Adjudication No. 987 (August 1998) [1998] APC 33

ADJUDICATION No. 987 (August 1998)

The Australian Press Council has dismissed a complaint from Brian Tennant against The West Australian newspaper for not publishing a letter of reply from him to a letter published by the paper on 22 May 1998.

Comments from Brian Tennant, a well-known civil rights campaigner, were included at the end of a West Australian report, "Anger at 11th jail suicide" in its 18 May edition, on a recent death in custody. The article reported Mr Tennant as saying that the WA Governor should accept some of the blame for David Ryan's death because he had recently turned down a request from 20 prisoners, including Ryan, for their time in remand to be taken into account when setting a release day.

In a published letter to the editor of 22 May, Ryan's mother-in-law singled out Mr Tennant's comments for criticism. She said that she had never heard a word from Brian Tennant about her daughter's civil rights which David Ryan had so brutally abused. She concluded her letter by writing "Brian Tennant, remember that victims also have civil rights".

Mr Tennant asked the newspaper to publish a letter of reply from him emphasising he was not a supporter of killers but of everyone's rights. He claimed Ryan's mother-in-law misunderstood his comments and that his letter would clarify his role as a civil rights campaigner to her and the readership.

The newspaper took the view that the author of the published letter was responding to Mr Tennant's reported views and there was no point in having an extended debate on the letters page over the further issues Mr Tennant raised.

The main thrust of the original report concerned the Justice Minister's handling of deaths in custody and Mr Tennant's views were a small part of the report.

The Press Council does not consider the published letter distorted Mr Tennant's view nor contained material damaging to him. The West Australian did not treat Mr Tennant unfairly by refusing to publish his letter.