The Australian Press Council is the self-regulatory body of the Australian print media. It was established in 1976 and is a private organisation.[1][2] Its aims are:
- To help preserve the traditional freedom of the press within Australia.[1]
- To ensure that the free press acts responsibly and ethically.[1]
To carry out its latter function, it serves as a forum to which the public may take a complaint concerning the press.[1] In its attempts to preserve the freedom of the press, it keeps a watching brief on developments which might threaten such freedoms.[1]
The Council is funded by the newspaper and magazine industries.[1] It relies on publishers and editors to respect the Council's views, to adhere voluntarily to ethical standards and to publicly admit mistakes.[1] It has no legal or legislative power to discipline the press.[2]
The Council consists of 15 members, representing the publishers, journalists, members of the public and is chaired by an independent Chairman.[1] It meets monthly, in Sydney and is headed by an Executive Secretary.[1]
It has been criticised for being unwilling to censor its members in anything more than a minor manner when guidelines are breached by its members.
References
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
