Adjudication No. 476 (February 1991) [1991] APC 11

ADJUDICATION No. 476 (February 1991)

The Australian Press Council today upheld a complaint by the Business Council of Australia concerning a report which alleged that it had distorted a report by an industrial relations researcher to appease its constituent base.

On 6 September 1990, the Financial Review ran a report headed, "BCA distorted report, says researcher".

The researcher, Professor Rimmer, denied he had said that the BCA had distorted his report or that the Business Council had publicly presented the findings of his report in a skewed fashion.

The Business Council issued a press release, publishing a letter of denial from Professor Rimmer and calling for a public apology from the paper. The Financial Review then published Professor Rimmer's letter, after discussions with him, in which he agreed to withdraw critical comments about the report and substitute the following paragraph:

It is true that there was a difference of emphasis in the inferences that the BCA and I might draw from my report.

The Financial Review suggested to the Business Council that a letter be published from the Business Council, setting out its views. The Business Council, however, insisted on an apology or a correction.

The Financial Review has made available to the Press Council the reporter's notes of his conversation with Professor Rimmer. There is nothing in the notes that would support the proposition that Professor Rimmer had claimed the BCA had distorted his research.

The claim of distortion in the first paragraph of the article and, in particular, in the heading, was not justified. Although a letter would have permitted the Business Council to have presented its own version in addition to that of Professor Rimmer, the Business Council was justified in seeking a correction. The complaint is upheld.