Adjudication No. 1417 (adjudicated March 2009) [2009] APC 4

Adjudication No. 1417 (adjudicated March 2009)

The Australian Press Council has dismissed complaints from Matthew Joyce and Ron Lesh against The Age arising from publication of an article headed Israelis are living high on the US expense account in a comment column by Michael Backman published on Saturday January 16, 2009.

The complainants say that the column contained racial vilification and was anti-Semitic. They argued that The Age has not made a reasonable effort to rectify the harm caused by the publication.

The newspaper took immediate and wide-ranging steps following the column's appearance.

On Monday January 19 the paper published several letters critical of the column, its contents and publication. On January 20 the newspaper published an apology for the distress caused and expressed its regret over the publication of the column. The Saturday Age of January 24 published a letter from Mr Backman and a news article reporting his apology for any hurt or distress caused by ill-chosen words, and further letters criticising the article. The newspaper suspended Backman's column and is assessing his value as a commentator.

Despite these admissions and publications Mr Joyce says the newspaper's actions do not expiate the publication of a viewpoint that perpetuates racial hatred. Mr Lesh claims that the publication of the article was "calculated and deliberate".

In its response to the Council The Age vigorously denied this but acknowledged a breakdown in the editing process.

The Council believes that the newspaper has been thorough and taken correct approaches to rectification.

Note: The adjudication has been amended from the original form after the newspaper pointed out that the Council had not accurately summarised the nature of the wider complaint.