Press council adjudication

AFTER receiving a complaint from a reader, the Press Council has concluded that an article on pages 1 and 3 of The Chronicle on 3 October 2013 breached its Standards of Practice. It concerned possible noise levels at the Wellcamp Airport, which is being built and financed by Wagners group of companies.

The heading of the article said “Jet noise no louder than dishwasher”, and the article stated “Initial noise level projections carried out by Wagners showed residents in Westbrook would typically experience readings of less than 55 decibels as 717 jets took off from the airport”.

The article included several quotes from the managing director Dennis Wagner, but none from other sources.

The publication acknowledged that it could perhaps have sought comment from a defence or noise expert, but said there had been very few letters opposing the airport and it had published everything submitted on the subject.

It said Wagners itself had conducted a survey of affected residents, which showed overwhelming support for the airport.

The Press Council decided that the noise claims may or may not be accurate but The Chronicle did not take reasonable steps to ensure their accuracy.

The Chronicle did not ask to see the study by Wagners on noise level projections, and it did not seek the opinion of any specialists on the subject.

In addition, while the Council’s Principles do not require complete, or almost complete, fairness or balance, the comments by Dennis Wagner were so prominent and so overwhelmingly positive, some attempt should have been made to include alternative views, such as those evident in letters and in reader comments published on its website.

For the full adjudication, see page 20 or www.presscouncil.org.au.