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Newman chastised for 'monkey' jibe

Posted by: Christine Kellett, Fairfax | 7 September, 2010 - 9:50 AM

3AW NEWS: Australia's Multicultural Foundation says a racial outburst by Sam Newman is not acceptable after the communications watchdog let him off with a suspended penalty.

Last September Newman held up a photo of a 107-year-old Malaysian woman and called her new husband a monkey and "not long out of the jungle".

Hass Dellal from the AMF says such comments do a lot of damage.

FAIRFAX MEDIA: Outspoken AFL Footy Show personality Sam Newman will have his jokes vetted by Channel Nine management after a TV quip likening a Malaysian man to a monkey was found to be in breach of Australia's commercial television code.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority today ruled Newman's on-air reference to the man as being "not long out of the forest" on September 17 last year was likely to have provoked severe ridicule on the basis of the man's colour and race.

Newman was discussing the young man's marriage to a 107-year-old woman during his regular Sam's Mailbag segment when he made the comment, prompting a complaint and an investigation by the media watchdog, which found comparing the man to a "sub-human primate" was out of line.

Channel Nine defended Newman's monkey gibe as "irreverent" satire and a comment on the man's behaviour as a monkey, denying it was a racist insult. The argument was dismissed, however.

In a statement today, ACMA said Nine had since offered to donate $200,000 to charity in the event of any future code breach and had "agreed to a number of other provisions in the enforceable undertaking, including significant senior management overview of the materials to be used by Mr Newman and a broad-ranging reporting regime and training obligation."

ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman said Nine's offer reflected the seriousness of Newman's offence.

"Ridiculing or racially abusing dark-skinned people by comparing them to monkeys has recently received much media attention in Australia, particularly in and around the sporting arena," Mr Chapman said.

"We believe a sporting commentator such as Mr Newman would have been aware of these incidents and should therefore have been aware that using the word monkey in this manner would be likely to provoke severe ridicule."

Nine's Adelaide-based affiliate station NWS also broadcast the program and was ruled in breach by ACMA.

Comment was being sought from the network this morning.

Blog comments

Get a life people there are far worse things in the world to worry about. It has got to the stage where you can't even breathe without offending someone. Australia has gone completly mad everyone bitching he did this and she did that Australians have become a mob of spoilt little kindergarden brats. Grow up and get a life.

Martin - Chiangmai Wednesday 8 September, 2010 - 9:34 AM
Mummy! Mummy! Sam Newman said something I didn't like! I'm so traumatised!

Crying Time Again Tuesday 7 September, 2010 - 3:07 PM
I am glad that fool has been pulled up for his ill-considered and stupid comments. I often wonder why Channel 9 continues to tollerate this cretin, though I suspect suspect that it is because he appeals to the lowest common denominator of the Australian viewing audience, which of course is that5 stations niche audience.

Fic Tuesday 7 September, 2010 - 1:19 PM
Newman is paid by channel 9 to be controversial & offensive, and routinely crosses the line. This is not humour, this is racial vilification & should not be tolerated~! A good comedian does not need to get down in the gutter to be amusing~!

Lenny Tuesday 7 September, 2010 - 11:48 AM
The nanny state at work again, who do these people think they are? They presume they have better judgement than the average viewer as to what they consider entertainment.I think it is entertaining when i see people who resemble animals irrespective of their skin colour. Will the Gary Lyon lookalikes be censored too? I hope not.

Neil Tuesday 7 September, 2010 - 10:44 AM