Adjudication No. 1296 (adjudicated September 2005) [2005] APC 29

Adjudication No. 1296 (adjudciated September 2005)

In upholding a complaint against the Canberra Times, the Australian Press Council reminds newspapers always to be mindful of the need to take reasonable steps to show balance in what they are reporting, in all cases, no matter how big or small a story.

The complaint was about the article, with accompanying photograph of a dog, that appeared in the paper on 2 April 2004. It described an attack said to have occurred on 10 March 2004.

The complainant, whose name is not mentioned in the article, believes that the article identified him as the alleged attacker and strongly disputes the facts in it.

The newspaper initially undertook to balance the material but court proceedings and delays from the paper itself meant that no balancing material was published. The complainant therefore came to the Council for redress, albeit well after the article was published.

The newspaper, when it first became aware of the complainant's concerns, should have handled the matter in a better and more timely manner, either through publishing a follow-up story or some genuine attempt at clarification.

The editor referred to this story as a 'not very important picture story'. Even so, the parties involved (and the local community) deserve a more balanced approach, if indeed the story was considered newsworthy enough to print.