Press Council warns publishers to take ‘greater care’ with distressing videos
The Australian Press Council has warned publishers to take greater care in warning viewers before showing distressing content in a ruling dismissing a complaint against news.com.au over a story describing an attack on a Brazilian transgender woman.
While the embedded video did feature a warning prior to running, the Press Council warned publications should take greater steps to ensure viewers are properly informed about the nature of potentially distressing content before proceeding.
The article titled “Smartphone footage captures Brazilian transgender woman pleading for help prior to being beaten to death” was published on the 9 March 2017 and included a 32 second video which began automatically.
Four seconds prior to the video playing, a note said: “Warning: The following images and/or content may be disturbing/offensive to some viewers. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.”
News.com.au’s article began with emboldened text: “Warning: Graphic images” and “Harrowing footage has emerged of a transgender woman begging for her life before beaten to death”.
It explained the woman had been dragged from her home and beaten by men with “plans of wood” before the men allegedly murder her, although parts of the attack mentioned were not included in the video.
According to the article, the video had been released and circulated among LGBT groups to help find the killers, and also featured four photographs, including a close-up of the victim in extreme distress with captions on each image.
The Council asked the publication to comment on whether it had taken reasonable steps to ensure it had not caused “substantial offence, distress or prejudice or risk to health or safety”
News.com.au said it had provided multiple warnings to its audience about the graphic nature of the content, using bold text in the article and at the beginning of the video.
They argued readers could make independent decisions about whether to view it, and there was a significant public interest in reporting the issue of violence towards transgender people, not only in Brazil but in Australia and worldwide.
News.com.au added highlighting such attacks on transgender victims could only be done effectively by showing the video.
The Press Council agreed the warnings before the video and summary of the video provided adequate notice of the graphic nature of the video, and said most violent footage was not included.
It said news.com.au had put in steps to ensure it had not caused offence, distress of prejudice but noted the wording at the beginning of the video used generic language which would not have been sufficient on its own.
The Press Council said greater care needs to be exercised by publications in future, “to ensure the true nature of the material is described in the warning, and that the audience is provided with a properly informed and practically exercisable choice.”
Take care. Or what? The press council couldn’t be more pointless, toothless, pathetic.
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