Press Council ushers in shifting media era
As the body responsible for the behaviour of New Zealand newspapers nears its 40th anniversary, the woman at its frontline is dealing with some fast-moving challenges. Paloma Migone reports.
In her small office in central Wellington, Mary Major pulls out a 20-year-old stained newspaper clipping from a box and can’t help but laugh. It’s a photo of a topless woman at the cricket in 1982. From the corner of the image, a hand can be seen grabbing her breast. ‘‘Cheers from the young bloods greeted her topless roam, but a couple were not above giving her boobs a tweak,’’ reads the caption.
Major, the executive director of the Press Council, explains that back then, newspapers were run by men for men. The picture is just one of the many complaints the Press Council has seen over its 40-year history. Sex and nudity was a frequent subject of complaint, particularly in the 1970s, prompting the Press Council to publish a booklet on the matter.
But four decades after it was formed, the council is grappling with different kinds of complaints, often linked to new technology and the speed at which information is transmitted.
It is also facing a challenge to its own status as an independent watchdog. If the Green and Labour parties had their way, the council would be brought under statutory control. Major and many others have rejected the idea.
The idea of the Press Council in New Zealand first emerged in 1966. A Whanganui Girls’ College principal, Alexia Page, complained about an article that had misrepresented her and had been unnecessarily damaging to one of her pupils.
Public pressure grew for the establishment of a Press Council. Then deputy prime minister John Marshall gave his blessing on behalf of the Government, and the council was formed as an industry self-regulatory body on September 20, 1972.
As it nears its 40th birthday, Newspaper Publishers’ Association chief executive Tim Pankhurst says the Press Council is important for a free and independent media in a democracy.
‘‘It’s an absolutely vital part of a healthy society, but we also recognise that some responsibilities go with that, and the public do have to have some form of appeal body,’’ he says.
Since its establishment, the council has been hearing from the public about what is seen as inappropriate journalism. Most complaints are resolved within 24 hours, but when they can’t be dealt with easily, it’s Major’s job to get both sides of the story, working with complainant and newspaper editor, before sending details on to council members for consideration.
Major has a journalism diploma but hasn’t worked as a journalist; she applied for the Press Council role more than a decade ago, and while she was wrong in her assumptions that it would be a part-time and short-term job, she loves it.
Council member Clive Lind describes Major as a diplomat who works hard for the council. ‘‘She is the Henry Kissinger of difficult problem resolution for the media in New Zealand. She does a really good job,’’ he says.
Major was initially hired as a parttimer, processing complaints and passing them on to members who would then make rulings on whether publications had followed the council’s stated standards of integrity and ethics.
Over the years the job became fulltime, and Major took on more responsibilities.
‘‘It’s more strategic, looking to see where the Press Council goes and how we can adapt to new technology and a new news media,’’ she says.
With the immediacy of the internet and the media’s 24-hour news cycle today, families are, more and more, calling the council with complaints about the mishandling of family tragedies.
Major says competition among news outlets to get stories published quickly has led to families finding out about deaths online and being constantly approached for interviews.
‘‘[The story] gets out within the hour now,’’ Major says. ‘‘Whereas before when there were only hard-copy newspapers, there was a 24-hour delay or time spared. This is one area where it really has its problems.’’
‘‘These tragedies that are reported every day are not actually just tragedies; to somebody else they are an absolutely devastating event in their lives.’’
But while an increasing number of upset families have called the council over the past year, only one has lodged an official complaint, she says.
‘‘They are coping with so much at the time that the last thing they are concerned about is making a complaint to the Press Council.’’
The demands of the media to get the story first has been in the spotlight lately thanks to the phone-hacking scandal around Britain’s News of the World newspaper, since closed by its owner, Rupert Murdoch.
It prompted the Leveson Inquiry which is looking into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press.
Major says New Zealand’s standards of practice are higher.
‘‘Our newspaper industry is so different,’’ she says. ‘‘I don’t have any evidence of journalistic behaviour of that type here.’’
Despite the country’s relatively wellbehaved journalists, the phone-hacking saga rippled throughout New Zealand.
Major says that for a time, when people called the council to complain they would say it was just ‘‘like News of the World’’.
The phone-hacking scandal was followed by the New Zealand election campaign, where the Green and Labour parties suggested bringing the Press Council under statutory control.
The idea has been slammed by the council, and National-led Government assurances that it will not be regulated have given Major comfort.
Pankhurst says the newspaper industry is strongly opposed to Government control.
‘‘We wouldn’t be happy even with government funding of any sort of new regulator to emerge,’’ he says.
‘‘Our view is that with funding invariably comes some strings attached to that and it’s vital that media regulation remain self-regulatory and independent.’’
Changes still appear to be ahead, however, with a Law Commission review looking at merging and replacing the Broadcasting Standards Authority and the Press Council. It would create a single regulator for print, broadcasting and online media.
The commission is expected to issue its final report later this year.
Pankhurst says the industry is not opposed to a new combined regulator as long as it continues to be independent of the Government – and Major agrees.
The council is looking at changes of its own, including possibly getting newspapers and magazines to sign up to an agreement, which could allow it to keep a tighter leash on publications.
‘‘Because we are self-regulatory, we have no legal power to have anything happen, so we think that decisions on a contract basis might work better,’’ Major says.
She gets about 40 complaints about the press a week and knows the repeatcomplainers – and repeat offenders.
‘‘I certainly sometimes read articles and wonder, ‘ Hmmm, I wonder if I’m going to hear about this’.’’