Complaints Statistics 2002-2003

The Council, each year, publishes a statistical analysis of all the formal complaints it receives. (That means those complaints it receives in written form, not just matters which are raised informally in phone discussions.)

The Council has been consistently keeping such data since its formation and has maintained, largely, the same categories within each area of its statistics (although the definition of whether a complaint is about "false reporting" or "inaccuracy" can be a fine one and Executive Secretaries have differed in their interpretation of what constitutes a "mediated" complaint as compared to one which has been "withdrawn after correspondence".)

In each table, there are three set of figures: the 2002-2003 figures and their percentages; the previous year's figures and their percentages; and the figures over the fourteen years since 1988-9 and their percentages.

This file contains the following tables:

Complaints Received
State of Residence of complainants
Status of complainant
Subject of complaint
Type of publication
How complaints were disposed of
Adjudications

Complaints Received
	2002/03		2001/02		Total 1988/02
Carried forward from previous period	48		56		36
Complaints	367		390		5375
Letters (some contain more than 1 complaint)	277		298		4735
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From complainants in
	2002/3	% 2002/3	2001/2	% 2001/2	1988/02	% 1988/02
New South Wales	111	40	99	33.2	1669	35.2
Victoria	56	20.2	77	25.8	1125	23.8
Queensland	32	11.6	44	14.8	828	17.5
Western Australia	21	7.6	19	6.3	351	7.4
South Australia	24	8.7	34	11.4	320	6.8
Tasmania	14	5.1	8	2.7	167	3.5
ACT	5	1.8	10	3.4	164	3.5
Northern Territory	9	3.2	5	1.7	90	1.9
Overseas	5	1.8	2	0.7	21	0.4
Total	277	100	298	100	4735	100
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Made by
	2002/3	% 2002/3	2001/2	% 2001/2	1988/02	% 1988/02
Individuals	187	67.5	218	73.2	2806	59.3
Associations/Organisations	22	7.9	22	7.4	430	9.1
Professionals	16	5.8	14	4.7	339	7.2
Election Candidates/Politicians	3	1.1	4	1.3	172	3.6
Local Councils/members	13	4.7	10	3.4	169	3.6
Companies/Businesses	10	3.6	6	2	154	3.2
Government Departments/Agencies	5	1.8	8	2.7	135	2.8
Solicitors (for clients)*	0	-	0	-	118	2.5
Ethnic community groups	4	1.4	4	1.3	75	1.6
Religious groups	4	1.4	4	1.3	73	1.5
Institutions/Public Bodies	1	0.4	2	0.7	64	1.4
Aboriginal support groups/legal services	7	2.5	3	1	56	1.2
Political parties	3	1.1	0	-	52	1.1
Unions	1	0.4	3	1	52	1.1
Publications	1	0.4	0	-	19	0.4
Anonymous	0	-	0	-	17	0.3
Total	277	100	298	100	4735	100
* Under new guidelines adopted by the Council in 1996, most complaints made by solicitors for clients are now dealt with as if they had been submitted by the client.
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About
	2002/3	% 2002/3	2001/2	% 2001/2	1988/02	% 1988/02
Abuse of press freedom	6	1.6	3.	0.8	51	0.9
Advertising	6	1.6	9	2.3	186	3.4
Bad Taste	5	1.4	9	2.3	80	1.5
Bias	24	6.6	14	3.6	277	5.1
Censorship; suppression of facts	11	3	9	2.3	194	3.6
Distortion	15	4.1	8	2.1	202	3.8
Ethical standards breached	20	5.4	22	5.7	352	6.5
False reporting	22	6	18	4.6	295	5.5
Freedom of the press threatened	0	-	1	0.3	27	0.5
Headline, false or misleading	17	4.6	17	4.1	192	3.6
Imbalance; inadequate cover (inc no reply)	50	13.6	47	12.1	462	8.6
Inaccuracy; misrepresentation	58	15.8	51	13.1	690	12.8
Invasion of privacy	22	6	23	5.9	283	5.3
Irresponsibility	9	2.5	12	3.1	208	3.9
Letters: non publication or editing	11	3	21	5.4	266	4.9
Offensive cartoons	3	0.8	6	1.5	85	1.6
Offensive coverage	22	6	37	9.5	415	7.7
Racism; religious disparagement	16	4.4	32	8.2	310	5.8
Sensationalism	3	0.8	6	1.5	91	1.7
Sexism	2	0.5	5	1.3	101	1.9
Unfair Treatment	44	12	39	10	540	10
Other (unclassifiable)	1	0.3	1	0.3	78	1.4
Total	367	100	390	100	5375	100
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Against (Type of publication)
	2002/3	% 2002/3	2001/2	% 2001/2	1988/02	% 1988/02
Metropolitan newspapers	176	48	203	51.9	2606	48.5
Regional daily newspapers	72	19.6	51	13.1	684	12.7
Country newspapers	39	10.6	39	10	554	10.3
Suburban newspapers	19	5.2	21	5.4	436	8.1
Magazines (general interest)	13	3.5	18	4.6	338	6.3
National newspapers	26	7	33	8.5	323	6
Ethnic community press	12	3.3	10	2.6
Special interest publications	7	2	10	2.6
Ethnic/special interest*					182	3.4
Rural publications (bi-weekly/monthly)	0	-	0	-	11	0.2
Non-specific; other	3	0.8	5	1.3	241	4.5
Total	367	100	390	100	5375	100
*Prior to 1995, ethnic community press and special interest publications were counted in the one category.
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Complaints were disposed of:
	2002/3	% 2002/3	2001/2	% 2001/2	1988/02	% 1988/02
Refused as inappropriate	54	15	74	18.6	732	13.6
Referred to other organisations	8	2.2	12	3	310	5.8
Withdrawn for legal action	29	8.1	16	4	221	4.1
Not followed up	49	13.6	40	10.1	879	16.4
Withdrawn after correspondence	85	23.6	96	24.1	1059	19.7
Mediation	84	23.3	88	22.1	998	18.6
By press release	0	-	0	-	9	0.2
By adjudication	51	17.6	70	16.2	1094	20.4
Other action	0	-	2	0.5	62	1.2
Total disposed of	360	100	398	100	5363	100
Carried forward to next period	55		48		48
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Adjudications
	2002/3	% 2002/3	2001/2	% 2001/2	1988/02	% 1988/02
Complaints upheld	8	25	12	27.3	209	26.1
Complaints upheld in part	5	15.6	5	11.3	112	14
Complaints upheld in whole or part	13	40.6	17	38.6	321	40.1
Complaints dismissed	16	50	27	61.4	463	57.9
Complaints neither upheld nor dismissed	3	9.4	0	-	16	2
Number of adjudications	32	100	44	100	800	100
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See also:

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Complaints Overview

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