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Osher Günsberg wins Press Council complaint

Unflattering shirtless photos of Bachelor host's "Bali belly" ruled an invasion of privacy.

A complaint by Osher Günsberg about a Daily Mail Australia article made to the Press Council has been upheld.

The Bachelor host complained that a September article with shirtless photos was an invasion of privacy.

The article was headed “The Bachelor host Osher Gunsberg shows off his ‘Bali belly’ as he goes shirtless while filming finale of reality TV show on Indonesian island”. It was accompanied by unflattering shirtless photos

Günsberg said that although he was a TV host, he had never allowed photographs to be taken of him shirtless. He said he had experienced mental illness for a long time and weight gain was a side effect of the medication for the illness.

But the paparazzo photos caught him unaware in a remote part of Bali, causing him to feel shamed and bullied because of weight gain and because he was on medication which caused the gain.

Günsberg spoke out about the article on radio but did not contact the publication directly to complain and did not want to have alterations to it or a right of reply because it would attract more attention to the story.

But the Daily Mail said the article was light-hearted and primarily focused on the photographs.
The reference to “Bali belly” was a pun based on his being in Bali and showing his belly, and was not intended as an insult.

It said the article was fair and balanced and did not omit key facts, included previous comments about his mental health and weight concerns and so considered it unnecessary to seek comment. It claimed as a celebrity who hosts primetime entertainment shows with a significant television presence and social media following, the complainant is a public figure.

But the Press Council ruled that while Günsberg is a public figure, he has not forfeited his right to privacy altogether and that the article did not relate to his public activities. It said there was no public interest to justify such an intrusion.

The article ridiculed the consequences of his mental illness medication and was likely to cause substantial offence or distress to Günsberg for concerns he acknowledged, the Press Council claimed.

Some aspects of the complaint were not upheld, you can read more here.

3 Responses

  1. How can they possibly say ‘Bali belly’ wasn’t meant as an insult. Well done Osher for making the complaint and continuing to help others by talking about mental illness.

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