News in brief - August 1998

One Nation Newspaper Ban Condemned

On 30 July, the Council condemned the action of Queensland MHR, Pauline Hanson, and the One Nation Party in banning representatives of The Queensland Times, Ipswich, from attending a press conference.

Australian Protective Service staff were used to evict a Queensland Times journalist and a photographer from a press conference that Ms Hanson had called on 6 July 1998. The newspaper complained to the Press Council that such action resulted in a serious limitation on the freedom of the press. The Council referred the matter to Ms Hanson for comment and offered to mediate between the parties in an endeavour to reach an outcome satisfactory to both parties.

A representative of Ms Hanson rejected this offer and said that Ms Hanson had made it clear to The Queensland Times on a number of occasions that she no longer wished to speak to it because of a perceived bias during the recent Queensland elections. The Council notes that it has not received a complaint to that effect. The newspaper has stated that it is willing to defend its coverage or any particular article in that coverage.

The Australian Press Council stated its belief that restrictions on the reasonable access of newspapers to those in political and public life are generally not acceptable and can rarely, if ever, be justified. The Council does not believe that it is sufficient justification on Ms Hanson's part that she believes that a particular newspaper has been biased in its reporting. If she calls a press conference she should be prepared for representatives of all shades of opinion to report what she says. To act otherwise means that the public will only obtain their information from newspapers which she perceives will accept her views uncritically. While the Council makes no criticism of exclusive and selective interviews, it holds that a press conference, by its very nature, is open to the media in general and should not be subject to selective bans.

The Council emphasises that freedom of the press to publish is not so much a freedom for journalists, editors and proprietors. It is the freedom of the people to be informed. This is the justification for upholding press freedom as an essential feature of a democratic society. The Council believes that boycotting a particular newspaper is a sanction against its readers, who are deprived of information which they are entitled to receive at the same time as other citizens. The actions of Ms Hanson deprives readers of The Queensland Times of these rights.

[ return to top ]

Return to APC News 1998 Index

Alteration of Pictures

In a Press Release on 26 June, the Council noted that it occasionally received complaints that pictures have been altered and that changes in technology have made it easier to make such alterations. These techniques have also made recognition of such alterations more difficult.

The Council expressed its belief that the publication of a significantly altered picture that purports to illustrate the news should disclose in the picture caption, or in a prominent position, the fact of that alteration. The form of the disclosure is left to the publication to determine but it should be sufficient to bring the fact of the alteration to the notice of readers. If this is done properly, the Council would not normally accept a complaint about the alteration.

In Adjudication No. 679, the Council, in ruling on the use of file photographs to illustrate a story, made the comment, "Readers' rights to be informed accurately could be served by greater care in the wording of captions to such photos taken from library files or, at the very least, by a notation, such as 'file photo', to describe their nature more accurately."

The Council has now said that a similar notation accurately describing the significant alteration of a picture or the creation of a montage would normally be sufficient for a newspaper to meet its ethical requirements.

[ return to top ]

Return to APC News 1998 Index

Prize 1997-8

The Australian Press Council Prize for 1997-8 has closed and the entries are with the three judges who are expected to complete their work by the end of August. There were 13 entries in the secondary school section and 45 entries in the tertiary school section. All entrants will be advised of the results as soon as practicable.

The entry details for the 1998-9 Prize will be given in the November 1998 Press Council News.

[ return to top ]

Return to APC News 1998 Index

On the Council

All former members of Regional Dailies of Australia have remained affiliated with the Council. They have agreed that Lloyd Whish-Wilson, General Manager of the Launceston Examiner, will continue to represent them on the Council. His alternate will be Colin Duck, General Manager of the Geelong Advertiser.

Evan Whitton's term as a journalist member alternate has finished and the Council is seeking a replacement member. Mr Whitton has agreed to continue serving on the Freedom of the Press Committee.

[ return to top ]

Return to APC News 1998 Index

Republication of Photos Condemned

At its July meeting, the Council condemned the republication by The Townsville Bulletin of a photograph, the original publication of which the Council had found irresponsible.

The photograph, showing a woman performer's face contorting as air was sucked from a plastic bag she was wearing, was one of a number illustrating a story about a performance of the Jim Rose circus.

The Council upheld a complaint that the photograph might have encouraged children to perform a similar act, with possible fatal consequences, and should not have been published.

The photo was republished next to the publication of the Council's adjudication and an editorial comment rejecting the Council's conclusion about the original complaint.

The Council reminds editors that action of this kind risks undermining the principles of self-regulation. The Council acknowledges that a newspaper may make editorial comment on an adjudication but republication of material found to infringe the Council's principles is entirely unacceptable.

The adjudication is published in full elsewhere.

[ return to top ]

Return to APC News 1998 Index

Mediated Complaints

The Council encourages the informal resolution of complaints, including the use of direct mediation between the parties. Among the complaints successfully mediated of recent times are:

• A regional newspaper selectively published a complainant's letter to the local council in support of a petition. The selected part could be interpreted to reflect badly on the writer. The latter wrote to the paper and received no reply. After the Council became involved, the new editor wrote personally to the complainant. He acknowledged that the coverage, at least in part, showed a lack of regard to the complainant's personal feelings, and he apologised for any hurt suffered as a result of the publication. The complainant accepted that this action satisfied his concern.
  
  
• A suburban newspaper referred to a local resident as a "pensioner". The resident asked for an apology for the appellation, which she considered discriminatory. After the secretariat contacted the newspaper, a letter of apology from the editor, and the journalist, was forwarded to the complainant. This was followed-up with a telephone conversation between the parties. The complainant was very satisfied with the outcome of her complaint.
  
  
• A metropolitan daily published an unflattering photograph of the complainant. She believed that the paper had deliberately selected that photograph, out of the 144 taken. The matter went to the Complaints Committee where, after discussion, it was agreed that mediation may be possible. The office was asked to liaise between the parties and see if it could arrange the settlement of the matter by the provision by the newspaper of a suitable apology in writing to the complainant. The office's mediation was successful.
  
  
• A bylined columnist for a metropolitan daily republished extracts from a book on sex "laws". A local ethnic community body was offended by one reference, which it said was inaccurate and racially inflammatory. The columnist published an apology in a subsequent column, published in each newspaper in which the column appeared, and a private apology was sent to the complainant. These actions satisfied the body.
  
  
• A bylined article in a metropolitan newspaper regarding a Federal Commissioner's report to Parliament misrepresented the facts. The commissioner had been unable to have a balancing response published. After representations from the Council, the letter to the editor was published with prominence. The complainant thanked the secretariat for its prompt action, and withdrew his complaint.

[ return to top ]

Return to APC News 1998 Index

Publications

The transcript of the Council's 1997 Public Forum in Cairns, on the Press and the Reconciliation Process has now been printed and is available from the office at a cost of $4, including postage within Australia.

The transcript is incomplete because the audio recording tape ran out during one of the speeches and the speaker has been unable to reconstruct his text. The transcript of the Council's 1998 Public Forum on the Reporting of Gambling Issues has been edited and will be printed by the end of August. It is expected to cost $4, including postage within Australia.

The former Chairman of the Council, Prof. David Flint, has written a
Ten Year Report, summarising his time as Chairman of the Council (1987-97) and the changes that occurred during his leadership. It has been printed, together with a speech he gave in Suva last year on "The Press as the Fourth Estate" and is available from the Council.

[ return to top ]

Return to APC News 1998 Index

Internet

The Council is currently finalising its website which it hopes to have active by the end of August. It has not as yet secured the URL but is hopeful that it will be: http://www.presscouncil.org.au. The November issue of the News will give the final details, or interested parties can find out about progress through email, info@presscouncil.org.au.

[ return to top ]

Return to APC News 1998 Index

Case Studies Train-the-Trainer Workshop

The Council has conducted a successful pilot workshop with teachers in Adelaide as a first step in the training of educators in the use of the Council's case studies seminars. The case studies are based on actual complaints and allow participants to simulate the complaints adjudication process. While the number at the workshop (about 25) was a little disappointing, the teachers' reception of the case studies and their enthusiasm for their use in the classroom was not. The teachers were particularly keen that support material, to enable teachers largely unfamiliar with the minutiae of the Council to use the case studies, be developed and distributed to schools, together with the case studies. It was also agreed that the Council could use the Internet to distribute further case studies.

The Council needs to clarify some copyright issues and revise some of the case studies in the light of the pilot workshop. It is then likely to have a further pilot workshop in another state to test the revised formats and teachers' notes. The case studies will then be made generally available for use.

[ return to top ]

Return to APC News 1998 Index

Documents with the icon require the Acrobat Reader, a Free Utility from Adobe. Click here for more information.