3 days ago
Sanseito protests TBS program's election coverage, demands correction
TOKYO -- Minor opposition party Sanseito filed a protest against a program aired by Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc. (TBS) over the upcoming House of Councillors election, claiming that its content "significantly lacked impartiality and neutrality as election coverage."
The party on July 13 also released a written request demanding the broadcaster correct the content of the program "Hodo Tokushu" (roughly translating to "news special"). But an expert labelled Sanseito's move as "pressuring a news organization."
The TBS investigative reporting program on July 12 featured Japanese political parties' policies on foreign nationals -- suddenly a key issue in the July 20 upper house election -- as well views about those policies. Regarding Sanseito and its "Japanese first" stance, the program explained, "The party argues that 'foreigners are given preferential treatment' and has repeatedly made hardline arguments on crime and public assistance." The program also broadcast remarks made by Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya and voices of concern among international students about the discriminatory climate.
On its website, Sanseito claimed, "The segment's composition and expression, as well as the selection of people who appeared in the program, among other elements, run counter to broadcasting ethics," and expressed the view that it constituted "unjust biased reporting." The party revealed that it had submitted Kamiya's opinion to the Broadcasting Ethics & Program Improvement Organization (BPO).
A TBS public relations representative commented on July 14, "We've received the written request. We will respond (to Sanseito)."
Senshu University professor of press law Kenta Yamada criticized Sanseito's move, saying, "This is a political party pressuring a news organization, and it's intolerable." He pointed out that the "political impartiality" stipulated in the Broadcasting Act "refers to quality impartiality, not quantity equality -- that is, listening to the voices of socially vulnerable people to achieve a fair society and correcting injustice." He continued, "The program's content was not at all deserving of criticism. Decisions about whether a program is impartial should not be made by political parties or politicians."
