Complaints Statistics 1998-1999

Complaints Statistics 1998-1999

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have differed in their interpretation of what constitutes a "mediated" complaint as compared to one which has been "withdrawn after correspondence".)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 1998-1999 figures and their percentages; the previous year's figures and their percentages; and the figures over the 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

Complaint Statistics

Statistics 2006-2007
Statistics 2005-2006
Statistics 2004-2005
Statistics 2003-2004
Statistics 2002-2003
Statistics 2001-2002
Statistics 2000-2001
Statistics 1999-2000
Statistics 1998-1999
Statistics 1997-1998

Complaints Not
Adjudicated

Not Adj Overview
Not Adj 2006-2007
Not Adj 2005-2006
Not Adj 2004-2005
Not Adj 2003-2004
Not Adj 2002-2003
Not Adj 2001-2002
Not Adj 2000-2001
Not Adj 1999-2000
Not Adj 1998-1999

COMPLAINTS RECEIVED
	1998/9		1997/8		Total
	1998/9		1997/8		1988/98
Carried forward from previous period	51		62		36
Complaints	468		434		3701
Letters (some contain more than 1 complaint)	410		382		3344

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FROM COMPLAINANTS IN
	1998/9	percentage	1997/8	percentage	1988/98	percentage
	1998/9	1998/9	1997/8	1997/8	1988/98	1988/9
New South Wales	151	36.8	157	41.1	1196	35.8
Victoria	104	25.4	72	18.8	793	23.7
Queensland	72	17.6	64	16.7	574	17.2
Western Australia	23	5.6	24	6.3	248	7.4
South Australia	32	7.8	35	9.2	213	6.4
ACT	12	2.8	13	3.4	128	3.8
Tasmania	8	2	14	3.7	112	3.3
Northern Territory	6	1.5	1	0.3	68	2
Overseas	2	0.5	2	0.5	12	0.4

Total	410	100	382	100	3344	100

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MADE BY
	1998/9	percentage	1997/8	percentage	1988/98	percentage
	1998/9	1998/9	1997/8	1997/8	1988/98	1988/9
Individuals	267	65.1	246	64.3	1876	56
Associations/Organisations	28	6.8	30	7.9	324	9.7
Professionals	25	6.1	26	6.8	254	7.6
Election Candidates/Politicians	16	3.4	12	3.1	123	3.7
Local Councils/members	12	3	8	2.1	121	3.6
Companies/Businesses	11	2.7	12	3.1	116	3.5
Solicitors (for clients)	8	2	4	1	105	3.2
Government Departments/Agencies	11	2.7	10	2.6	102	3.1
Ethnic community groups	5	1.2	6	1.6	60	1.8
Religious groups	8	2	6	1.6	54	1.6
Institutions/Public Bodies	3	0.7	8	2.1	50	1.5
Political parties	3	0.7	5	1.3	46	1.4
Aboriginal support groups/legal services	5	1.2	1	0.3	44	1.3
Unions	5	1.2	4	1.1	41	1.2
Publications	1	0.2	1	0.3	14	0.4
Anonymous	2	0.5	3	0.8	14	0.4

Total	410	100	382	100	3344	100

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ABOUT
	1998/9	percentage	1997/8	percentage	1988/98	percentage
	1998/9	1998/9	1997/8	1997/8	1988/98	1988/9
Abuse of press freedom	6	1.3	6	1.4	36	1
Advertising	12	2.6	15	3.5	141	3.8
Bad Taste	4	0.9	2	0.5	55	1.5
Bias	42	9	25	5.8	167	4.5
Censorship; suppression of facts	24	5.1	14	3.2	134	3.6
Distortion	12	2.6	16	3.7	151	4.1
Ethical standards breached	28	6	29	6.7	237	6.4
False reporting	19	4.1	18	4.1	211	5.7
Freedom of the press threatened	2	0.4	2	0.5	21	0.6
Headline, false or misleading	17	3.6	47	10.9	140	3.7
Imbalance; inadequate cover (inc no reply)	33	7.1	25	5.8	293	7.9
Inaccuracy; misrepresentation	68	14.5	54	12.4	449	12.1
Invasion of privacy	14	3	29	6.7	199	5.4
Irresponsibility	15	3.2	13	3	158	4.3
Letters: non publication or editing	24	5.1	23	5.3	178	4.8
Offensive cartoons	16	3.4	2	0.5	56	1.5
Offensive coverage	43	9.2	29	6.7	266	7.2
Racism; religious disparagement	24	5.1	22	5.1	216	5.8
Sensationalism	9	1.9	10	2.3	64	1.7
Sexism	2	0.4	3	0.8	84	2.3
Unfair Treatment	45	9.6	41	9.4	394	10.5
Other (unclassifiable)	9	1.9	9	2.1	61	1.6

Total	468	100	434	100	3701	100

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AGAINST (Type of publication)
	1998/9	percentage	1997/8	percentage	1988/98	percentage
	1998/9	1998/9	1997/8	1997/8	1988/98	1988/9
Metropolitan newspapers	238	50.9	188	43.4	1774	47.9
Regional daily newspapers	62	13.2	57	13.1	424	11.5
Country newspapers	40	8.5	42	9.7	390	10.6
Suburban newspapers	34	7.3	36	8.3	322	8.7
Magazines (general interest)	18	3.8	17	3.9	268	7.2
National newspapers	36	7.7	61	14	215	5.8
Ethnic community press	8	1.7	9	2.1)
Special interest publications	11	2.4	8	1.8)
Ethnic/special interest*					108	2.9
Rural publications (bi-weekly & monthly)	0	-	0	-	7	0.2
Non-specific; other	21	4.5	16	3.7	193	5.2

Total	468	100	434	100	3267	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:
	1998/9	percentage	1997/8	percentage	1988/98	percentage
	1998/9	1998/9	1997/8	1997/8	1988/98	1988/9
Refused as inappropriate	78	17.3	64	14.4	414	10.8
Referred to other organisations	15	3.3	29	6.5	253	6.9
Withdrawn for legal action	31	6.9	32	7.2	118	2.7
Not followed up	78	17.3	56	12.6	675	19.1
Withdrawn after correspondence	114	25.3	105	23.6	652	16.9
Mediation	52	11.5	74	16.6	701	19.3
By press release	1	0.2	0	-	7	0.2
By adjudication	77	17.1	76	17.1	816	22.8
Other action	5	1.3	9	2	50	1.3

Total disposed of	451	100	445	100	3686	100

Carried forward to next period	68		51		51

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ADJUDICATIONS
	1998/9	percentage	1997/8	percentage	1988/98	percentage
	1998/9	1998/9	1997/8	1997/8	1988/98	1988/9
Complaints upheld	6	10.4	10	20.4	169	27.8
Complaints upheld in part	9	15.5	7	14.3	86	14.1
Upheld in whole or part	15	25.9	17	34.7	255	41.9
Complaints dismissed	43	74.1	30	61.2	339	55.7
Neither upheld nor dismissed	0	-	2	4.1	15	2.4

Number of adjudications	58	100	49	100	609	100

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