Radio presenter Kyle Sandilands has shrugged off a media regulator’s decision about “insensitive and hurtful” comments he made on the air about disabled athletes.
The host of KIIS 106.5 was told to undergo sensitivity training after comparing the Paralympic Games to the Special Olympics and saying, “It’s appalling what some athletes are doing.
Australia’s Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) released a report on Tuesday finding that the radio station had twice breached the code’s “decency provision”.
On Wednesday, Sandilands said he was not aware of the code violation until he read about it in the newspaper that morning.
While scanning the headlines, news anchor Brooklyn Ross told Sandilands, “You’re in there,” and the shock jock dismissed the story as “bulls**t.”
Radio presenter Kyle Sandilands (pictured) has shrugged off a media regulator’s decision about “insensitive and hurtful” comments he made on the air about disabled athletes
“Yes, I’m in there. Some kind of bulls**t in there about something I didn’t even know about. Don’t know about it yet. I’ll find out one day,’ he said.
His comments indicate that he did not begin the sensitivity training mandated by the ACMA.
Later in the show, Sandilands joked that his staff needed sensitivity training after a blast between executive producer Pedro Cuccovillo and guest writer Jaimee “Mayo” Blazquez.
He also made several jokes about his new “sensitive era” following the ACMA report, at one point admitting, “I can’t stay serious.”
ACMA released a report Tuesday that found that KIIS 106.5 had violated the code’s “decency provision” twice. On Wednesday, Sandilands said he wasn’t aware of the code violation until he read about it in the newspaper This Morning, calling the story “bulls**t”.
The first breach occurred while Sandilands and his co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson (pictured) were speaking about the Paralympians on September 1, 2021. Sandilands compared the Paralympic Games to the Special Olympics and said “it’s terrible, some of the things” athletes do
The first breach occurred while Sandilands and his co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson were discussing the Paralympians on September 1, 2021.
“Have you watched the Special Olympics? Some things are horrible,’ said Sandilands.
‘Some poor guy ran to the high jump and then turned right because he was blind and landed on his butt on the ground.
“Then when they played football, the blind ones, I thought, are you kidding, they throw themselves on the ground like sausages to save the ball.
“And I think well of you, I love the spirit of competition … but I feel … Jesus Christ … this is a great effort.”
The ACMA report found that “the Paralympians in question were taunted by Mr. Sandilands and that they were taunted for the techniques used to participate and compete in their particular sport.
“ACMA believes that a regular listener to the programme, while tolerant of irreverent presentation styles, would still be able to discern what was generally ‘acceptable’ content and what was likely to be considered ‘appropriate target’ in Australia today.” was taken for humor or mockery. ‘
Sandilands was also taken to task for his comments about a journalist two days later, on 3 September.
The journalist had reported on the radio host’s comments about the Paralympians.
The ACMA report found that “the Paralympians in question were taunted by Mr. Sandilands and that they were taunted for the techniques used to participate and compete in their particular sport. (Pictured: Jackie ‘O’ Henderson)
“If you don’t have news, write about someone else who isn’t going to follow it up and follow it and find out what really happened because I have a lot of time and a lot of money to make things happen,” he said.
“Wake up, go away, choose someone who doesn’t have the ability to destroy your whole life. No, that’s not a threat, that’s a guarantee.”
ACMA dismissed a complaint that Sandilands had “incited grave contempt and ridicule” in his comments about the Paralympians.
“ACMA believes that audiences would have viewed Mr. Sandilands’ remarks, while highly offensive, as a reflection of his own strident presentation style, rather than as an encouragement to others to adopt his views,” the report reads.
“Although the ACMA believes that, given these facts, the licensee broadcast offensive material and mocked people because of their disabilities, the ACMA does not believe that the high-threshold test of likely incitement to ‘severe taunts’ to ‘a reasonable listener ‘ exists ‘ as required for a breach of this provision.’
HT&E, which owns KIISFM, argued in its statement that Sandilands was merely expressing his “sincere surprise”.
“Mr Sandilands uses empathetic language such as ‘poor fellow’ and ‘Jesus Christ, this is a great effort’ that demonstrates a compassionate response to what he has seen, as opposed to a combative or aggressive mood,” it said .
“They (Sandilands’ comments) were not made aggressive and were not said to provoke others into sharing derogatory attitudes towards disabled people as a group.”
It’s not the first time Sandilands has gotten into hot water over his comments after he suggested robbers should attack Paralympians and able-bodied athletes in Rio during the 2016 Paralympic Games.
He said disabled athletes competing in the Rio Paralympics are easier targets for theft.
“If I were a Raider in Rio, I would wait for the Paralympics to start,” he said.
The shock jock added: “They’re a much easier target than the physically fit.”