The Broadcasting Ethics Verification Committee (chaired by Ikuko Komachiya) of the Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization (BPO) released a written opinion on March 21, stating that “there was a violation of broadcasting ethics” in relation to the issue of a woman from China whose comments during a street interview on the NTV variety program “Monday to Night Fakashi” were edited in a manner that was not consistent with the purpose. The BPO’s Ethics Verification Committee, chaired by Ikuko Komachiya, released a written opinion on March 21, stating that there had been a violation of broadcasting ethics. The issue was an episode broadcast on March 24. The problem was that NTV cut out footage of a woman talking about another topic, saying that “everyone eats them, so there are not many,” and that “they are just stewed and eaten,” and edited it to make it appear that she said “in China they eat crows. Nittele acknowledged the fabrication and apologized at the end of the same month. In May, NTV announced the resumption of street interviews, which had been suspended, on the grounds that it had taken steps to prevent a recurrence, such as having an employee outside of the program’s charge check the content. The Verification Committee’s written opinion pointed out that the program “arbitrarily edited the VTR material and broadcast false content that was not based on fact. In regard to the content that ridiculed the people of China, the committee stated that “the program gave a false impression of food culture in a foreign country, causing discomfort to the people of that country and the viewers,” and that “there was insufficient respect for diverse cultures and the feelings of people in other countries. NTV said, “We take the opinions of the BPO very seriously. In light of the comments, we will strengthen our system to prevent a recurrence and provide training for our employees and staff, and we will make use of these measures in the production of future programs. (Ryo Takeda)
The Asahi Shimbun