong Kong Department of Justice, the Netherlands Police Agency and the Public Prosecutor's Office for Serious Fraud and Environmental Crime in Rotterdam, London's Metropolitan Police Service, Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt and the German Public Prosecutors, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Department of Justice in the investigation preceding the arrests.[
Campbell Live 's reporters are sniffers, They just follow their instinct , not the logic and rules. They are playful on the field. know how to edit and distort fact, report one-side in favoured by their instinct, cover up the other side of fact. Go to bsa.govt.nz, you see plenty of examples. Be careful next time they put you on their screen, your word could be completely re-edited to against you.
It is very disturbing that KDC was arrested in this manner, by NZ Police, on behalf of the US, having committed no crimes in NZ. It is even MORE disturbing that OUR government has given OUR courts clear direction to find a judge (who had already decided based on EVIDENCE that the raids were illegal) to be wrong. Politicians interfering with the judiciary indicates democracy in NZ is in very real jeopardy. These directions by National to the courts are the acts one would expect from a non democartioc dictatorship. This type of behaviour has NO place in NZ. start worrying people....what would happen if it were you or I the US wanted and we didn't have the funding or public prescence KDC has?
So now we hear about an "unnameable" government agency also involved in the raid planning ... this is unnameable even in the High Court by a highly ranked police official giving testimony.
Police state anybody? What more evidence do you need.
We'll just call them the "Stasi" for now until we find out who they think they are ...
Come on "Crown" lawyer. Trying to get journalists into trouble after they did get a judge into trouble for excluding journalists. Who do you work for anyway? Isn't the answer us? That is not spelled with capital letters, you know. Judge Harvey need not have excluded himself from this matter because we all knew the pun intended no malice nor relevance to the alleged form of copyright breach in this matter. I reckon its more likely he saw too much wrong with your behaviour to be burdened with the role of school teacher when his expertise and time could be better employed