Adjudication No. 181 (February 1984) [1984] APC 4

ADJUDICATION No. 181 (February 1984)

By letter of 2 June 1983 the Motorcycle Riders Association complains of accounts of an incident at a motor cycle racing meeting at Bathurst on 2 April 1983, at which it is agreed there was a confrontation between a number of motorcyclists and the police; the complaint is against The Australian, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Sun News-Pictorial in respect of articles published on 4 April 1983.

The substance of the complaint is that the newspapers printed accounts of the fracas which gave at least 500 as the approximate number of people actively involved and 3000 as either the approximate number of spectators or even participants, and which described the encounter as violent and justifying the term "riot". This information was supplied mainly by police.

The complainant presents evidence suggesting that the incident was much less extensive and violent, that at most 500 people were involved. It is agreed that as a result of the incident, 66 people were charged with offences.

It is necessary to distinguish between the three publications. The complainant agreed that the Melbourne Sun News-Pictorial necessarily relied on news sources over which it has no control, and in any event its publication did not involve the potential injury to the motorcyclists associations which was threatened by the publications in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian.

In the case of The Australian, the complainant agreed that it had not raised the question of correction at the time, so that the council is not in a position to make any judgements as to the possible reaction of that publication if it had been approached immediately after the events.

In the case of the Sydney Morning Herald, the association did promptly raise with senior Herald staff its objections to the story as printed in that newspaper. The newspaper did in fact subsequently print material indicating the possibility of a different view as to the numbers involved, but the complainant said it wished to challenge the practice of relying mainly on police estimates in such matters.

The Press Council agreed that where possible the Press should not rely solely on police or other official statements, and that view was accepted by the representative of the Sydney Morning Herald as expressing his editorial practice. The Press should whenever possible seek other sources, and in particular give persons with an obvious interest in the matter an opportunity of expressing their views. In the circumstances of the case, a by-lined article in the Sydney Morning Herald represented the considered view of a competent reporter who was in Bathurst, though it was not clear whether he was a personal witness of the relevant events.

The three complaints were dismissed.