A TVNZ Maori news show wrongly reported that Whakatane Hospital's microbiology department was closing, the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has ruled.
The Bay of Plenty District Health Board (BOPDHB) complained after Te Karere showed a report in October last year claiming the department was closing.
All urgent microbiology testing was still being done at the hospital while non-urgent routine testing had been transferred to Tauranga Hospital, the BOPDHB said.
The BSA found that Te Karere had relied on an article from the Whakatane Beacon to support the broadcast and had failed to confirm this with the BOPDHB.
"By relying on the Whakatane Beacon for the information broadcast, TVNZ compounded the confusion and consequently viewers were misinformed," a statement from BSA said.
BSA did not uphold a complaint made about comments by an authority during the report.
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