Adjudication No. 1414 (adjudicated February 2009) [2009] APC 1

Adjudication No. 1414 (adjudicated February 2009)

The Press Council has upheld a complaint by Sandra Hodson about an article concerning the life and tragic death, two years earlier, of her son, Jackson Fear, a former Olympic archer.

The aricle, published in the St George & Sutherland Shire Leader on June 3, 2008, portrayed a highly talented but somewhat troubled young man. However, Ms Hodson was concerned that statements about Mr Fear in the latter stage of his life were not checked and that a very misleading impression was presented. In particular, Ms Hodson was distressed at the statement that "only a few archers and friends attended a small memorial service ... and only a few want to remember today". She was also concerned with references to his employment and the suggestion that drugs may have been a factor in his decision to take his own life.

This was an article which recreated Jackson Fear's life, and relied on interviews with a number of people who had known him, particularly in the sport of archery, and on public records. The article contains no comments from his mother, who would have been in an excellent position to confirm the accuracy of what others had said, and put matters into perspective. The paper stated that it wanted to interview her but had been unsuccessful in contacting her. The Press Council believes it should have been more strenuous in its attempts. This ought to have resulted in a realisation that information that had been provided had been incomplete or inaccurate and presented a misleading and indeed hurtful impression, clearly causing Ms Hodson great distress. Soon afterwards, Ms Hodson sought publication of corrections, which the newspaper did not agree to publish.

The complaint is upheld because the newspaper breached Press Council principles in that it failed to correct any errors once they were brought to its attention.