News Corp’s Sunday Times censured over abuse allegations story
News Corp’s The Sunday Times and online counterpart Perth Now have been criticised by the Australian Press Council for failing to ensure its articles around allegations of abuse headlined “Swan Homes hired killer” and “Church calls cops over Swan Homes” were accurate.
The articles, which were published on September 20, reported on allegations by former child residents of the Swan Homes orphanage of abuse by a former house master, Leonard Darcey, and children’s home director Angus Peterkin.
Peterkin’s daughter, Margaret Masters, complained to the Press Council that statements about her father in the articles were inaccurate and misleading.
“The articles, which were published on September 20” – how when its only the 12th now? Or was it last year and the Press Council has taken this long?
Gaol
Both my late husband and myself were abused in institutions
administered by the Church. I am not sure if the deed of release
was the same in his case, but in my case, although there was a modest settlement, the diocese would not admit liability. Compensation is – and should be – paid to survivors of institutional abuse because they present credible accounts of what happened to them. It seems
churlish to split hairs over whether or not the abuse was confirmed. In over 20 years of talking to hundreds of Forgotten Australians, I’ve never come across one who was not abused.