Adjudication No. 1126 (June 2001) [2001] APC 27

Adjudication No. 1126 (June 2001)

The Australian Press Council has dismissed a 'cash-for-comment' complaint against the Northern Territory News.

John Clark complained that products are never mentioned in articles by NT News by-lined fishing writer Alex Julius, unless wholesalers advertise in Mr Julius' own magazines or support him in some other way.

David Coren, editor of the NT News, supplied a detailed response from Mr Julius and stated that he believed that Mr Julius had '... clearly demonstrated that there is no link between advertising in his magazines and his weekly articles in the Northern Territory News'.

As the editor of another fishing magazine has said succinctly, people '... read a mag to find out where and how to catch good fish. Products services and travel destinations are mentioned in articles along with tips and techniques in order to provide readers with as much relevant information as possible'. He goes on to warn that problems start when fishing writers get paid to push specific products and/or services.

The Press Council could find no evidence that there have been any such transgressions in the NT News fishing columns.

The two fishing magazines Mr Julius publishes had never even been mentioned in his NT News fishing columns. He promotes them with paid advertising. Other information established to the Press Council's satisfaction that the products mentioned in his columns were those that were the most popular and/or were successfully used to catch big fish or win fishing competitions.

Although the Council agrees that cash-for-comment is an ever-present hazard in products and services columns, there was no such evidence supporting this complaint.