Private Media has joined the Press Council in the wake of the Finkelstein Inquiry, and is pushing other independent publishers to do the same.
Private Media, which publishes Crikey, made the decision following the Finkelstein Inquiry's recommendation for the development of a new government-funded media complaints body, the News Media Council, which would incorporate both the Press Council and the broadcasting regulator ACMA.
Private Media chairman Eric Beecher said: “Like many others, we support the beefing up of the Press Council to give it more resources, and ideally greater funding that is independent of the big media companies that currently fund the Council and can withdraw their funding if they don’t like the way it operates.
“But you can’t always have the ideal, and in the meantime we’re joining and supporting the Press Council, and we hope other independent online publishers do the same.”
Beecher said Private Media is joining the Press Council because of its belief in the concept of a media complaints system and the need for the producers of online journalism to be part of the complaints system.
Private Media has until now resisted joining the Press Council because of a belief the regulatory body lacked an understanding of online media. However, since August, the Press Council has sought to engage with online publications.
Crikey editor Sophie Black said: "Our critics have often accused Crikey of hypocrisy for not previously joining the council. But our reluctance was never based on the suggestion that we should not be part of an independent complaints system, or that somehow online media should be beyond the scope of the editorial expectations placed on print media. Our hesitation was based on the belief that the Press Council had no real understanding of how online media worked."
The Press Council has addressed the issue of fee structure and how that factor alone could potentially exclude many start-ups. It has also started to consider the unique challenges that online publications face, such as moderation.
Black said: "It's been suggested that a possible outcome of the Finkelstein report will be a strengthened Australian Press Council, which in time will be expanded to cover all media – and yes, that would have to mean changing the name.”
Private Media is the publisher of Crikey and also publishes The Power Index, SmartCompany, Property Observer, LeadingCompany and StartupSmart.
In a move to bolster its business coverage, Private Media launched LeadingCompany last week.
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