Adjudication No. 1425 (adjudicated June 2009) [2009] APC 12

Adjudication No. 1425 (adjudicated June 2009)

The Press Council has dismissed a complaint from Claire deLacey and Steve Chamberlain over an 'Opinion' article by columnist Miranda Devine which appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald on February 12, 2009, and in the newspaper's on-line edition in both the 'Opinion' section and the 'Environment' section.

The article presented, in strong terms, Ms Devine's view that poor forest management practices resulting from 'the power of green ideology' were a key driver in the scale and ferocity of the Victorian bushfires that devastated a number of communities and caused large scale loss of life.

The complainants asserted that the article had breached a number of Press Council principles. They described the piece, which was entitled Green ideas must take blame for deaths, as a highly derogatory polemic capable of inciting some people "to threaten, or even commit, acts of hatred or violence". They took particular exception to the hyperbolic suggestion that politicians seeking to divert attention from themselves could offer a new target for a lynch mob: "it is not arsonists who should be hanging from lamp-posts but greenies". This, they said, could be seen as an incitement to hatred, if not violence.

In seeking a resolution of the matters raised by the complainants The Sydney Morning Herald acknowledged concerns about some of the language in Ms Devine's column and expressed regret at any offence taken. The newspaper also pointed to its "comprehensive and balanced" coverage of the Victorian fire tragedy in many reports. It also provided space for readers to respond to the Devine article in the form of letters to the editor and through 'Opinion' articles expressing a contrary view. The newspaper undertook a series of meetings with leaders of environmental groups who wished to raise objections to the article.

The newspaper offered the complainants the opportunity to respond to Ms Devine's column through a letter to the editor or in an 'Opinion' article, or by making other approaches to the writer or newspaper. These opportunities were declined by the complainants.

In its defence the newspaper claimed that the hyperbole employed by Ms Devine was part of her "robust, lively and sometimes provocative" writing style. The newspaper said Ms Devine had a long-standing interest in bushfire management issues and further stated that there were no factual errors in the piece.

The Press Council acknowledges that the views and commentary expressed in 'Opinion' columns are often free-ranging, provocative, and capable of generating heated debate.

In this case, the lead paragraphs of the article were dogmatic and confrontational. Ms Devine asserted that "It wasn't climate change" and "It wasn't arsonists" which killed "as many as 300 people"; rather, it was the "power of green ideology" in preventing fuel hazard reduction measures that allowed the build up of ground fuel that powered the disastrous fires. At a time of high emotion and a national outpouring of sorrow the laying of blame at the door of a particular group, in this case "greenies", was incautious and would be offensive to many readers. It's also possible that her claimed facts would turn out to be wrong.

Nonetheless, in the context of The Herald's extensive coverage of the Victorian fires in both news reports and commentary, and the newspaper's actions in redressing concerns with the Devine article, the Council finds that the publication of the article did not breach its principles.