Australian radio jock  cleared over "spider baby" jibe

A small victory for free speech

Controversial DJ Kyle Sandilands did not offend "generally accepted standards of decency" when he ridiculed a disabled child on his radio show, the communications watchdog says.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has also cleared 2Day FM of breaching its licence conditions after Sandilands described a Pakistani baby born with extra limbs as a "spider baby".

ACMA has been investigating whether the broadcaster's on-air comments in April contravened the Commercial Radio Code of Practice, which prohibits the incitement of severe ridicule of people because of their disability.

On Friday, it ruled that "while the broadcast conveyed severe ridicule and was grossly insensitive, it was not likely to incite severe ridicule of the child among listeners".

ACMA also ruled that the broadcast did not offend generally accepted standards of decency.  "Although the comments were in poor taste and offensive to some, they were not, in the sense contemplated by the code, lewd, coarse or indecent."

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