Complaint against Carte Blanche dismissed

"Complaints that a representative overview was not provided in a Carte Blanche programme that dealt with the fees of veterinarians [is] not upheld," the commission said in a statement on Monday.

 

"It was found that the reasonable viewer would have seen the programme as informative and that, in any case, the veterinarians interviewed clearly explained fee structures."

 

The ruling was made on November 13, and it was not clear when the programme was aired.

 

The SA Veterinary Council (SAVC) complained that the programme gave a skewed picture of the situation and that a wider, more representative group of veterinarians should have been interviewed.

 

Complaints from other veterinarians were also received by the commission, but some were not accepted as they came after the required 30-day period.

 

M-Net contended that it had acted within its editorial prerogative by electing to interview Johannesburg veterinarians, and by concentrating on the allegedly exorbitant fees charged by them.

 

Carte Blanche also interviewed the president of the SAVC.

 

"In the result we have come to the conclusion that M-Net did not contravene the broadcasting code, and that the SAVC's good name has not been sullied -- the saving aspect having been the president's clarification regarding fees charged," the commission said.