Adjudication No. 969 (May 1998) [1998] APC 15

ADJUDICATION No. 969 (May 1998)

The Australian Press Council has dismissed a complaint made by Carolyn Worth relating to the publication of a photograph by The Australian Magazine 21-22 February 1998 illustrating a special report on an alleged murder/suicide in Far North Queensland. The photograph was of the body of Vicki Arnold taken by the police at the scene of her death. It was reproduced in conjunction with an article questioning the official finding that Vicki Arnold committed suicide after murdering a friend.

The newspaper justified its action on the basis that the position of the body and weapons found with it were crucial to the understanding of the issue raised in the article whether Vicki Arnold had also been murdered. The newspaper said that the photo had been reproduced from a book relating to the events with the approval of the author of the book, the families of the dead women and the police.

In her complaint, Carolyn Worth asserts that the photograph is offensive in a society that does not allow public executions and it adds no further information than can be obtained by reading the article. She claims that its publication contravenes one of the Council's principles: "A publication has a wide discretion in matters of taste, but this does not justify lapses of taste so repugnant as to be extremely offensive to its readership."

The Council notes that the photograph is very graphic and many readers might find it unpleasant to look at. The Council also notes that the Australian Magazine has a general readership thereby making it desirable to demonstrate a degree of sensitivity in regard to the matters that it publishes. However, in this case the thrust of the article's argument is considerably strengthened by the inclusion of the photograph. For this reason the Council considers that the newspaper was justified in including it with the article.