Adjudication No. 217 (March 1985) [1985] APC 9

ADJUDICATION No. 217 (March 1985)

On 12 December 1984 The West Australian published on an ordinary news page an item headed "Thesaurus began as a 12km list". The article was, as the editor conceded, promotional in character.

It was designed to attract attention to the Macquarie Thesaurus, which it described as "an amazing book", by recounting some aspects of its preparation. The item concluded:

The Macquarie Thesaurus is available from WA Newspapers book department in Newspaper House and our Fremantle office in Highgate Court for $29.95. Mail orders are welcome.

Dr A. F. Dickey complained that the article was nothing more than an advertisement for a book which the publishers of the newspaper had for sale, yet it was presented as a news article. He said that it was an example of a practice which he encountered frequently in newspapers and which he found objectionable on two grounds. Firstly it was deceptive, in that the reader was led to read what purported to be a news item, only to discover at the end that it was an advertisement. Secondly it was an abuse of a newspaper proprietor's privileged position. He said that there was clearly a very good reason why normal retailers cannot purchase newspaper space to present purported news items unless they are clearly identified as advertising, and asked why newspaper proprietors should be able to avoid restraints imposed on the rest of the commercial world.

The editor in reply pointed out that the use of promotional material of this kind was a fairly common practice among newspaper publishers in Australia. He said that the information was of genuine interest to readers, was accurate, and was not deceptive because the interest of the publisher was made clear. These points are well taken in the context of current practice and we do not see the occasion as calling for any condemnation of the newspaper.

However, the Press Council has considered the general principle raised by Dr Dickey and offers this guidance. At its last meeting the council adopted a policy on "advertorials", which were defined as stories providing direct support for particular advertisements, conditional on the paid advertising appearing. The policy is directed to ensuring that readers are not misled by assuming that what appears in the news columns is the objective work of journalists when in fact it is written for promotional purposes. When a newspaper promotes its own retailing, there is no question of paid advertising, but there is equal need to distinguish between material which appears in the paper as the result of the independent professional work of journalists, and that which is inserted for advertising purposes. The Press Council considers that the true character of promotional material should always be made obvious to the reader.