Adjudication No. 270 (February 1986) [1986] APC 6

ADJUDICATION No. 270 (February 1986)

Radio Station FM104 has complained of a report in The Daily Sun (Brisbane) of September 16, 1985, concerning a free rock concert organised by the station. A story on the front page headed "Violence mars rock concert" pointed to the main story on page 3 which had a large headline "Rock violence" and a sub-heading "Fires, fights mar free concert".

The station challenged the general treatment of the concert by the paper and specifically denied a number of statements in it. In its reply to the Press Council regarding the complaint the paper describes efforts made to prepare a balanced story, and denies any inaccuracies. However it concedes that its presentation over-emphasised the violence and disorderliness. One of the writers of the story says that as presented it gave great emphasis to a very small amount of violence.

While the Press Council is not in a position to make findings about all the allegations, it is clear that the radio station has strong justification for its complaint. When the story appeared the station very properly complained to the paper, both by letter and by telephone. However it received no response. In a reply forwarded to the Press Council two months after the complaint, the paper said that after its initial investigation it endeavoured unsuccessfully to contact Mr Seymour, the General Manager of the station, with the intention of arranging a suitable correction. However he appeared to have gone on holidays. Mr Seymour says that he did not go on holidays and was present at work at the relevant period.

The Press Council can only conclude that whatever efforts were made to contact the station were not commensurate with what would have been expected from a responsible paper aware that it had published a misleading report damaging to the complainant. It was only on November 25, 1985, that the paper made known, by way of its reply to the Press Council, that it was willing to arrange the publication of something to Mr Seymour's satisfaction.

The complaint is upheld.