News in brief - May 1999

1998-99 Australian Press Council Prize
Peter Costigan - Lord Mayor
One Nation complaints
Inadequate publication of adjudication
On the Council
1999 Press Council Fellow
Planning Days
Mediated complaints

1998 APC Prize

The Council has announced the terms of entry for its 1998-9 award given for the best essay submitted on a set topic.

In 1998-9 the topic is:

Principle 4 states, "News obtained by dishonest or unfair means, or the publication of which would involve a breach of confidence, should not be published unless there is an over-riding public interest." Discuss this principle, especially in the light of the number of stories obtained through leaks and whistleblowers who may have breached the law or a confidence in passing the information along.

Entries are invited in two categories:

1.Tertiary students (as at 30 June 1999), who will have a 2,500 word limit; and

2.Secondary students (as at 30 June 1999), with a 1,500 word limit.

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

The final date for receipt of submissions is 30 June 1999.

At the request of the previous judges, the Council specifies that it would prefer entries that demonstrate some effort to research the topic and argue it seriously. It also requests that entries be typescript and double-spaced. No formal entry form is required.

The Australian Press Council reserves the right not to award a prize or prizes.

Details in the Prize and previous judges' comments can be found elsewhere on this site.

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Costigan's Coup

Long-time journalist member of the Press Council, Peter Costigan, has been elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne. Cr Costigan, an outside chance of winning the top post at the ballot held on 24 March, was stunned by his victory.

In the lead-up to the election, the new Lord Mayor constantly made reference to being a member of the Press Council, and it being a great qualification as a city councillor because of the cross section of people with different views. He knew that it was possible to have that type of forum, a "good training ground for dealing with disparate attitudes and ideas".

Asked what he hoped to achieve as Lord Mayor, Cr Costigan replied that, "Melbourne is a terrific city. It has enormous passions about food, sport, wine and gardening. I would like to see all that preserved and enhanced." Melbourne, too, "has always been a hot bed of ideas and debate. I also think that is terrific."

Referring to the perks which went with the job, and their cessation at the end of his three year term, Cr Costigan recalled that during half his journalistic life, "perks went with the territory. Having had so much of the glitter of life, I will happily return to the bronze." And to journalism. The Lord Mayor "still has a lot of journalism to do".

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Statistical anomoly

Should the Press Council accept mass complaints from pressure groups or political parties? The topic was canvassed in an article published by the Queensland Times on 21 April. The background to the story was an e-mail distributed by the self-described "One Nation's Webmaster". In it, people were advised to complain to the APC at least once a week and claimed that the Council only received 434 complaints last year "because no one knows about their role in policing the media". It was asserted that the subsequent leap in the number of complaints would be used to demonstrate that there really was something wrong with the Australian print media.

The Council's Executive Secretary, Jack Herman, responded by noting that the APC was advertised widely, and that it existed "largely to help members of the public who have little or no method of seeking redress" for complaints about newspapers. That is not the situation of leading figures in political parties. Mr Herman added that the Press Council remains happy "to deal seriously with all complaints where they raise genuine issues." The webmaster noted in the report that he had "qualified (his) request by making it quite clear that people must follow the APC guidelines in determining whether a complaint is valid before submitting it".

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Inadequate Publication

In a General Press Release issued in March, the Australian Press Council has strongly censured New Idea for failing to publish in an appropriate manner an adjudication critical of the magazine.

In February, the Press Council found that New Idea had breached the Council's principles by failing to publish a denial by Felicity Kennett and Tim Fletcher of allegations contained in an article in the magazine. Both parties had complained to the Council. In upholding the complaints, the Council had issued a written adjudication which described the conduct of New Idea as "reprehensible".

New Idea subsequently published the Council's adjudication on the letters page of its 13 March edition. However, the print size used on the adjudication was very small and much smaller than that used on the rest of the page. In addition, New Idea edited the adjudication by omitting the line that described the magazine's conduct as "reprehensible".

This action on the part of New Idea does not adhere to the Council's requirements on the prominent publication of adjudications. The Council has called on New Idea to republish the adjudication in a proper form.

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On the Council

Last issue, we reported the retirement of Lenore Nicklin as a member of the Council. Australian Consolidated Press has now nominated Diana Bagnall, a staff member of The Bulletin, as her replacement. Ms Bagnall will act as the alternate for ACP's member, David McNicoll. (The Council extends its warm regards to Mr McNicoll who, at the time of printing, was recovering from a mild stroke. It is hoped that he makes a full recovery and can soon be back with his friends on the Council.)

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Press Council Fellow 1999

The Council has awarded its 1999 Fellowship to David Robie, the co-ordinator of, and senior lecturer in, the school of journalism at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji. David is a New Zealand author and journalist who has specialised in reporting Pacific development and political issues. He has edited or been an editorial executive on newspapers in Australia, France, Kenya, New Zealand and South Africa. He formerly co-ordinated the journalism studies program at PNG University. His books include Nius Bilong Pasifik: Mass Media in the Pacific. He completed a Master of Arts in Journalism at UTS in 1996 and currently researches and teaches in Fiji, from where he runs the Pacific Media Watch newsgroup and the University of the South Pacific school of journalism website.

David will speak at the First Oceania Regional Conference of the WAPC in June and will meet with and address some university groups and some media executives and journalists. He will be in Australia, visiting at least Brisbane and Sydney from 21 June to 4 July.

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Planning Days

Like many organisations with diverse interests and membership, the Press Council finds it useful on occasion to take stock of its policies and operational methods, and to discuss future directions.

A broad look at emerging social and commercial trends affecting newspapers and the media generally, provides a vital backdrop to this process.

On March 26-27, Council members and alternates met in Sydney to review the organisation's strengths and limitations, and to plan for its continuing development over the next 3-4 years.

The program for the planning days was a full one, encompassing:

• the Council and the contemporary realities of newspaper publication;
  
  
• perceptions and standing of the Council in the community; and
  
  
• internal structural and procedural matters, including the Council's current arrangements for dealing with public complaints about print media.

The success of the event was reflected in a list of over 40 proposals for further consideration by the Council at its May and June meetings. A summary of the top priorities amongst these proposals will appear in the next edition of the News.

See also the Planning Days index page.

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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 of recent times are:

• A suburban newspaper published a letter to the editor which attacked a conservation group. Various members of the group wrote letters in reply, none of which were published. The paper had no record of receiving the letters. It satisfied the complainant by publishing a follow-up article, giving the complainant's point of view.
  
  
• A community newspaper published a letter to the editor which trenchantly criticised the white inhabitants of Australia, and their descendants. The paper agreed to publish a letter from the complainant, responding to the earlier letter. He was very happy with the outcome of the complaint.
  
  
• A metropolitan newspaper published an article quoting the complainant as a spokesman for a certain church. The complainant denied that he offered himself as a spokesman. The paper agreed to publish a suitable letter to the editor and, after negotiations between the parties, a letter was published, satisfying the complaint.
  
  
• A metropolitan Sunday published ads for adult services on the reverse side of the childrens comics. The paper provided an explanation, and apology, for what was an error in production. The complainant was content with the paper's actions.
  
  
• Another metropolitan Sunday printed inaccurate information, obtained from a wire service, on a new world record. The complainant, in fact, holds the record. The paper and the complainant agreed on a clarification which set the record straight. The complainant was happy with this approach.
  
  
• A regional daily ran an opinion piece which made derogatory remarks about a specific group of people. The paper published both an abject apology from the bylined writer, together with a clarification and apology by the paper. The complainant was prepared to let the matter rest, given the steps taken by the paper.
  
  
• A metropolitan paper published a photograph from the Vietnam War. The complainant, the daughter of the pictured soldier, believed the juxtaposition of the photograph and the headline to the story could lead readers to believe her father tortured captured Vietnamese. The matter was referred to the Complaints Committee. At the hearing, the parties thought they might be able to reach a settlement of the matter. The matter was adjourned. The parties agreed that a notation be placed on the photograph files in respect of the complainants father, and a clarification was published in respect of the original publication and text.
  
  
• Another metropolitan newspaper published allegations about a complainant, who was not given an opportunity to respond. The paper published the complainant's letter, together with a follow-up article. The paper's actions met the Council's obligations under principle numbers 2 and 8.

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