Adjudication No. 1406  (adjudicated September 2008)

The Australian Press Council has dismissed a complaint from J R Carr, against The Land, over a letter to the editor published on May 1, 2008.

Mr Carr's letter related to the benefits of ploughing and he used a real-life example to convey his message. He complained that the editor of The Land altered his letter and sought to have it reprinted in the original format.

The editor of The Land said that the editing changes were made to ensure that Mr Carr's 'message was clear and unambiguous to the readers. The editing was intended to be a positive initiative'.

The Council has stated on a number of occasions that editors can edit letters from readers for publication, provided that such editing should not change the meaning or tenor of the letter. Letter writers can, of course, specify that they want their letter published without editing, or not at all, but in doing so they increase the risk of having nothing published.

The Council does not find that the meaning or tenor of Mr Carr's letter has been altered and therefore the complaint is dismissed.

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