Adjudication No. 1354 (adjudicated May 2007) [2007] APC 11

Adjudication No. 1354 (adjudicated May 2007)

The Press Council has dismissed a complaint brought by a Hawkesbury City Councillor Trevor Devine against the Hawkesbury Gazette regarding a letter published in its 10 January 2007 edition.

The complainant said, first, that the use of the term 'junta' in the letter to describe a group of councillors of which he is a part is 'highly offensive and derogatory' and, secondly, that another statement in the letter about a mayor (Councillor Bassett) refusing to hand over the position to another councillor was inaccurate. It was further claimed that the newspaper was aware of this inaccuracy as it had been supplied with a copy of an agreement between certain councillors regarding the filling of the positions of mayor and deputy mayor.

The complainant rejected an invitation from the newspaper to submit a letter that it would publish. His reason was that writing a letter in reply was not a satisfactory outcome. The Council does not agree.

The newspaper said that the letter complained of was 'a matter of (albeit colourful) personal opinion' and 'reflected the variety of public opinion held about the Hawkesbury City Council and its councillors'.

The Press Council finds the newspaper's actions were not unreasonable.