Reporting Guidelines
General Press Release No. 143 (December 1991)

Selection of newsworthy stories

The Australian Press Council has had before it, from time to time, complaints from various groups and organisations, including political parties, that their press releases were not receiving adequate mention in the columns of a newspaper.

That publicity should be given was urged for a number of reasons, including:

• the inherent importance of the issues;
• the support, including in the case of political groups electoral support, accorded to the authors of those statements;
• the limited media, particularly daily press access available in the given community; and
• the Council's own proposition that the freedom of the press is the freedom of the people to be informed.

The Council is sympathetic to the frustrations of community groups who feel their views are not receiving the coverage they deserve. In a pluralistic society it is important that citizens know of the views and opinions of significant community groups.

At the same time the Council notes that the daily press is not the only source of information in society. With technological developments, a proliferation of sources is available.

In addition, the Council is a strong supporter of editorial discretion to determine what, from a proliferation of material, is in fact newsworthy. This discretion, provided it is bona fide, must remain that of the newspapers, and it would be improper for the Council to seek to substitute its views for that of the editor. The Council would only intervene on evidence that the discretion was improperly exercised, for example for political or commercial advantage. The Council cannot of course presume impropriety; it is for those who allege this to show its existence on the balance of probabilities, at least to raise a presumption which would create an obligation on the newspaper to rebut.

The Council strongly supports the freedom of newspapers as entities freely to determine the selection of news, provided that this is bona fide and in accordance with the principles.

Where a community group is aggrieved by the exercise of that freedom in a particular case, or series of cases, the Council would expect that the newspaper would treat both seriously and promptly any complaint properly made.

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