Kyle and Jackie O Show censors Pauline Hanson’s vaccine comments
Kyle Sandilands was furious when comments from Pauline Hanson about vaccines were censored on the Kyle and Jackie O show.
Controversial One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s attempt to undermine Australia’s vaccine rollout failed when she was censored by one of Sydney’s biggest radio programs.
Ms Hanson was sharing her anti-vaccination views on KIIS 106.5’s Kyle & Jackie O Show on Thursday when producers intervened and began censoring the audio.
All that could be heard for the audience was a drawn out “bleep” as she described why she was not planning to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
The show is on a 30-second delay and has a permanent censor in place to block any comments that cannot be verified in a live environment or could land the network in hot water.
When alerted by callers to the censoring, host Kyle Sandilands asked producers to explain why the comments were prevented from going to air.
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“Can somebody tell me what’s being beeped out and why it’s being beeped out,” Sandilands asked producers.
A producer responded: “Our censor is saying some of what Pauline is saying is not government approved.”
Sandilands called the censoring “bullshit”.
“We’re not a government show,” he said. “This is not the ABC.”
A producer told Sandilands the show has to “be mindful of what we’re telling listeners”.
“Based on what?,” Sandilands fired back.
“(Based on) the public health system and what they’re telling us,” a producer said.
Sandilands apologised to Hanson who said it was not the first time she had been censored for her views of vaccination.
“I’ve been censored also by Channel Nine and 2GB because they won’t have me on because of what I say,” Hanson told the radio hosts.
“You can’t have a difference of opinion in this country anymore because they shut you down. So therefore you’re letting the authorities control what you say and think.”
“I’m a member of parliament, surely I have a right to actually express my opinion.”
It is not the first time the program’s censors removed comments about Australia’s handling of the pandemic.
When Sky News’ Alan Jones appeared on the show, his comments criticising the NSW lockdown were beeped out.
A spokeswoman for ARN, which represents the Kyle & Jackie O Show, told news.com.au a live to air censor “monitors all content and makes a decision on what is appropriate to be broadcast on air and be published in accordance with the station’s regulatory obligations”.
“Kyle & Jackie O don’t shy away from talking about the hot topics that matter to their audience,” the spokeswoman said.
“KIIS1065 makes every effort to fairly represent the views of its guests but has an obligation to balance freedom of expression against the expression of views that may be out of step with government health advice.
“We take our responsibilities very seriously, and appreciate that some views expressed by guests on the station may not always be shared by the wider community.”
ARN said the governing body for broadcast media, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, has a “focus on protecting the Australian public from misinformation about Covid-19 and information that is out of step with government health advice.”
Ms Hanson has shared controversial views about the pandemic before, including that Covid deaths are incorrectly counted — a claim that is unproven.