News in brief - May 1998

Prize 1997-98
Submission
Reporting Suicide
Mediated Complaints
Case Studies Train-the-Trainer Workshop
Australian Press Council Public Forum - Melbourne

APC Prize 1997-8

The Australian Press Council's 1997-98 Prize closes on 30 June.

The Prize is awarded for the best essay submitted on a set topic. In 1997-98, the topic is:

Discuss the responsibility of the press in keeping the public informed while, at the same time, respecting the privacy and sensibilities of individuals.

Press Council principle 3 reads: "Readers of publications are entitled to have news and comment presented to them honestly and fairly, and with respect for the privacy and sensibilities of individuals. However, the right to privacy should not prevent publication of matters of public record or obvious or significant public interest. Rumour and unconfirmed reports, if published at all, should be identified as such."

Entries are invited in two categories:

• tertiary students (as at 30 June 1998), who will have a 2,500 word limit; and
• secondary students (as at 30 June 1998), with a 1,500 word limit.

Winners in each category will be selected by a panel of judges, and a prize of up to $1,500 will be awarded in each category.

The final date for receipt of submissions is 30 June 1998.

Entries should be typescript and double-spaced. The Council specifies that entries demonstrate some effort to research the topic and argue it seriously. Entries must list all references consulted.

Further details can be obtained from the Press Council office.

See also the Prize index page.

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Submission

The Australian Press Council has made a supplementary submission to the Senate Select Committee on Information Technologies on its Inquiry into Self-regulation in the Information and Communications Industries, which is concentrating on self regulation especially in respect of privacy.

The supplementary submission addresses matters arising from submissions and oral evidence to the Committee.

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Reporting Suicide

The Australian Press Council continues to deal with the federal Department of Health and Family Services on the production of a set of media guidelines for media reporting of suicide matters and on a proposal from the Minister and department for a joint statement on the reporting of suicide. The Council was also consulted prior to the launch of Reach Out!, the on-line youth suicide prevention service. The use of the Internet for this purpose promises to assist in reducing the incidence of youth suicide and can provide information for journalists researching the area. Reach Out! is contactable at http://www.reachout.asn.au.

See also the article in the February 1998 issue.

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Mediated Complaints

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

• A complainant submitted a letter to the editor which contained an ironic twist in its final paragraph. The paper, in its editing, cut the irony out. The complainant believed his published letter made him look foolish. The paper published a clarification of the letter, publishing in full the missing segment. The complainant accepted the action of the paper.
  
  
• An article on a new vaccine stated that the vaccine was free of side-effects. The complainant pointed out the error, provided supporting evidence, and requested a clarification. The paper made its own inquiries of the health authorities. They confirmed that the vaccine does effectively eliminate side-effects, but, in strict terms no vaccine can ever be guaranteed to be free of the possibility of side-effects. The paper then published a clarification of the original article.
  
  
• An employee of a state-owned body gave an interview to a metropolitan Sunday newspaper without his employer's consent. The employer submitted a letter to the editor clarifying certain points in the article. The letter was not published. After intervention by the secretariat, the letter was published and the complainant satisfied. It stated that all it wanted was the publication of the letter.

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Case Studies Train-the-Trainer Workshop

Modern journalists are faced with a daunting task. Under deadline pressure they must often decide what to include and what to omit from the story they are to write or broadcast. While they frequently do not have the final say on content, they have to determine how they will report the facts. And they have to deal with tough ethical questions including protection of confidential sources, the conflict between privacy and the public's right to information, conflicts of interest, reporting of tragedy, whether to identify victims of crimes, and many other challenging issues.

When stories are published, they may offend some readers. Some may believe that the journalist went too far in invading a person's privacy or that the facts of the story were inaccurate or that it failed to distinguish facts from opinions. A complaint to the Australian Press Council is one means of seeking redress in these circumstances.

The Council is the body of self-regulation for the Australian print media. Funded by the publishers, the 21 person Council includes an independent Chairman, and representatives of the publishers, eminent journalists and editors, and members the public. Many complaints are settled amicably following mediation by the Council's office.

However, about 20 per cent of the complaints it receives are referred to the Council for formal adjudication of the ethical standards raised.

The Council's Case Studies Seminars simulate the adjudication process by presenting cases based on actual complaints dealt with by the Council and asking participants to act as a Press Council in discussing the relevant ethical issues. The seminars thus inform participants on the working of the Council and how its decisions bear on journalists' work. In particular they involve participants in 'real life' discussion of :

• what concerns "average" newspaper readers;
  
• what the Press Council sees as the main obligations of reporters;
  
• the meaning of press freedom and the responsibilities that come with it;
  
• the Press Council's views on protection of sources, invasion of privacy and other contemporary issues.

These seminars have proved their relevance to the high school curriculum and in tertiary education. In the high school, they can be part of any study unit which is looking critically at the media. In the university curriculum, the seminars have obvious relevance to the training of journalists and to the discussion of ethical responsibilities.

The Council is keen to support education professionals by enabling them to conduct Case Studies Seminars with their own students. A train-the-trainer workshop for this purpose is being organised in Adelaide on 12 June 1998.

The workshop will be held at the Balyana Conference Centre, a short trip from the city. The workshop is being sponsored by the Adelaide daily, Sunday and suburban newspapers, and will involve no cost to participants.

The Press Council welcomes use of its case study materials as teaching resources, and these will also be provided free of charge.

We are inviting secondary and tertiary education professionals to attend and learn how to use the Council's complaints case studies in their own teaching environment.

The workshop program and other details are available from the Council. Participants will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis, so early registration is encouraged.

Contact details for enquiries about the workshop were listed on an attached registration form.

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Australian Press Council Public Forum

Melbourne

The Reporting of Gambling Issues

Thursday, 28 May 1998 6 pm - 8 pm State Film Centre, Treasury Place

Speakers:

Rev Tim Costello (Director, Urban Mission Unit, Collins St Baptist Church)

Prof Jan McMillen (Executive Director, Australian Institute for Gambling Research, University of Western Sydney)

Chaired by: Terry McCrann (Associate Editor, Business, The Herald-Sun)

Introduced by: Professor Dennis Pearce (Chairman, Australian Press Council)

Open Question and Discussion Time

Free Admission

Inquiries: (freecall) 1800 025712 or (email) pressco@fl.net.au

[Note: a   transcript of this Public Forum is now available.]

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