UBI reprimands Tele Züri for images from fur store

 The Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television (UBI) has upheld a complaint against Tele Züri for showing a fur shop owner on television without his consent. On October 30, 2006, the private broadcaster Tele Züri aired a report on the launch of the "Pelz frei" label by the Zurich Animal Protection Association. The film report shows how animal welfare activists visit three fashion stores to promote the label. The owner and staff of one of these stores were clearly recognizable on television. The off-screen commentary mentions that the owner did not enjoy the visit from the animal rights activists and asked them to leave the store immediately. The owner of the fur store then lodged a complaint against the broadcast.
The UBI announced on Wednesday that the broadcasting of images of a person on television is generally prohibited if no consent has been given or if there are no overriding public interests. If necessary, the persons must be anonymized by making their faces unrecognizable.
Tele Züri had broadcast the offending images against the express wishes of the persons concerned, it continued. The UBI ruled that there were no overriding public interests in showing the images. The impact and message of the report would have remained the same if the faces of the owner and sales staff had been made unrecognizable. In another clothing store, where those responsible also did not wish to make a statement, the faces of the sales staff were also made unrecognizable by Tele Züri. The broadcaster must now take the necessary precautions to avoid the same or similar infringements in the future.