Complaints Statistics 2008-2009

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have differed in their interpretation of what constitutes a "mediated" complaint as compared to one which has been "withdrawn after correspondence".)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 2008-2009 figures and their percentages; the previous year's figures and their percentages; and the figures over the twenty years since 1988-1989 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
	2008/09		2007/08		Total 1988/2008
Carried forward from previous period	47		31		36
Complaints	506		457		7881
Letters (some contain more than 1 complaint)	397		337		6665
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From complainants in
	2008/09	% 2008/09	2007/08	% 2007/08	1988/2008	% 1988/2008
New South Wales	150	37.8	101	30	2297	34.4
Victoria	96	24.2	66	19.6	1545	23.2
Queensland	63	15.9	71	21.1	1157	17.4
Western Australia	30	7.6	36	10.7	555	8.3
South Australia	28	7.1	23	6.8	465	7
Tasmania	6	1.5	15	4.4	257	3.9
ACT	10	2.5	14	4.1	218	3.3
Northern Territory	3	0.7	5	1.5	120	1.8
Overseas	11	2.7	6	1.8	51	0.7
Total	397	100	337	100	6665	100
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Made by
	2008/09	% 2008/09	2007/08	% 2007/08	1988/2008	% 1988/2008
Individuals	260	65.5	196	58.2	4031	60.4
Professionals	28	7.1	15	4.4	463	6.9
Associations/Organisations	31	7.8	13	3.8	537	8.1
Companies/Businesses	10	2.5	19	5.6	226	3.4
Institutions/Public Bodies	7	1.8	4	1.2	85	1.3
Government Departments/Agencies	4	1	10	3	184	2.8
Local Councils/members	7	1.8	15	4.4	268	4
Religious groups	10	2.5	14	4.1	110	1.7
Aboriginal support groups/legal services	1	0.3	3	0.9	92	1.4
Ethnic community groups	8	2	8	2.4	103	1.5
Other lobby groups#	11	2.7	19	5.6	30	0.5
Election Candidates/Politicians	10	2.5	14	4.1	229	3.4
Political parties	4	1	4	1.2	76	1.1
Unions	0	-	1	0.3	60	0.9
Solicitors (for clients)*	0	-	0	-	119	1.8
Publications	6	1.5	2	0.6	35	0.5
Anonymous	0	-	0	-	17	0.3
Total	397	100	337	100	6665	100
#This new category was introduced in 2006-7 to distinguish those individuals who represent a community-based campaign group, including anti-vaccination and pro-immigration campaigners. * 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
	2008/09	% 2008/09	2007/08	% 2007/08	1988/2008	% 1988/2008
Abuse of press freedom	3	0.6	4	0.9	78	1
Advertising	9	1.8	7	1.5	217	2.8
Bad Taste	1	0.2	6	1.3	109	1.4
Bias	53 [A]	10.4	18	3.9	395	5
Censorship; suppression of facts	6	1.2	13	2.9	260	3.3
Distortion	15	3	10	2.2	277	3.5
Ethical standards breached	21	4.1	28	6.1	491	6.2
False reporting	13	2.5	13	2.9	396	5
Freedom of the press threatened	1	0.2	0	-	29	0.4
Headline, false or misleading	16	3.2	29	6.3	299	3.8
Imbalance; inadequate cover (inc no reply)	52	10.3	50	10.9	743	9.4
Inaccuracy; misrepresentation	110 [A]	21.7	89	19.5	1135	14.4
Invasion of privacy	20	4	25	5.5	428	5.4
Irresponsibility	9	1.8	14	3.1	293	3.7
Letters: non publication or editing	16	3.2	17	3.7	361	4.6
Offensive cartoons	6	1.2	3	0.7	121	1.5
Offensive coverage	42	8.3	33/font>	7.2	586	7.4
Racism; religious disparagement	43	8.5	34	7.4	468	5.9
Sensationalism	12	2.4	7	1.5	136	1.7
Sexism	13	2.5	8	1.8	134	1.7
Unfair Treatment	43	8.5	47	10.3	832	10.6
Other (unclassifiable)	2	0.4	2	0.4	83	1.1
Total	506	100	457	100	7881	100
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Against (Type of publication)
	2008/09	% 2008/09	2007/08	% 2007/08	1988/2008	% 1988/2008
Metropolitan newspapers	225	44.4	193	42.2	3774	47.8
Regional daily newspapers	58	11.5	47	10.4	1088	13.8
Country newspapers	42	8.3	49	10.7	799	10.1
Suburban newspapers	27	5.3	32	7	579	7.3
Magazines (general interest)	10	2	12	2.6	428	5.4
National newspapers	91 [A]	18	64	14	579	7.3
Ethnic community press	4	0.8	4	0.9
Special interest publications	5	1	12	2.6
Ethnic/special interest*					263	3.3
On-line news sites#	26	5.1	24	5.2	24	0.3
Rural publications (bi-weekly/monthly)	4	0.8	9	2	26	0.3
Non-specific; other	14	2.8	11	2.4	298	3.8
Total	506	100	457	100	7881	100
# Category added in 2007-2008 to reflect the number of complaints arising solely from publication on members' (and others') news sites *Prior to 1995, ethnic community press and special interest publications were counted in the one category.
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Complaints were disposed of:
	2008/09	% 2008/09	2007/08	% 2007/08	1988/2008	% 1988/2008
Refused as inappropriate	120 [A]	23.1	72	16.3	1136	14.4
Referred to other organisations	18	3.5	30	6.8	401	5
Withdrawn for legal action	28	5.4	26	5.9	376	4.8
Not followed up	38	7.3	37	8.4	1135	14.4
Withdrawn after correspondence	124	23.8	106	24	1665	21.2
Mediation	123	23.7	94	21.3	1566	19.9
By press release	0	-	0	-	9	0.1
By adjudication*	68	13	73	16.6	1516	19.3
Other action	1	0.2	3	0.7	69	0.9
Total disposed of	520	100	441	100	7870	100
Carried forward to next period	33		47		31
*Adjudications NOTES FOR 2008-2009: 1. 30 upheld; 3 upheld in part; 35 dismissed; 0 other. NOTES FOR 2007-2008: 2. 24 upheld; 10 upheld in part; 37 dismissed; 2 other. NOTES FOR 1988-2008: 3. 427 upheld; 220 upheld in part; 780 dismissed; 28 other.
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Adjudications
	2008/09	% 2008/09	2007/08	% 2007/08	1988/2008	% 1988/2008
Complaints upheld	13	39.4	11	31.4	264	25.8
Complaints upheld in part	1	3	5	14.3	157	15.3
Complaints upheld in whole or part	14	42.4	16	45.7	421	41.1
Complaints dismissed	19	57.6	18	51.4	580	56.6
Complaints neither upheld nor dismissed	0	-	1	2.9	24	2.3
Number of adjudications	33	100	35	100	1025	100
Note: The Council issued 33 adjudications which dealt with 68 separate complaints as noted immediately above. Some of these adjudications dealt with complaints from more than one party about the same material and, in some cases, one complainant made complaints about two or more newspapers and these were dealt with by the Council in the one adjudication. A third case is where an adjudication dealt with two separate complaints (say, invasion of privacy and offensive coverage) in the same determination. A. 55 complaints were received from complainants associated with a website, which encouraged complaints about a series of articles in The Australian on the question of shared custody among separated/divorced couples. Many of the complaints alleged bias, and the rest inaccuracy. All the complaints were refused.
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See also:

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Complaints Overview

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