Regional Victorian papers censured over domestic violence ‘joke’
Victorian regional papers Portland Observer and Casterton News have been censured by the Australian Press Council for an off-colour joke about domestic violence.
The two papers, part of the Western Victoria-based Spectator-Observer Group, ran a reader contributed joke in their July TV sections involving a man killing his wife.
The joke involved a man receiving a text from his neighbour confessing to having an affair with the man’s wife, saying: “I have been helping myself to your wife day and night whenever you’re not around.”
Furious, the man then killed his wife in a fit of anger before receiving another text from his neighbour saying “Bloody autocorrect! I meant ‘wifi’, not ‘wife’…”
When it became aware of the article, the Press Council requested the papers’ comment on whether they took reasonable steps to avoid causing or contributing materially to substantial offence, distress or prejudice, without sufficient justification in the public interest as required by article six of the APC’s general publishing principles.
The papers responded that the offending material was a joke contributed by a reader, published in a television guide shared across the Hamilton Spectator, Portland Observer and Casterton News.
The papers said although there was a vetting process for contributed humorous material, on this occasion the material slipped through the process due to a less experienced sub-editor on the desk that day. The publication said it subsequently received a number of complaints from members of the community.
In the following week’s TV section, the papers published a reply from a local women’s health organisation and shire council representatives, also including a publisher’s note apologising for the material.
The publication also said it has since decided to no longer publish contributed jokes in this manner.
In its ruling the APC agreed the material caused substantial offence and distress in implicitly conveying the message that, had there not been a typographical error in the text message, the action of the husband in killing his wife in a fit of jealousy was excusable and showed a disregard for domestic violence and violence against women.
The ruling also said the material also implicitly objectified women as sexual objects that men ‘can help themselves to’ on the one hand, but not seek their views on the other.
While the material was contributed by a reader, the APC said it is the responsibility of the publication to comply with the Council’s Standards of Practice and exercise editorial control over such material.
