Adjudication No. 888 (OCTOBER 1996) [1996] APC 62

ADJUDICATION No. 888 (OCTOBER 1996)

The Australian Press Council has dismissed a complaint by Geneviève Forde against The Age, Melbourne, over a report on 7 August 1996 about an ALP meeting organised by the Labor Left faction in Victoria.

Ms Forde claimed the report, under the headline "Left attacks move to middle ground", was part of a deliberate campaign by The Age editorial staff to confer mainstream status on the party's Right faction, simultaneously minimalising the Left's role.

The report did not reflect the true feelings of the meeting and was dishonest, she claimed.

She also complained that The Age did not publish a letter from her on the subject.

In the Council's view, this letter, and Ms Forde's letter of complaint, make it clear that the report quite accurately reflected the mood and general views of the meeting.

The paper offered to consider a revised letter from Ms Forde "couched in more reasonable terms". Ms Forde then indicated she wanted the original letter published.

This letter was very long. There is point to the paper's claim that it was immoderate and it strayed beyond the issue in question.