Press watchdog rules The Age misrepresented Tony Abbott’s Holden comments
The Press Council has ruled than an opinion piece in The Age on the state of Australia’s car manufacturing industry contained a “substantial misrepresentation” of remarks by Prime Minster Tony Abbott.
The media watchdog, who declined to reveal who lodged the complaint, concluded that the interpretation by writer John Legge of Abbott’s comments did not accurately reflect what he had said.
The article, headlined “Auto report is a fantasy with a tragic twist”, and which appeared in February, discussed the PM’s reaction to Holden workers losing their job.
“Abbott….said they should be grateful they were liberated from slaving on an assembly line, moving to living off Newstart and Work for the Dole,” the opinion piece read. “If this sort of liberation will suit Holden workers on $60,000 per year including overtime, how much more delightful it should be for Productivity Commission analysts on three times that. It can’t happen soon enough.”
The Press Council determined that by using the word “said”, the writer’s description of Abbott’s comments “must either be an accurate quote or a reasonably accurate paraphrase.”
According to a transcript obtained by the watchdog, Abbott said: “Now, some of the Mitsubishi workers have struggled to find work, others have had, I suppose, almost a rebirth of their working lives and I dare say, it will be same for the people currently at Ford and Holden when manufacturing stops.
“Some of them will find it difficult, but many of them will probably be liberated to pursue new opportunities and to get on with their lives …. I’m confident that the majority of these workers will be able to adapt although I don’t for a second underestimate that for many of them there will be some difficult times too.”
Defending the article, The Age said the article was presented as discussion and not portrayed as a verbatim report of the PM’s comments and therefore “did not misrepresent those comments”.
But the Press Council disagreed, and highlighted that Abbott had not used the word “grateful” or referred to Newstart or Work for the Dole.
“The Council has concluded that the description of what Mr Abbott said was a substantial misrepresentation. The transcript shows he drew a distinction between workers who would find it difficult and those who would pursue new opportunities,” it said in its ruling.
“Accordingly the Council has concluded that the publication breached the Principle concerning misrepresentation of facts in an opinion article.”
The PM’s office denied it had lodged the complaint with the Press Council.
Steve Jones
You mean Fairfax would write something baseless and inflammatory about the PM? I refuse to believe it!
User ID not verified.
The Age published this several days ago.
http://www.theage.com.au/victo.....3axvn.html
User ID not verified.
Letting their hatred get in the way of the facts. Typical Fairfax.
User ID not verified.
Fairfax have lost the “reasonable middle class people” of Australia. It’s sad, but instead of growing, they’ve concentrated only on managing their decline.
User ID not verified.
Hardly news. No surprises whichever way one reads it.
We now live in a world where bullshit, sex, lies and spin are occasionally interspersed with journalism, and every once in awhile, good journalism.
User ID not verified.
Rumour had it that at one time Fairfax considered taking over holden and actually making cars. The only problem was they always steered to the left – tragically!
User ID not verified.
Bloody ‘eck. Just as well the Murdoch press would never do such a thing.
User ID not verified.
@ Just Askin… two wrongs don’t make a ‘right’.
User ID not verified.