Busted..
A radio station will pay a Sh800,000 fine for claiming in a live interview that a man who was allegedly having an affair with a married woman who was HIV-positive. Classic FM was ordered to pay the fine by the Media Council Complaints Commission. The commission found the radio station guilty of discussing and exposing an individual’s HIV status on air without seeking his consent.
The complaint was lodged by a non-governmental organization, which argued that even though it was not true that the person referred to was infected with HIV, the broadcast was in disregard to the right to privacy and confidentiality of people living with the disease. In the broadcast aired on October 21 last year, a woman was informed that a man she had been cheating on her husband with was HIV-positive in a bid to have her admit the allegation. The station, owned by Radio Africa Group Ltd, was ordered to pay the fine within 14 days. The complainant was also advised to lodge a complaint with the Equity Tribunal to initiate the necessary criminal proceedings should it find that the radio station and the host of the programme committed offences
You can listen to the episode here.
