Food company Talley's has begun its High Court defamation case against TVNZ and reporter Thomas Mead.
The company claimed it had lost income and its reputation had unfairly suffered after a series of reports alleging health and safety concerns.
TVNZ said in response that it reported truthfully and responsibly in the 2021 and 2022 stories. Talley’s said there were six reports which unfairly did damage to its business.
Brian Dickey, who represented the company at the High Court in Auckland, said the stories “crossed the line from factual reporting into exaggeration, misinterpretation and outright falsities”.
“In colloquial terms, they put the boot in,” he said.
The first stories dealt with Talley’s Ashburton plant.
Dickey said: "The gist of the Ashburton stories was that Talley’s is callously indifferent to the safety of its workers. It will be immediately obvious how damaging that is to its commercial reputation."
Then came reports dealing with complaints from Blenheim.
Talley's processes food products at 30 sites across New Zealand, employing more than 8000 people and selling both locally and overseas.
“The overall message was the Blenheim plant too is unsafe, and again that Talley’s does not care," Dickey said, giving a description of the story.
A subsequent story by 1News reporter Thomas Mead covered concerns over the way Talley’s subsidiary company, AFFCO, handled ACC claims.
Dickey said: “Mead conveyed that Talley’s and AFFCO are intentionally abusing their powers to cheat their employees who are injured on the job with devastating consequences. It is difficult to think of a more serious allegation which could be made against a business."
TVNZ defends stories as truthful and balanced
The stories in the case alleged serious concerns over health and safety practices and featured interviews with whistleblowers whose identities were protected.
TVNZ has been defending its stories and said they were balanced. The broadcaster also argued Mead fairly presented Talley’s responses and checked his sources.
"The care he took to assess whether someone was motivated by a grievance or not, and his drive to check and verify," the lawyer for the defendant, Davey Salmon, said. "He is vigilant in protecting the anonymity of sources to whom he has promised anonymity."
The broadcaster also argued any damage to Talley’s was limited as, TVNZ said, the business' reputation was already in question.
In its submission to the court, TVNZ argued that the Talley’s Group has a long history of health and safety convictions, hostility to union activities on its sites, and a reputation which reflects that history.
The trial was expected to last for four weeks.
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