Herald issues correction over GetUp claims
The Sydney Morning Herald has issued a correction, and revealed claims it made around GetUp’s involvement in the upcoming federal election were incorrect.
Two stories have appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald and its Sunday equivalent, The Sun-Herald, claiming GetUp was funding the campaign of Warringah independent Zali Steggall, who is attempting to unseat sitting member and former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott.
Friday’s edition of The Sydney Morning Herald, however, conceded “this is incorrect”.
“GetUp does not fund candidates, but is campaigning against the sitting member, Tony Abbott”.
The correction did not offer an apology to either Steggall or GetUp.
One of the articles in question appeared in Wednesday’s edition of The Sydney Morning Herald, and was penned by Liberal MP for Hornsby and NSW minister for energy and environment, Matt Kean.
The correction on the online version of this story states: “An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that GetUp has funded Zali Steggall’s campaign. GetUp points out that it does not fund or endorse any particular candidates.”
While Kean’s article no longer directly links Steggall and GetUp, it still contains allusions to the relationship.
“How can she be independent? Are we supposed to believe it’s a magical coincidence that her policy positions are the same as Getup?”, the article says.