Watchdog clears newspaper of inaccuracy because info was provided by PR agency
The Australian Press Council has ruled News Corp’s Northern District times is not to blame for inaccuracies in an article, after it found a public relations company provided the publication with the incorrect information.
The watchdog said it was reasonable for the publication to assume the information provided by the agency would be accurate.
The article, ‘Building’s high energy surrounds are too good to ignore’ was published in print and across a number of online platforms with a similar headline, providing the names and ages of a woman and her partner who had allegedly bought part of a property development together.
Northern District Times told the Press Council they were provided with the details via a ‘buyer case study’ from the developer’s public relations company.
Details including the suburb, the apartment’s aspect, floor plan and price were also in the article.
The complainant – the woman profiled in the story – said the article was incorrect, noting she was the sole purchaser and pointing out the article had “infringed her privacy”.
She said she had not approved or seen the content in the article before publication, nor did she consent to the publication using her full name, age, location and the price of her apartment.
Despite the lack of consent, her partner had done a brief telephone interview, but had told the publication not to identify her.
Northern District Times and other related websites removed the article upon request, however it remained published on a third-party website which did not respond to requests.
The publisher said it was informed by the PR agency the complainant’s partner had bought an apartment and was happy to discuss it and be photographed.
The newspaper said the complainant’s partner had used the collective “we” throughout the phone interview, and did not indicate his personal details or the details of the complainant could not be used.
While the Council said it requires publications to take “reasonable steps to ensure factual material is accurate and not misleading” and to avoid intruding on a person’s privacy, it argued it was “reasonable for the publication to expect the public relations company would know who the purchaser was, and that the person with whom they facilitated contact would be the purchaser.”
“The Council also considers it was reasonable for the publication to rely on the manner in which the complainant’s partner discussed the purchase and the circumstance in which he never stated he was not a purchaser,” the ruling said.
APC added it did not consider the inaccuracy significant, and it could not reject the publication’s claim it reasonably believed the complainant was content for the material to be published.
The Council cleared the Northern District Times.
