Comments on: Hundreds and thousands, it’s all the same at the Press Council http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/06/20/hundreds-and-thousands-its-all-the-same-at-the-press-council/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:47:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: engineer http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/06/20/hundreds-and-thousands-its-all-the-same-at-the-press-council/#comment-5991 engineer Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-5991 At least the Press Council have an excuse for not doing their job - they are paid by the defendant. The ABC's performance is another issue altogether.<br /><br />It is about time that action via the courts could be taken to bring erroneous (and worse) journalism to account.<br /><br />Corporations have the ACCC and other such bodies to deal with. It is about time that the citizens of this country were offered strong remedies to unfair, lying or error-prone journalists.<br /><br />I say this as a civil and structural design engineer. If I get it wrong and buildings fall down and folk are either injured or lose money, then I am held liable. The tests of liability include those of the "common man", which in layman's terms ensures that such a person is entitled to act on advice received from the engineer.<br /><br />Why are not journalists and the organisations who pay their wages so constrained?<br /><br /> At least the Press Council have an excuse for not doing their job - they are paid by the defendant. The ABC’s performance is another issue altogether.

It is about time that action via the courts could be taken to bring erroneous (and worse) journalism to account.

Corporations have the ACCC and other such bodies to deal with. It is about time that the citizens of this country were offered strong remedies to unfair, lying or error-prone journalists.

I say this as a civil and structural design engineer. If I get it wrong and buildings fall down and folk are either injured or lose money, then I am held liable. The tests of liability include those of the “common man”, which in layman’s terms ensures that such a person is entitled to act on advice received from the engineer.

Why are not journalists and the organisations who pay their wages so constrained?

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