Complaint against Fremantle Herald’s article about ‘brutal killing’ upheld by Press Council

An article which proclaimed a man’s death was the result of a “dog-fight for control of the local drug scene” which appeared in the Fremantle Herald was inaccurate and the public interest did not justify the manner of reporting, the Press Council has found.

‘Brutal killing shocks leafy East Fremantle’ appeared in the Fremantle Herald on May 30, 2015 after Reuben Stack was murdered in an “execution-style” killing.

The article speculated about the possible motivations behind Stack’s murder, including: “With a paucity of official police comment there has been a huge amount of speculation about what went wrong in Mr Stack’s life for him to have ended up with such a fate. There has been added speculation as to whether a dog-fight for control of the local drug scene may have played a part.”

The Press Council said even though there “may have been some justification” in reporting on such speculation immediately after news of Stack’s death came to light, the eight days between the murder and the article’s publication actually gave the paper “sufficient time to check whether it was accurate”.