Press Council Leaves WAPC

At the recent Press Council meeting, the Council decided to withdraw from the World Association of Press Councils.

The Australian Press Council, at its May 2000 meeting, took the decision to withdraw from the World Association of Press Councils (WAPC).

The WAPC was formed in 1992, following several conferences of press councils and similar bodies in the previous decade. The Australian Press Council was one of the five foundation members and has acted as the association's Depository Council, offering its administrative support, throughout the WAPC's existence.

Another of those founders, the UK Press Complaints Commission, withdrew from the association earlier this year.

The WAPC now has about 20 members from around the world. Many are councils which are in whole or part dependent on government support or patronage, and some have a direct or indirect role in the control of the press. The Australian Press Council, on the other hand, is a self-regulatory body, working in co-operation with the print media in the promotion of press freedom and press responsibility.

The former Chairman of the Australian Press Council, Professor David Flint, who was one of the main figures in the foundation of the WAPC, has stayed in the association in an individual capacity (as an Associate Member of the WAPC). He remains the Chairman of the association's Executive Council. His continuing role within the association is independent of his previous connection with the Press Council.

The association has largely been involved in the organisation of international conferences but, in the Press Council's view, has paid insufficient attention to fostering press freedom and independent press councils in developing countries and in emerging democracies.

The Australian Press Council wants to concentrate its international efforts towards the development of independent press councils within the Asia-Pacific region. It is encouraged by moves within both Papua New Guinea and Indonesia towards the establishment of such bodies. The Council considers that it will be better able to achieve its aims by acting independently, rather than as a member of the WAPC.

The Council took its decision following a report from its Chairman on the most recent WAPC conference. This was organised by the Supreme Council of the Press, Egypt, and held in Cairo. A meeting of the WAPC Executive, held during the conference, adopted some changes to the direction of the association.

The following decisions were taken at the Cairo meeting of the WAPC Executive:

• The transnational complaints mechanism proposal was discontinued.
  
  
• The proposal for the adoption of a code of ethics was concluded with the receipt at the meeting of a checklist of the major principles that press councils use to determine complaints which is intended to be used for guidance only.
  
  
• Membership of the WAPC should be open only to councils that deal with complaints against the print media as the whole or part of their function.
  
  
• A credentials committee of the association be appointed to examine applications for membership and report to the executive which will retain the final decision-making function.
  
  
• A committee be established to review the constitution of the Association.
  
  
• There should be fewer major international conferences of the Association and it should concentrate its efforts on training workshops and regional meetings.

While acknowledging that these changes make the association more likely to pursue some of the aims which the Australian Press Council would support, the Council took the view that its resources would be better spent in other areas and it will now deal with international matters on a bilateral basis.

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