Adjudication No. 1335  (adjudicated October 2006)

The Australian Press Council has dismissed complaints from Marian Fitzgerald and others over coverage by The Sunday Tasmanian on 25 February and 9 April of a horrific traffic accident at Circular Head near Burnie which claimed the lives of three teenage girls who were members of a basketball team, the mother of one, and the team coach.

The February edition reported the accident on pages one and two, including photos of the car involved draped with a tarpaulin, pictures of two of the girls, the mother and daughter who were killed, and a photo of the coach with the 2004 premiership team.

The page two coverage included an article which recalled two other tragedies that had occurred in the Circular Head municipality in 2003 and 2004. The names of some of these victims were printed.

On 9 April The Sunday Tasmanian published an article on the funeral director who handled the ceremony for the 24 February victims and reprinted their names.

The complainants said that the use of the photographs on 25 February exploited the relatives, did not show respect for the bereaved and failed to show regard for the sensibilities of the newspapers readers. The bodies were still in the car at the time the tarpaulin photograph was taken and this contributed to the grief of families and friends. The use of the names of the victims of the 2003 and 2004 tragedies on 25 February and in the article on the funeral contributed to the on-going grief of the relatives and friends of the victims.

In its response the newspaper said all photographs of the accident scene were taken in careful consultation with the accident investigators at the scene. The other photos were published because this was a significant news event and consistent with the newspaper's year-long campaign to educate the public about the impact and dangers of the road.

An event of such gravity could not avoid links to previous events in such a small community and it was appropriate to report upon them, the newspaper said.

While appreciating the enormous grief felt by the families and friends of the victims the Council agrees that the newspaper's reports related to matters of the public interest and the complaints are dismissed.

The Press Council, while noting the anguish expressed by communities in dealing with tragedy and the ensuing media interest, also has concerns for the media's obligation to report promptly on matters of public record, including tragedies such as this one.

see also
Adjudication 1333 - Fitzgerald et al / Mercury
Adjudication 1334 - Fitzgerald et al / Examiner
Adjudication 1336 - Fitzgerald et al / Advocate

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