Seven Brisbane breached Code Of Practice says ACMA

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has found that Channel Seven Brisbane Pty Limited (Channel Seven) breached the accuracy provisions of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice 2015 (the Code) during a report aired on Seven News on 20 April this year.

The ACMA investigated a complaint about the report which concerned a re-sentencing hearing in the District Court in Brisbane. The report included remarks made by the judge that were critical of the defendant’s (current) lawyers along with images of two people walking with the defendant in the vicinity of a court building. The defendant’s lawyers were not named.

Channel Seven has acknowledged that the images were not of the defendant’s current legal representatives although it was unaware of this at the time the report went to air.

The ACMA also found that Channel Seven breached its obligations at clause 3.3.3 of the Code as it failed to correct or clarify a material error of fact when the error was brought to its attention by the complainant following the broadcast.

Channel Seven Brisbane Pty Limited has undertaken to bring the ACMA’s decision to the attention of its news and current affairs staff, and to include reference to the decision in future training courses concerning the Code.