Adjudication No. 980 (June 1998) [1998] APC 26

ADJUDICATION No. 980 (June 1998)

The Press Council has upheld a complaint against the Wanneroo Times over the use of a letter writer's name in a letters column.

The complainant wrote to the paper in response to an earlier letter and in her letter she maintains she requested twice that her name and address not be published. The copy of her letter shows only one request at the beginning.

However, through an error in editing, her name and address were published. The paper admits its mistake, and maintains it has a policy of not publishing letters of this kind without identification, and so feel this supports the view that a genuine mistake was made. The paper claims that in two phone calls both the editor-in-chief and the letters editor apologised to the woman. She does not feel she received an adequate apology.

Under these circumstances, the Press Council notes that the publication of the name breached its principles of ethical behaviour. It also notes that the newspaper acknowledged its error and apologised.