CHANNEL Nine News Adelaide has breached the privacy guidelines of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice 2010 by identifying a family involved in a homebirth.

Nine broadcast sensitive personal information about a newborn baby in a news story about a deregistered midwife who continued to practice.

The story titled 'Birth Inquiry' was broadcast on Nine's 6pm news on February 16, 2012.

The footage was said to be intrusive and identified the complainant and his family inside their home and surrounds, which had been broadcast without the complainant's knowledge or concern for their privacy.

The broadcast also contained sensitive personal medical information about the birth of the complainant's newborn child and that they were using the services of an unregistered midwife under investigation.

The investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority said the report featured footage of the outside of the complainant's house, and faces were filmed through a window.

Chairman Chris Chapman said: "The concept of being protected against someone intruding on your private space is a key tenet of the privacy guidelines.

"It is partly based on a person's reasonable expectation that their activities would not be observed or overheard. In this case, footage in and around the complainant's home was found to be an invasion of privacy."

Nine is the first television broadcast to breach the privacy provisions of the code since the new privacy guidelines were introduced in December 2011.

Nine will provide a tailored training program for relevant staff. The broadcaster will provide a statement on its website providing a link to the ACMA's investigation decision.