Adjudication No. 1195 (May 2003) [2003] APC 11

Adjudication No. 1195 (May 2003)

The Press Council has dismissed a complaint against The West Australian over a series of news reports following the death of a 21-year-old in a brawl between two gangs in a Perth entertainment area nightclub.

The paper several times referred to the rival groups, the M'Bros and the Spider Boys, as "Asian gangs". The complainant, the president of the Unity Party of WA, agrees that the gangs are, indeed, predominantly of Asian origin. "It is a fact that these 'Asian gangs' are either Chinese or Vietnamese," says the complainant, but he goes on to charge that the use of the word Asian "invites racial vilification and racial hatred."

The paper says that it has some sympathy with the feelings of the party president, Eddie Hwang, but disagrees with his view that relevant facts about issues of public importance should be suppressed to spare them.

Mr Hwang asks the paper why it does not refer to bikie gangs as "European" gangs; the paper counters by saying the common link in bikie gangs is motorbikes, not European origin. The common link in "Asian gangs" is Asian origin.

The Press Council acknowledges the difficulty of news reports dealing with the misdeeds of groups who can readily be identified by reference to their ethnic or national origin. One of its principles states that such identification should not be used "unless the fact is relevant".

In this case the existence of the problem of the M'Bros and Spider Boys gangs has been accepted by the WA Government and police. Police Minister Michelle Roberts and Police Commissioner Barry Matthews have both used the term "Asian gangs" to describe youths who have indulged in extreme violence.

The Press Council accepts that both the WA Government and the Police seek to avoid the use of the label "Asian", but that does not remove the reality nor the need to reveal it where necessary. The Asian link, whether Vietnamese or Chinese, was relevant in the reports cited.