ACMA smacks Kyle and Jackie O after more offensive comments
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has found offensive comments made on the Kyle & Jackie O program about gay men and the mpox virus breached decency rules under the Commercial Radio Code of Practice.
An investigation found that comments made on the popular KIIS 1065 show by Kyle Sandilands “stereotyped gay men and assigned blame to them for the spread of the virus.”
Kyle & Jackie O
The watchdog found that the overall sentiment of the discussion “stereotyped gay men as irresponsible in regard to their sexual health, this made them the prime carriers of a virus that presented a danger to the community and, as a result, they were not deserving of sympathy or compassion.”
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin slammed the comments as “derisive and insulting” and not in keeping with the standards of decency expected by the audience.
“We acknowledge that the program’s audience does not expect the presentation style of either the program or the presenter to always be formal and nuanced,” O’Loughlin said.
“Although there was a basis at the time for a public discussion about mpox that involved reference to gay sexuality, the segment went beyond any acceptable standards by conveying that gay men were irresponsible, were a risk to the community and did not deserve any sympathy even when presenting for medical assistance.
“Broadcasters have a responsibility to maintain appropriate levels of decency, and in this case the comments by Mr Sandilands were overly disparaging and insulting.”
Kyle & Jackie O were recently found to breach the Commercial Radio Code of Practice decency provisions due to an offensive discussion of the Tokyo Paralympics.
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Nathan Jolly is the Deputy Editor of Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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