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The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Daily Telegraph headline about Labor and Hamas breached accuracy rules, Australian Press Council finds
A Daily Telegraph headline that said 'Labor backs Hamas' breached press standards while failing to take into consideration 'heightened community sensitivities' due to the Israel-Gaza war, the Australian Press Council has found. In publishing the article headed 'To keep peace at home, Labor backs Hamas', the Murdoch tabloid breached the APC rules because it did not take reasonable steps to ensure factual material was accurate and not misleading, the watchdog said. 'Publications need to take great care in order to satisfy the reasonable steps standard in the context of heightened community sensitivities around the Israel/Palestine conflict and on matters of significant public interest,' the APC said. The article reported that the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, was backing a United Nations vote calling for an 'irreversible pathway' to a two-state solution in the Middle East. The former ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma told the Telegraph the move was a play for domestic votes. Sign up to get Guardian Australia's weekly media diary as a free newsletter 'These potential changes in Australia's UN voting pattern are against our national interests,' he was quoted saying. 'They will do nothing to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East. 'All they do is reward Hamas for its terrorist acts.' News Corp Australia defended the article by saying the headline reflected the opinion of Sharma and readers would view the headline as accurately reflecting the senator's view. 'The publication also said that readers can discern the difference between an opposition senator's criticism of government decision-making, as opposed to the editorial direction of the publisher,' the adjudication said. But the APC found that given an absence of inverted commas the headline was presented as statement of fact 'with the clear implication being that the Labor government is 'backing' Hamas'. 'The Council considers that the headline goes beyond what was said by Senator Sharma in his criticisms of the government support for a two-state-solution in the Middle East,' it said. Sign up to Weekly Beast Amanda Meade's weekly diary on the latest in Australian media, free every Friday after newsletter promotion 'Accordingly, the Council concludes the publication failed to take reasonable steps to ensure factual material is accurate and not misleading in breach of general principle 1.' Traditionally, it is subeditors and editors rather than reporters who write headlines. The article, which was printed on page three and published online on 4 December, remains online. The adjudication was printed on page 14 of Wednesday's newspaper. News Corp is the biggest funder of the self-regulatory council, which most Australian publications belong to. Newspapers have been regulated by the industry-funded body since 1976. But its findings have been openly mocked by journalists and publications it has found to have breached standards, including News Corp, which has allowed its journalists to call the body 'foolish' and 'idiots'. Guardian Australia is not a member of the Australian Press Council but it has an independent readers' editor who investigates complaints and publishes corrections and clarifications.
Daily Telegraph
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Telegraph
Press Council Adjudication
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News. The Press Council considered whether its Standards of Practice were breached by an article published in print on 4 December 2024 in The Daily Telegraph headed 'To keep peace at home, Labor backs Hamas'. The article reported that Penny Wong, the Minister for Foreign Affairs 'is set to strengthen Australia's support for a two-state-solution in the Middle East by backing a United Nations vote calling for an 'irreversible pathway' to the measure after abstaining in recent years, in a move the Coalition claims will further open a rift with Israel'. The article attributed comments that the 'Albanese government voting for the measure in the UN after abstaining previously was a play for domestic votes', to the former ambassador to Israel Senator Dave Sharma. The article went on to quote Senator Sharma as saying: 'These potential changes in Australia's UN voting pattern are against our national interests. They will do nothing to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East' and 'All they do is reward Hamas for its terrorist acts. And they further damage Australia's relations with an important partner in the Middle East, Israel. Labor is seeking to placate domestic constituencies, rather than putting Australia's national interests first.' In response to a complaint received, the Council asked the publication to comment on whether the article complied with the Council's Standards of Practice, which require publications to take reasonable steps to ensure that factual material is accurate and not misleading (General Principle 1); to ensure that factual material is presented with reasonable fairness and balance and to ensure that writers' expressions of opinion are not based on significantly inaccurate factual material or omission of key facts (General Principle 3). The Council noted that the complaint raised concerns that the headline does not support the tenor of the article and that it is editorial opinion to state that 'Labor backs Hamas'. In response, the publication said that in the article, Senator Sharma criticised the Albanese government for backing a UN resolution that he claims rewards the terrorist organisation Hamas for its acts of terrorism. The publication said that in this context, the headline reflects the opinion of Senator Sharma and readers would view the headline as accurately reflecting the senator's view. The publication also said that readers can discern the difference between an opposition senators criticism of government decision-making, as opposed to the editorial direction of the publisher. Conclusion The Council recognises the limitations of headlines to reasonably reflect the tenor of an article. The Council also recognises that what constitutes reasonable steps to ensure factual material is accurate and not misleading may vary in the circumstances. In relation to this, the Council considers that publications need to take great care in order to satisfy the reasonable steps standard in the context of heightened community sensitivities around the Israel/Palestine conflict and on matters of significant public interest. In the absence of inverted commas to signify a paraphrase or a quote, the Council considers the headline is presented as statement of fact with the clear implication being that the Labor government is 'backing' Hamas. The Council considers that the headline goes beyond what was said by Senator Sharma in his criticisms of the government support for a two-state-solution in the Middle East. Accordingly, the Council concludes the publication failed to take reasonable steps to ensure factual material is accurate and not misleading in breach of General Principle 1. In noting the complaint is limited to the headline, the Council finds no breach of General Principle 3. For the full Adjudication, see:
Sky News AU
a day ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Parliament opening marred by ‘infantile' Faruqi demonstration
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma discusses Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi's 'infantile' stunt performed during the governor general's opening address. 'I thought it was infantile, it was a stunt … maybe even high schooler in nature,' Mr Sharma told Sky News host Steve Price. 'For her, to try and upstage an important occasion in Australia's democratic system, the opening address by the governor general. 'It shows a great disrespect for Australian institutions and Australian democratic norms.'
Sky News AU
a day ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Hamas continue to ‘refuse' ceasefire as Labor government turns away from Israel
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma discusses the Labor Party's pro-Gaza statement during the return to parliament. 'It's Hamas that steadfastly refuses to accept that ceasefire deal as has been the case now over several months,' Mr Sharma told Sky News host Steve Price. 'Hamas thus far is refusing to do so.'
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Anthony Albanese has no ‘relationship' with Donald Trump
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma has praised the 'strong' US-Australia relationship. Mr Sharma told Sky News Australia that US President Donald Trump runs a 'personalised' style of administration. 'So, the relationship with the leader is all-important in that sort of government, and Anthony Albanese simply does not have a relationship with Donald Trump,' he said.
