Adjudication No. 475 (February 1991) [1991] APC 10

ADJUDICATION No. 475 (February 1991)

The Press Council today dismissed a complaint by Mr John King, concerning an article which described the move of Mr King from the position of DirectorGeneral of the Ministry of Transport to a full-time position as Chairman of the Port of Melbourne Authority, a position he had previously held concurrently but on a part-time basis, as an "axing".

Mr King believed this to be an outrageous and malicious distortion of the facts, which had done him serious personal damage. He demanded a public retraction and an apology. He pointed out, in making the announcement, the Minister had issued a statement which explained the changes. Indeed, Mr King advised the Council that he himself had initiated the move.

Mr King rejected an offer from The Age to publish a letter. The Age indicated to the Council that it had, through reliable sources, information which fully supported the facts alleged in the article. The editor assured the Council of the thoroughness of the paper's investigation, and the reliability of the sources.

The report in The Age could have included the fact that Mr King had been part-time chairman of the Port of Melbourne Authority. It would also have been appropriate to have reported the praise publicly expressed for Mr King's services by the Minister and the way in which the Minister publicly portrayed what appeared to be a re-shuffle of senior positions within his portfolio.

Nevertheless, the Council believes that The Age took all reasonable steps to ensure the veracity of the article and, subject to some need for balance along the lines suggested in the previous paragraph, the complaint is dismissed.