Complaint dismissed

The Australian Press Council has dismissed a complaint by Colin Burrough and Shayne Chester, co-founders of the Community Action Against Methamphetamine (CAAMA) lobby group, against the Sydney Star Observer newspaper. The complaint centred on a column, The four and a half year itch, by former editor Stacy Farrar published on 12 April, and a series of letters in response.

Although CAAMA was not named in the column, the complainants took exception to the phrase “the ex-crystal users lobby” used by the editor, saying the organisation, which they claim is the only one of its kind, could have easily been identified by that descriptor. Subsequently Mr Burrough wrote a letter of complaint to the Sydney Star Observer in which he explained the organisation was not an ex-users’ group. His letter was published on 19 April.

Two weeks later the newspaper published two further letters which were at odds with Mr Burrough’s letter. The newspaper declined to publish a second letter in response submitted by Mr Burrough on 14 May.

Mr Burrough and Mr Chester claim they have been denied an opportunity to reply and that their complaints to the newspaper about bias and a lack of fair and balanced coverage of the work of CAAMA have been “stonewalled”. However, the incoming editor, Scott Abrahams, had offered to meet with Mr Burrough and Mr Chester “in the interests of fostering a better and more understanding relationship” between the Sydney Star Observer and CAAMA, but neither of these offers were taken up.

While the Press Council is not in a position to make a judgement on the newspaper’s coverage of the use of crystal meth and CAAMA’s work, it points out that a newspaper has the right to determine its editorial content, including letters to the editor.