What rights do you have when a reality TV show comes calling?

cameragod

cameragod

Well-known member
My sister runs HUHA animal rescue. They do a lot of good work for the community.
In 2010 they had some difficulties when a neighbor came onto their property and shot a pet goat, only getting found out because they entered it into a local wild food competition and won.

There was some media coverage around that and the TV2 show "Neighbors at War" were interested in doing a show on it.

My sister wasn’t interested. With the help of the police she felt that she could sort things out with her neighbors without humiliating them on national TV.

There then followed a series of bullying and threatening phone calls from Greenstone, the production company that makes "Neighbors at War," demanding that she participate in the show or they would get her anyway without her telling her side of the story.

I was shocked and appalled at some of the tactics they used to try and force her to front. The sort of stuff that we would think twice about using even if we were going after hardened criminals and certainly not the victim of a nasty crime.

Now Greenstone is going ahead, despite the fact that she never participated in the show in any way, and TV2 is promoting a show with my sister in it next week using file footage of animals not even on her farm. Once again I’m appalled as I’ve never worked on a reality TV show before that tried to make a show without a signed release form from the participants.

18 months after the incident my sister and her neighbors are getting on better. The last thing she wants is to publicly pick at old scabs all for some poorly made trash TV.

The Broadcasting Standers Authority seem only to be interested after the show screens but by then the damage would be done.


I cant think of anything my sister can do proactively to prevent Greenstone from benefiting from their unethical behavior.

I feel betrayed by my industry.
 
I am no legal authority but I would think this is one of those situations where libel law comes into effect after it airs. I would also think that the situation being what it is, a lot of the damage might be mitigated if she gets together with this neighbor... on the other hand if this neighbor is in on it then I will leave that up to your imagination. Is this something where a letter from an attorney to the station/network airing the final product stating your intention to sue after this airs would do any good?

I only ask because I don't know how this works down under and would imagine that you have the same protections against slander, libel and defamation that are generally seen in other countries whose legal systems are based in english law.

Either way a solicitor/lawyer/barrister or whatever else they might be referred to locally is probably money well spent here.
 
Its looking like $7000 to take out an injunction, that's with their lawyers doing most of it for free. Its still a lot and they are a charity that rescues animals so would rather spend it on them than law courts...
 
In the US, the threshold for any sort of prior restraint/injunction is amazingly high. The only option in a case like this would be to sue for libel after it airs.
 
Hire an attorney and have them file an injuction asking the court to stop the production company.
 
The reaction I'm getting from the production world is there is no way Greenstone can proceed without my sisters consent but their lawyers letter seems to be arguing they are a news show... I think the whole news industry has just been insulted :-)
 
IS the show NZ On Air funded? Is there anything that you can pursue through them?

Call up the owner of the company and have a chat with him? It's a pretty small industry here, and hopefully you guys can sort something out without making lawyers even wealthier...
 
Ben she got a letter from Green stones lawyer telling her not to contact them or TVNZ again. Not much chance of a chat with that attitude.
Will look and see if its NZ on Air funded.
 
Contact the print media and get her side out NOW. Create some bad press for them, and they will threaten to sue. She will have to tell them..."do it".

Either way-she's going to have to go to court on it, either before or after it airs. I do rescue here in Georgia....legal bills, regardless of what you want to do with the money, are neccessary.

If she says nothing, does nothing, then it's approval via silence which is what the production company is counting on.
 
Go to their office with your camera and a full crew and tell them you're filming a reality show (I mean news program) about an unethical production company, and that there is nothing they can do to stop it. Say that if they won't participate you'll do recreations with the ugliest actors you can find, and tell their story as serves the rating best any way. :D


Can you go to the companies that advertise on their show and tell them you work in the business and you've never seen such unprofessional behavior from a production company before? That they are about to slander an animal rescue operation and that it's going to look very bad for them to be supporting the show?

What about the network? Can you do some thing similar with them? Do you have any contacts there?
 
We've gone for public support option and posted the story on FB
HUHA
The supports has been instantaneous :)
Its kicking off. Go social media... never though I'd say that. :)
 
I was surprised and revolted at a number of of the plans they worn to attempt and power her to face. The kind of material that we would believe twice about by still if we were leaving following hard-bitten criminal and surely not the injured party of a spiteful offense.
 
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