Adjudication No. 1357  (adjudicated June 2007)

The Press Council upholds in part a complaint from James Saleam and John Moffatt about an article in The Australian on 5 February 2007 headlined Party defends Klan sales.

Dr Saleam and Mr Moffatt say the headline and article distort the facts by suggesting there is a connection between Mr Moffat and the Australia First Party with the ideology and politics, as expressed in a symbol and slogan, of the Ku Klux Klan.

The article does link the Party's use of the Celtic Cross and slogan "Our Race is Our Nation" with the Ku Klux Klan. However it includes comment from Mr Moffat that he is unconcerned about this association as "a lot of people are using that slogan today". As such the article provides the reader with a balanced point of view.

On the other hand the headline invites the reader to conclude the Party is involved in the sale of Klan goods. In this respect it is misleading as there is no evidence that the Australia First Party sells goods sourced from the Ku Klux Klan.

Although there is a need to capture the essence of a story within a limited scope, headlines should accurately reflect the substance of articles they head.

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