Adjudication No. 1154 (February 2002) [2002] APC 9

Adjudication No. 1154 (February 2002)

The Press Council has upheld a complaint from Kristina Schmah and Elke Nicholson against the headline on report published in The Weekend Australian on 22 September 2001.

Under the headline Scheming blacks behind fires: farmers, it was reported that pastoralists around Tennant Creek believed bushfires in the region were "part of a 'softening-up' campaign by Aborigines who want to drive them off their leases".

The complainants' primary concern was with the language of the headline. They make the point that terms like "scheming blacks" discriminate and dehumanise Aboriginal people and such "language contributes to the continuation of racism".

Given the nature of the headline compelling evidence could have been expected to support the assertion made in it. In fact, the only evidence offered was the opinion of an unnamed leaseholder, and the views of an unnamed worker and a firefighter.

The Weekend Australian rejected all grounds of the complaint. It pointed out that while the article quoted three sources supporting the allegations of fire-setting by Aborigines, it also quoted two named commentators contradicting these claims. The headline, the paper said, "was a reflection of the main points of this particular story and quite legitimate".

The Council does not agree. In the context of this case, the phrase "scheming blacks" was not only insensitive but perpetuated the racist notions of "them" against "us".

The Weekend Australian acknowledged that it could have dealt with the complaint by publishing a letter to the editor. Ms Schmah and Ms Nicholson, with 29 other signatories, did indeed write promptly to the paper to protest about the article. The Weekend Australian, while noting that world events at the time (the letter was sent only a few weeks after 11 September 2001) meant an unusually large number of letters for publication were received, told the Council that it had no record that the letter (addressed to the Editor, rather than the Letters Editor) was ever seen by the latter.

The Press Council regrets that The Weekend Australian did not, for whatever reason, respond adequately to the concerns of number of its readers.