Adjudication No. 829 (January 1996) [1996] APC 2

ADJUDICATION No. 829 (January 1996)

The Press Council has dismissed complaints brought by Elizabeth Blandthorn against The Lilydale and Yarra Valley Express in which she claimed breaches of Council principles governing misrepresentation and the opportunity to reply.

Ms Blandthorn claimed that an article on a visit to her school by then ACTU President Martin Ferguson concentrated on questions about the restructuring of local government in Victoria, raised by the reporter after the students had left, not on the Accord about which Mr Ferguson had spoken to the students.

The complainant wrote a spirited letter to the editor of the paper, criticising the reporter's choice of subject of the article and asked that the Accord aspect be covered. The newspaper was unwilling to publish that letter.

After Ms Blandthorn contacted the Press Council and, at its suggestion, sent a revised version of her letter to the paper, the newspaper responded that it was prepared to publish only an amended version of the second letter. This draft seemed to convey the gist of Ms Blandthorn's concern. However, by this time, the complainant was adamant that only her version of the letter was acceptable.

It was entirely a matter for the paper to determine what aspects of Mr Ferguson's visit should be covered. Also, the paper did take steps to allow Ms Blandthorn to address her concerns with the original report. Therefore, the complaints are dismissed.

The Council notes that acrimonious exchanges between complainants and newspapers in disputes like this make swift settlement by publication of a letter difficult.