Adjudication No. 452 (August 1990) [1990] APC 24

ADJUDICATION No. 452 (August 1990)

The Press Council has considered criticism of The Bulletin by Professor John Henningham for its omission of any substantial report or comment upon the sudden and unexpected sacking of its former editor, Mr David Dale, by the proprietor, Mr Kerry Packer.

The Council holds that it was within editorial discretion for The Bulletin to refer, or not refer, to its change in editorship.

Nevertheless, the Council believes that the matter was of public interest, given the standing and character of the magazine and given public concern about press freedom in an environment of highly concentrated media ownership. The magazine's readership could reasonably have expected at least some coverage of the change beyond the appearance of the name of a new editor in the staff panel.

Professor Henningham states that by failing to cover any aspect of the sacking, or even to publish a letter which he wrote pointing out its implications for press freedom, The Bulletin had neglected professional values, and had shown itself to be "Orwellian" in its selection of material for publication.

In its defence, The Bulletin states that "news organisations rarely, if ever, discuss their own staff comings and goings, except to announce them". To do otherwise, it is claimed, would be an exercise in "journalistic self-indulgence". Moreover, The Bulletin says it does not report news in the way a newspaper does its function is to report facts that have not appeared elsewhere and to comment on facts that have been reported elsewhere.

In the Council's view, it would have been appropriate to report the sacking or to publish Professor Henningham's letter as a matter of public interest.