Adjudication No. 1337  (adjudicated October 2006)

The Australian Press Council has dismissed a complaint from Dr Daud Batchelor concerning an item in the Weekend Australian of 5/6 August 2006. The complaint focused on the republication of a time line of key events in the Middle East that had previously been published in the 22/23 July edition of the paper.

Dr Batchelor said that, by starting the time line on 25 June and omitting the death of seven civilians on Gaza Beach on 9 June, the newspaper had committed a "clear abuse of responsible reporting under Press Council principles ... and misled its readers".

A complaint from Dr Batchelor to the newspaper about the earlier publication of this time line had been mediated by the Council and a letter to the editor from him, in which he clearly identified the 9 June event as the cause of following incidents, had been published.

The newspaper said it "chose a point at which the latest fighting first intensified" and accepted that other people, including the complainant, may have chosen a different start point.

It commented that it had received many letters on this subject, both supporting and attacking the time line's starting point; in addition to Dr Batchelor's letter on 2 August, it published a letter opposing his view on 3 August.

The Australian states that it does not believe that it has breached any Press Council principles. The Press Council agrees.

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