Media Alliance weighs in

April 18, 2008, 10:11pm,  171 views

West Australian Attorney-General Jim McGinty has barred journalists from The West Australian from receiving notice of government media conferences.

The Premier and the Attorney-General have been highly critical of the newspaper’s ethics and reporting. The comments have fuelled allegations the government is supporting Channel Seven supremo Kerry Stokes in his bid to reshape the board of West Australian Newspapers (WAN).

WAN publishes The West Australian and a stable of regional publications including the Kalgoorlie Miner, of which I am the departing editor. Given my current employment status I will not comment on the political dispute or the board battle.

The Media Alliance, of which I’m a member, has called on Mr McGinty to lift his ban. Here is the text of a special bulletin I received today:

The Media Alliance has called on The West Australian newspaper to publicly endorse the journalists’ Code of Ethics in a bid to end its dispute with the WA Government over ethical reporting standards. The Government has blacklisted West reporters from press conferences and media releases since February, when WA Attorney-General Jim McGinty branded the newspaper’s reporting as “unethical”.

Alliance branch secretary Michael Sinclair-Jones said respect for truth and the public’s right to know were fundamental principles of journalism. The unprecedented ban on journalists was unwarranted.

In a West interview on Tuesday, Sinclair-Jones said the newspaper could help resolve the issue by publishing the Code and committing publicly to its principles. So far there has been no response or action from the newspaper.

“This dispute is all about ethical reporting and it is a chance for the newspaper to set the record straight, to show publicly that the ban is unwarranted,” Sinclair-Jones said. “It would also give readers a chance to judge for themselves over who is right.”

Sinclair-Jones said the Government must cease gratuitous public attacks on West and Sunday Times journalists for doing their job properly adding that all WA news media should commit to the Code’s ethical reporting standards.

“Free speech and ethical journalism are essential for a fair and democratic society to operate effectively,” he said. “As World Press Freedom Day approaches next week, we must strive to protect the vital role of a free and unfettered press in civil society, and be always mindful of the responsibility this places on journalists.”

Institutional shareholders have now cast their votes and there’s likely to be a lull in hostilities before the board election is held and votes are counted on April 23.

The outcome will have far-reaching consequences on a number of fronts.