Council events prior to March 2015
Events prior to March 2015
Community Round Tables on Media Standards
The Australian Press Council has held Round Tables on Media Standards involving community and business leaders from a range of backgrounds and Public Members of the Press Council to discuss media standards. The Round Tables took place in February in Sydney and Melbourne.
Round Table on Media Standards
16 February, Melbourne
A Round Table of invitees from a wide range of community and business backgrounds and Public Members of the Press Council from Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania to identify and discuss concerns about print and online media practices. The Round Table included a panel session involving Andrew Holden (Editor-in-Chief, The Age), Bruce Guthrie (Editorial Director, The New Daily) and Phillip Gardner (former Editor-in-Chief, The Herald & Weekly Times).
Round Table on Media Standards
23 February, Sydney
A Round Table of invitees from a wide range of community and business backgrounds and Public Members of the Press Council from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Queensland to identify and discuss concerns about print and online media practices. The Round Table included a panel session involving Sue McVay (Managing Editor, News Queensland), Michael Pascoe (Contributing Editor, Sydney Morning Herald and The Age), Gerard Noonan (former editor of the Australian Financial Review) and Mike Steketee (former National Affairs Editor, The Australian).
Professor Julian Disney's address to the National Press Club (4 February 2015)
Canberra
Professor Julian Disney AO stepped down as Chair of the Australian Press Council on 28 February 2015 after a five-tear term. Just prior to the end of his term, he delivered a major address to the National Press Club, in which he considered some of the challenges facing media at present. Among the themes Professor Disney explored:
"The Internet and related technological developments have brought major benefits to the media landscape. The benefits include much faster and more affordable access to a broader range of sources of information and opinion, fewer constraints on the length and manner of presentation of articles, and more people being able to convey their knowledge and views in the public domain. They have also improved the ability to update material rapidly and to provide ready access to other material through hyperlinks.
The same developments, however, have increased pressures and opportunities to publish reports before adequately checking them for accuracy and fairness. Yet even if a report is later corrected, the initial version may already have been read and passed on by many people, and it may remain readily and permanently accessible through search engines. The new technologies have also facilitated wider publication of material that is deliberately misleading, highly abusive or from unknown and unreliable sources.
Declining strength and diversity within the mainstream print media in Australia has made it especially important that the benefits of digital media are maximised and the dangers minimised. Amongst other things, this requires principled and far-sighted leadership in the print and digital media, including support for the Press Council as it seeks to fulfil its responsibilities to promote good media standards, monitor the extent to which they are achieved, and facilitate genuine freedom of expression throughout the community."
Professor Julian Disney AO addressing the National Press Club
Watch a video of the Professor Disney's address.
2014 Events
New Zealand Press Council (22 April 2014)
Three senior representatives of the New Zealand Press Council met with the Australian Press Council Chair, Prof Julian Disney, Executive Director Derek Wilding, and Director of Research and Communications Michael Rose on 22 April to discuss a range of matters related to maintaining good standards of practice in a rapidly changing media landscape.
In a series of meetings in Sydney, the NZPC’s Independent Chairman, Sir John Hansen; the Chairman of the Council’s Executive Committee, Rick Neville; and Executive Director Mary Major discussed development and monitoring of standards in a digital environment, current media policy in Australia and New Zealand, admission to press councils of online-only publications as members, and effective handling of complaints.
The New Zealand officials also briefed the Australian Press Council members about recent changes to the NZPC’s membership rules and some additional powers it has been given following a report last year by the country’s Law Reform Commission.
“The New Zealand Press Council and the Australian Press Council share the same basic objectives, and these are promoting good standards of media practice, community access to information of public interest, and freedom of expression through the media,” said Prof Disney.
“Any opportunity we have to share information and experience is therefore extremely valuable, and the discussions in Sydney have, I think, helped both organisations get a better sense of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere in the important work both of our organisations are doing.”
Left to right: Rick Neville, Prof Julian Disney, Sir John Hansen, Mary Major, Derek Wilding
Council Forum on Digital Media (4 March 2014)
Senior editors from four leading media outlets shared their views and experiences in digital journalism with Press Council members at the latest quarterly meeting in Sydney on 4 March.
The Council invited Misha Ketchell (Managing Editor, The Conversation), Mike Osborne (Editor, AAP), Peter Brown (Digital Editor, The Daily Telegraph) and Simon Black (News Editor, ninemsn) to discuss changing deadline and content demands, and the increasingly fierce competition in the online news space. The discussion underscored the need for editors and journalists to be even more vigilant in adhering to standards of good practice in these changing conditions.
The panellists agreed that one particularly difficult problem was correcting mistakes in a way that ensures as many versions as possible of a story, including those distributed worldwide by news aggregation sites, are taken down from websites.
The Council plans to hold further such forums at its meetings, and will continue building contacts directly with working journalists as well as members of the public.
“It’s important that we hear directly from editors and journalists about how changes in the media and the way people access information are affecting day-to-day editorial work practices,” said Press Council Chair Julian Disney.
“This helps the Council to continue to refine our standards so they are effective and relevant to how news and comment is actually being gathered and published.”
Left to right: Panellists Misha Ketchell (Managing Editor, The Conversation), Mike Osborne (Editor, AAP), Julian Disney, (Chair, Press Council), Peter Brown (Digital Editor, The Daily Telegraph), Simon Black (News Editor, ninemsn).
Round Tables on Standards of Practice
As part of the Standards Project, the Press Council has launched a new national series of Round Tables involving people from the media industry and the community to discuss standards of practice. The first Round Tables took place in February in Sydney and Melbourne, with others in Adelaide in July. More will take place later in 2014 in other cities.
Standards of Media Practice
15 July, Adelaide
A Round Table of invitees from print and online media to discuss the Council's revised Statement of General Principles and emerging areas of practice on which the Council might focus in the next phase of it Standards Project.
Standards of Media Practice
14 July 2014, Adelaide
A Round Table of invitees from a wide range of community backgrounds to consider strengths and weaknesses in current media practice and to discuss the Council's revised Statement of General Principles.
Media Contact with Patients
13 February 2014, Melbourne
A meeting of senior hospital managers to discuss practical implementation of the Council's new specific standards on access to patients in hospitals and other health facilities.
Standards of Media Practice
13 February 2014, Melbourne
A Round Table of invitees from a wide range of community backgrounds to consider strengths and weaknesses in current media practice and to discuss the Council's ongoing review of its Standards of Practice.
Standards of Media Practice
11 February 2014, Sydney
A Round Table of invitees from a wide range of community backgrounds to consider strengths and weaknesses in current media practice and to discuss the Council's ongoing review of its Standards of Practice.
Standards of Media Practice
7 February 2014, Sydney
A Round Table of invitees from a wide range of community backgrounds to consider strengths and weaknesses in current media practice and to discuss the Council's ongoing review of its Standards of Practice.
Standards of Media Practice
6 February 2014, Melbourne
A Round Table of invitees from print and online media to discuss the changing media landscape and emerging areas of practice on which the Council might focus in the next phase of it Standards Project.
Standards of Media Practice
6 February 2014, Melbourne
A Round Table of invitees from a wide range of community backgrounds to consider strengths and weaknesses in current media practice and to discuss the Council's ongoing review of its Standards of Practice.
Standards of Media Practice
4 February 2014, Sydney
A Round Table of invitees from print and online media to discuss the changing media landscape and emerging areas of practice on which the Council might focus in the next phase of it Standards Project.
Previous Events
Digital Editors
24 October 2012, Melbourne
A Round Table of online editors to help the Council consider issues relating to online publication.
Media Contact with Patients
23 October 2012, Melbourne
A consultation with medical practitioners, administrators and journalists to help the Council finalise Specific Standards about contact with patients in hospitals, nursing homes and similar facilities.
Digital Editors
14 June 2012, Sydney
A Round Table of online editors to help the Council consider issues relating to online publication.
Digital Editors
14 October 2011, Sydney
A Round Table of online editors to discuss issues concerning online publication and a proposed Standard on moderation of user comments.
Standards of Media Practice
10 October 2011, Sydney
A Round Table of local community representatives met to identify and discuss areas of practice on which the Council might focus in the initial phase of its three-year Standards Project.
Standards of Media Practice
10 October 2011, Sydney
A Round Table of local media representatives met to identify and discuss areas of practice on which the Council might focus in the initial phase of its three-year Standards Project.
Contact with Patients
27 September 2011, Sydney
A Round Table of medical practitioners, health administrators and hospital communications officers to discuss a draft Standard on contact with patients in hospitals and similar premises.
Standards of Media Practice
19 September 2011, Brisbane
A Round Table of local community representatives met to identify and discuss areas of practice on which the Council might focus in the initial phase of its three-year Standards Project which commenced on 1 July this year.
Round Table: Standards of Media Practice
19 September 2011, Brisbane
A Round Table of local media representatives met to identify and discuss areas of practice on which the Council might focus in the initial phase of its three-year Standards Project.
Standards of Media Practice
6 September 2011, Melbourne
A Round Table of local community representatives met to identify and discuss areas of practice on which the Council might focus in the initial phase of its three-year Standards Project.
Standards of Media Practice
6 September 2011, Melbourne
A Round Table of local media representatives met to identify and discuss areas of practice on which the Council might focus in the initial phase of its three-year Standards Project.
Standards of Media Practice
26 August 2011, Adelaide
A Round Table of local community representatives met to identify and discuss areas of practice on which the Council might focus in the initial phase of its three-year Standards Project.
Standards of Media Practice
26 August 2011, Adelaide
A Round Table of local media representatives met to identify and discuss areas of practice on which the Council might focus in the initial phase of its three-year Standards Project.
Reporting on Suicide
6 May 2011, Sydney
A Round Table of mental health experts and senior media representatives met to discuss possible modifications to the Council's guideline on reporting of suicide.
Reporting on Suicide
12 November 2010, Melbourne
A Round Table of mental health experts and senior media representatives met to discuss possible modifications to the Council's guideline on reporting of suicide.
