Nature series Our Big Blue Backyard drew one complaint to media watchdog that it should not have given the program a G, or general, classification
[…] In the offending scene, a female dolphin is targeted by a pack of male dolphins that mate with her.
“She’s trapped at the surface, and the males take turns. Once they’ve all mated with her, they leave her alone,” the narrator says, accompanied by underwater footage of the encounter and dramatic music.
The BSA said the footage included “the male dolphins swarming around the female with their genitalia visible, and at one point a male visibly entered the female … accompanied by audio of dolphin cries”.
Other coverage:
- The Telegraph: New Zealand broadcaster reprimanded over ‘brutal’ dolphin mating scene
- RNZ: Drama and tension in dolphin mating documentary scene upset child viewers
- Stuff: Documentary featuring dolphins mating exposed children to potential harm - BSA
- The Spinoff: Nature doco breached BSA guidelines by showing ‘distressing’ dolphin pursuit
- Broadcasting Standards Authority press release: Incorrectly Classified Wildlife Programme Exposed Children To Potential Harm
Definitely a gross thing to broadcast. How do they decide on content ratings? I sort of assumed it was done by the government.
I think for TV, the broadcaster is responsible for setting the content rating. And they’re answerable to the BSA if they get it wrong, which is what this is about. But don’t quote me on that.