Adjudication No. 281 (May 1986) [1986] APC 17

ADJUDICATION No. 281 (May 1986)

John and Ruth Griffith have complained about reporting by the Shoalhaven & Nowra News (Nowra News) of difficulties at the Shoalhaven and District Memorial Hospital in late 1984 and 1985. Mr and Mrs Griffith allege that in a series of reports, the Nowra News has engaged in the making of "slanted comments", misrepresenting the news and misleading headlines, as well as suppression of news and alternative views.

In brief, the reports relate events leading up to the reinstatement of five medical practitioners by the NSW Department of Health at the hospital after the hospital's failure to re-appoint them. The events may be viewed in the wider context of relations between governments and the medical profession in recent times. The complaints have been presented in considerable detail to which the managing editor, who was unable to attend the complaints hearing, makes a general reply in these terms - "The stories written at the time regarding the matters complained of are considered to have been appropriate in the circumstances with as many points of view as possible from both sides taken into account. I refute the complaints made by the Griffiths who made demands at the time to which I, and others, were unable to accede".

The Council regrets that the newspaper did not see fit to provide a detailed point by point reply. The Council notes that the newspaper in its editorial column supported the medical practitioners, something which it was entitled to do. This privilege is subject of course to the balancing requirements set out in the Council's principles, especially Principle 5:

A newspaper is justified in strongly advocating its own views on controversial topics provided that in doing so it treats its readers fairly by:

• making fact and opinion clearly distinguishable;

• not mis-stating or suppressing facts relevant to conclusions it encourages readers to accept;

• not distorting or unfairly colouring news, either in text or headlines; and

• making clear whose are any opinions expressed.

The Council cannot uphold much of the detailed criticisms - for example, the Council sees nothing improper in referring to the events as a "dispute" or a "crisis". The Nowra News, though, was inaccurate in saying in its article of 26 December that there had been a "complete breakdown of medical services". Indeed this was contradicted later in the article. As for the other complaints on the news articles, while there may have been a degree of imprecision in referring to the doctors' relationship with the hospital such as the fact that they had resigned and applied for re-appointment on conditions not acceptable to the hospital and had therefore not been "sacked" - the reporting by the Nowra News was reasonable in all circumstances.

The Press Council does not agree that the headlines were "unfair" or contrary to acceptable journalistic practice.