General Press Release No. 239 (May 2000)

Press Council Ad Campaign
and the new Internet Complaints Facility

The Australian Press Council has used World Press Freedom Day to promote its activities, particularly its complaints-handling facility.

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day, which is honoured around the globe to draw attention to those areas where press freedom is under threat.

The Australian print media are using World Press Freedom Day to draw attention to the link between press freedom and press responsibility.

Since its establishment in 1976, the Australian Press Council has been the public's way of ensuring that freedom for the press in Australia is matched by press responsibility. Complaints from the public about newspapers and magazines are dealt with by the Council, preferably by mediation towards an agreed settlement but also by adjudication of those complaints which cannot be settled.

One criticism of the Council is that its services are insufficiently promoted. The Council, in co-operation with the Australian press, is addressing that concern with a further promotional campaign to be launched on 3 May.

Australian newspapers and magazines are donating space to the Council over the next month to run an ad which draws attention to the Council and invites the public to find out more about it. The majority of the mainstream media has agreed to assist the Council in this matter. The ad draws attention to the Council's activities as a complaint-handling body and to its work in defending freedom of the press in Australia, and invites interested people to ask for a detailed brochure or visit the Council's website (http://www.presscouncil.org.au).

The Council has also announced that, from 3 May, it will accept complaints about members' news reporting activities, whether they are in print or on the Internet. The members of the Council include all the publishers of metropolitan and national newspapers and the overwhelming majority of regional daily, country and suburban newspapers and national magazines.These organisations are also the main publishers of Australian news reporting on-line.

Council Chairman, Professor Dennis Pearce said: "Council members accept that press responsibility is not determined by the medium in which the story is presented. They therefore support the public's right to lodge complaints about the members' on-line publications in addition to those in print form.

"If the Council finds that its self-regulation of its members' Internet sites is successful, it will offer other websites presenting news, and commentary on it, the same option, on a fee-for-service basis."

Further information on the Council, its ad campaign and its new Internet complaints facility can be obtained from Professor Pearce (o418 211 432), from the Council office (02 9261 1930) or through the website.

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