By Tim Fuller
It has arrived! The long awaited report by former Federal Court judge Ray Finkelstein into the media and the regulation of media in this country was released on Friday. Eager beaver consumers of media laws are currently ploughing through the smorgasbord of material that the 468 page report offers. Everyone is on a diet at the moment – so we will try and limit your intake as we pick out some of the tastier morsels of the report.
The first key recommendation is the call for a 'one-stop shop' – a new body to be set up called the News Media Council (NMC). The scope, powers and tasks of the NMC would be more extensive than the current voluntary and self-regulatory body of the Australian Press Council (APC). One key regulatory function of the NMC would be the responsibility of looking at print, online, radio and television. This would be the first time all four mediums have been brought under the one roof.
In a recommendation sure to antagonise certain sections of the media, the report has recommended that the NMC has the powers to require a person or a news media outlet to publish an apology, correction or retraction, or afford a person a right to reply. Whilst current existing media codes of ethics contain similar ideals and remedies, it would be the first time that a person or media outlet was forced to comply with a directive from a statutory authority.
As we said, just a taste! We promise to follow this topic closely and in the time to come we hope we can report back with more analysis on the changing world of media.
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