Paul Henry - BSA fine 'a ludicrous decision made by ridiculous people'
Controversial broadcaster speaks out as his former employer, TVNZ, is fined $3000 over his Shiela Dikshit comments.
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The Broadcasting Standards Authority has found TVNZ in "serious breach" of Broadcasting Act standards for taking "insufficient action" over comments Paul Henry made about Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit on October 1 last year.
The state broadcaster was fined $3000, and ordered to broadcast a statement.
Tallking to 3News last night - part of his new employer, MediaWorks - Mr Henry was unapologetic, and cheerfully embraced the fresh motherlode of free publicity.
He decribed the BSA's verdict as "a ludicrous decision made by ridiculous people.”
Mr Henry began to read the names of BSA members from a sheet of paper, but stopped when he got to "a Maori gentleman [former Crown prosecutor Te Rau Kupenga] whose name I probably shouldn’t try to pronounce, just in case.”
TVNZ received more than 1500 complaints after a Breakfast segment during which Mr Henry riffed on the Chief Minister's name.
His comments included, "Dikshit .... that’s so appropriate because she’s Indian, so she would be dick in shit, wouldn’t she, do you know what I mean, walking along the street."
Paul Henry later resigned from TVNZ, under pressure.
Last night, Mr Henry said of the BSA, "“If they don’t see the price that Television New Zealand has paid as a result of my resignation, if they can’t see that I was put in a position largely by TVNZ where I had little alternative but to resign, if they think that has nothing to do on their decision now then they are complete prats."
RAW DATA: Read the BSA's decision and background documents here.
NBR staff
Wed, 15 Jun 2011
Wed, 15 Jun 2011
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Paul Henry - BSA fine 'a ludicrous decision made by ridiculous people'
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