APC Update | Issue 53 - Australian Press Council

APC UPDATE | 1 December 2015

Press Council appoints first representative of smaller publications

The Australian Press Council has appointed its first member responsible for representing the interests of the organisation’s smaller publications. At the Council’s quarterly meeting on 27 November in Sydney, members unanimously endorsed the appointment of Chris Graham as the first Council representative for smaller constituent bodies for a period of three years.

Graham, the Editor of New Matilda, had been elected previously by the Council’s smaller constituent bodies to represent them.

The Press Council currently has 24 members comprising:

the independent Chair and 10 “public members”, who have no affiliations with a media organisation;
nine nominees of media organisations which are "constituent bodies" of the Council;
four independent journalist members, who are not employed by a media organisation;

“The importance of smaller publications and of online-only publications in Australia is increasing year by year,” said Professor David Weisbrot, the Council’s Chair. “The Council is delighted that a growing number of these publications are becoming members, and this new position on Council will ensure that their views and needs are properly represented and taken into account.”

The Press Council membership accounts for more than 850 mastheads and approximately 95 percent of newspaper and magazine circulation in Australia, as well as most of the major online news sites.

The smaller publications on the Press Council are:

Australian Rural Publishers Association
Banking Day
Crikey
HuffPost Australia
Monthly Chronicle
mUmBRELLA
New Daily
New Matilda
Property Review Australia
Urban Cinefile

At the 27 November Council meeting, Bob Osburn retired as nominee of Community Newspapers Australia. His replacement has not yet been named. Osburn was appointed an Industry Panel member for two years, and so will continue to contribute to the work of the Council.

The nominee for News Corp Australia, Campbell Reid, has retired after many years of service. He is replaced by Glenn Stanaway.

Also, Bob Yeates assumed duties as Country Press Australia nominee on the Council. Yeates replaces John Dunnet, who has retired after many years of service.

For more details, contact Michael Rose, the Press Council’s Director of Research and Communications, on 0451 978 276 or by email at michael.rose@presscouncil.org.au

Australian Press Council
Address: Level 6, 309 Kent St, Sydney, 2000 Phone: (02) 9261 1930 or 1800 025 712 Fax: (02) 9267 6826
Email: info@presscouncil.org.au Web: http://www.presscouncil.org.au