You're reading: Australian press watchdog chides Murdoch media

CANBERRA - Australia's newspaper regulator on Tuesday weighed in on a row over bias by Rupert Murdoch's newspapers in the country's election campaign, telling editors to provide an accurate account of public issues.

The Australian arm of Murdoch’s News Corp is the country’s
dominant newspaper publisher and is responsible for around 70
percent of big city newspaper sales.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has accused Murdoch’s Australian
newspapers of bias and of campaigning for a change of government
at the Sept. 7 elections, while Murdoch has also used social
media to press the demand.

Julian Disney, chairman of the Australian Press Council, has
written to editors of major newspapers following complaints from
the public and the industry over newspaper election reporting.

Disney reminded editors of guidelines issued in 2009, which
stress the need to distinguish news from editorial opinion,
although the Press Council says newspapers have the right to
hold a political opinion and favour particular candidates.

“Newspapers that profess to inform the community about its
political and social affairs are under an obligation to present
to the public a reasonably comprehensive and accurate account of
public issues,” Disney wrote.

“As a result, the Council believes that it is essential that
a clear distinction be drawn between reporting the facts and
stating opinion. A paper’s editorial viewpoints and its advocacy
of them must be kept separate from its news columns.”

Murdoch’s top selling Sydney Daily Telegraph has run the
strongest anti-government stories, with a front page headline on
the first day of the election saying “Kick this mob out” over a
photo of Rudd.

Rudd continued to criticise Murdoch’s newspapers on Tuesday,
urging voters to view an analysis of bias broadcast on
Australian Broadcasting Corp. television on Monday night.

The ABC’s Media Watch programme said an analysis of the
Daily Telegraph’s reporting in the first week of the election
campaign showed half of its 80 stories were slanted against the
government, with none against the conservative opposition.

Over the next two weeks, it said, 59 stories were against
the government, while only four were slanted against the
opposition. Just three stories have been slanted in favour of
the government.

“I think it should be mandatory viewing across the country,”
Rudd told reporters. “Because you know what is at stake there?
It’s the lifeblood of a democracy. It is about a fair contest of
ideas. It’s about a fair go for everybody.”

The Australian Press Council is an industry body that rules
on complaints against newspapers, but its findings are not
legally binding and newspaper membership is voluntary.