Adjudication No. 1012 (February 1999)

The Press Council has upheld complaints by Felicity Kennett and Timothy Fletcher against New Idea over a cover-promoted story, claiming to reveal a "shock new romance" between the two.

The Council strongly condemns the magazine for its failure to follow up the publication of the story with, at a later stage, some indication of the denial of any 'romance' by both Mrs Kennett, the wife of the Premier of Victoria, and Mr Fletcher, a well-known businessman.

Both say they made their denials known to the magazine immediately after the story's publication. Both say they were not contacted by the magazine before publication, although Margaret Fletcher, then separating from her husband, was told by the magazine of the 'romance'.

Mrs Kennett was particularly offended, she said, since the story implied that she had betrayed one of her best friends, Margaret Fletcher.

The magazine denied any such implication and said that the article was "entirely sympathetic not antipathetic" to both Mrs Kennett and Mr Fletcher. It claimed to have made several attempts to speak to them. It gave no source for the 'romance' information, but from other sources it "obtained confirmation of the claims made in the article".

Quite apart from the question of legitimate public interest or otherwise in the lives of public figures and the truth or otherwise in the information, the fact remains that since June of last year nothing has appeared in the magazine to give the denials of Mrs Kennett and Mr Fletcher.

This is reprehensible.

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