News in brief - February 1995

1994 Australian Press Council Prize

The Council has announced the terms of entry for its 1994 award. In its first four years the Prize has generally been awarded for the best thesis by a tertiary student on a subject related to the objects of the Press Council.

In 1994, however, the Prize will be awarded for the best essay submitted on a set topic and secondary students will also be eligible to enter.

The topic is:

The freedom of the press and its responsibility

Entries are invited in two categories:

1. Tertiary students, who will have a 2,500 word limit; and
2. Secondary students, with a 1,500 word limit.

Winners in each category will be selected by a panel of judges and the prizes of up to $1,000 will be awarded in each category.

The final date for receipt of submissions is:
1 March 1995.

The Australian Press Council reserves the right not to award a prize/s.

INQUIRIES: The Executive Secretary
The Australian Press Council
303/149 Castlereagh Street
SYDNEY NSW 2000

Tel: (02) 261 1930
(008) 02 5712
Fax: (02) 267 6826

For more detail on the APC Essay Prize, see the Prize index page

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Scandalising in Singapore

Following a prosecution in Singapore of the International Herald Tribune and some of its staff for "scandalising" the courts, the Press Council issued a statement:

"The Australian Press Council regrets the recent decision taken in Singapore to prosecute the International Herald Tribune, its executives and journalists for contempt for 'scandalising', ie criticising, the Singapore Courts. (They were found guilty and fined.)

"The Council believes that modern democracies should tolerate criticism of the courts, however robust, without resort to this archaic law which is notoriously imprecise, and seems to offer no defence.

"The Council has previously called for the repeal of similar laws in Australia which regrettably remain in force here. In the light of the Singapore decision it calls on Australian Attorneys-General to review our laws of contempt for scandalising the courts."

see also
Index of material on courts and contempt

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Mt Gambier Meeting

The Press Council held its November 1994 meeting in the South Australian regional city, Mount Gambier. In conjunction with meetings of the Council and its Complaints Committee, the Council also held a Public Meeting and conducted a Case Studies Seminar with some senior high school students at Mount Gambier High School. A report of the Public Meeting is in this issue of the News and a complete transcript of the meeting is being published and will be available for sale ($4 including postage within Australia) from the Council in late February.

The meeting featured three main speakers: John Ross, the President of the South East Local Government Association; Ros Cooper, a primary school teacher who has taught in country schools and in isolated outback settings; and John Parker, formerly Managing Director of Rural Press Limited, Australia's largest publisher of regional and country newspapers. Each spoke on different aspects of the role and responsibility of country newspapers. This was followed by a lively question and discussion period.

The high school studies simulated the Council's complaints process, considering how they would have adjudicated complaints based on three cases dealt with by the Council. Interestingly, their opinion differed from the Council on two of the three matters considered: the students would have upheld one dismissed by the Council and dismissed a matter which the Council upheld in part. The students vigorously argued the merits of each case, defending their precepts of what ethics newspapers should follow.

for more detail see
Index page on the Case Studies seminars

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Presentation of 1993 Prize

Prof David Flint presented the 1993 Australian Press Council Prize to Freya Carkeek at the Mount Gambier Public Meeting. In making the presentation, Prof Flint congratulated Ms Carkeek for the relevance of her thesis. "It is entitled 'Vicious But Vital Voices?' and relates to racial vilification legislation in Australia and freedom of expression. As you are no doubt aware there is a Bill now before the Federal Parliament, there have been Acts in New South Wales and Western Australia, and your thesis, which is summarised in the latest copy of the Australian Press Council News, will no doubt be of interest to all of those present."

In accepting the Prize, Ms Carkeek referred to her thesis: "I was considering the tension that exists between two very important, two really fundamental, rights in our democratic society. On the one hand the well established right to freely express ideas without having them prejudged and censored based on their content. And then on the other hand the more newly recognised right that developed out of anti-discrimination philosophy to racial respect. And I concluded in considering these two rights the tension that exists between them can only be managed by a careful balance".

The Prize was a cash award of $2000 and a certificate.

For more detail on the APC Essay Prize, see the Prize index page

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Comparative Cover Prices

The issue of cover prices of Australian newspapers has been in the news of late. As a comparison, the Press Council has put together these figures for the average price of the top 10 dailies in selected OECD countries. The figures are based on the latest information available to the FIEJ (a French association of editors) in June 1994, converted to US dollars, at the exchange rate then extant. All prices expressed in $US.

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In the Office

The Council now has a new assistant to the Executive Secretary, Michelle Hilder, who will be responsible for general secretarial duties.

The Executive Secretary, Jack R Herman, has completed a Mediator Training Course with the Centre for Dispute Resolution at the University of Technology, Sydney. The course aims to train people to be independent mediators of disputes and the Council asked Mr Herman to undertake the course to improve the office's skills in settling disputes by mediation.

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On the Council

Evan Whitton, one of the Council's alternate Journalist Members, has had a further book published, Trial by Voodoo (Random House, Sydney, 1994. 369pp. $17.95). The book argues that aspects of the common law and legal practice interfere with the discovery of truth in trials. Mr Whitton calls for reforms aimed at making Australia's legal system closer to the civil law system used in most European countries. His book also argues that it is journalism, not the law, which seeks the truth. He points to a number of cases where corruption and criminal behaviour have been exposed by journalists well before the law.

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Public Forum - Hobart

Newspapers: A Voice for All?

The Press Council invites anyone interested to a meeting in Hobart to discuss the extent to which newspapers should cater for both mainstream and minority views.

Venue: University Centre, University of Tasmania

Date: Thursday, 30 March 1995 at 6 pm

To be opened by Ald. Doone Kennedy (Mayor of Hobart)

Speakers invited are

• Prof Alan Gilbert (Vice-Chancellor, University of Tasmania);
• Susan Manigian (Tasmania Conservation Trust); and
• Michael Courtney (former Editor, Lauceston Examiner)

Followed by questions and discussion.

Open to the Public - Free Admission

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