Adjudication No. 1391 (adjudicated May 2008) [2008] APC 12

Adjudication No. 1391 (adjudicated May 2008)

The Press Council has dismissed a complaint by Arthur Hadaway over the editing of a letter which appeared in the Bribie Weekly on 7 March 2008.

The letter addressed his concerns about plans for an easement near his home.

Mr Hadaway claimed that the editing of the letter materially changed what he had wanted to say.

The Council found that it could be argued that the editing slightly changed the meaning, but that did not detract from the main arguments put forward by Mr Hadaway.

From Mr Hadaway's correspondence with the Council and in a letter to Council from the editor in chief of the newspaper, it seems the change was discussed with Mr Hadaway before the letter appeared, although there is disagreement as to the outcome of that discussion.

All newspapers have the right to edit letters to the editor for length, grammar and to ensure they are not defamatory. In this case, the newspaper made a minor change and then published Mr Hadaway's letter in full.

The Council also noted that in the 29 February 2008, edition of the newspaper, Mr Hadaway appeared in a page one story about the easement and his concerns were prominently reported.