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2GB’s Ray Hadley broke radio rules on accuracy and corrections over budget cuts story, rules ACMA

ray hadley2GB has fallen foul of the media watchdog over Ray Hadley’s airing of an inaccurate story from The Daily Telegraph.

According to a finding published by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, the Sydney talk station breached the codes of practice for commercial radio with its failure to correct the story, as well as the original broadcast.

Hadley, who presents the high rating mid-morning show on the station, gave airtime to a story by The Tele’s Steve Lewis claiming that school children visiting Parliament would no longer be given snacks because of budget cuts. 

About an hour before Hadley went on air, a statement was put out on behalf of then treasurer Wayne Swan saying that The tele’s story was “completely wrong”. Three days prior to the story being published, the Clerk to the House of representatives had ruled out such cuts.

Hadley put Lewis on the air, who at that stage stood by his story.

Later that day, The Tele later reported online that the proposals had been dropped and published a correction the next day.

But when Hadley referred to the matter again, he told listeners: “Finally yesterday, after the story was published, another document appeared apart from the email saying there would not be a stop to the children getting their water and snacks. So, it’s a victory for common sense.”

The complaint to the ACMA said that Hadley had not made reasonable efforts to verify the accuracy of the claim, and had then failed to broadcast a proper correction.

The ACMA said “reference to and reliance on current mainstream media reports in many (if not most) situations will be evidence of a licensee’s reasonable efforts to ensure that factual material is reasonably supported as accurate”. But it added: “The existence prior to the broadcast of a public statement… directly contradicting The Daily Telegraph article made problematic reliance predominantly on that article. In such circumstances, more effort was required.”

On the lack of a proper correction, the ACMA said: “A ‘correction’ need not be detailed or drawn out and it need not (necessarily) show contrition or include an apology, but it does need to be unequivocal, and must include a clear reference to the original statement, an acknowledgement that it was incorrect and an indication of the current position.”

The ACMA said it was in discussion with the radio station abut “remedial measures”.

Tim Burrowes

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