The (National NewsMedia) Council and how it works for the public

Despite significant ‘digital disruption’ over the past nearly half century, the foundations of our organization — ethics, standards, accountability — have all withstood the test of time

Editor’s note: The following is a direct transcription of a note written by Fraser MacDougall, the original executive secretary of the Ontario Press Council, and founding patron of the NNC’s student journalism award for human rights reporting.

While the letter’s pages have turned slightly yellow, and have gently frayed, its message is still just as prescient today as it was on May 6, 1974 when it was written.

Have you ever read in your newspaper a story concerning an event you knew something about and said “they’ve got it all wrong?”

If so, did you try to do anything about it? Did you write a letter to the editor? Did you make some other form of protest? Did you seek a correction?

If you did any of those things and weren’t satisfied with the newspaper’s response, it probably all ended right there.

Eight of Ontario’s 42 daily newspapers think you should go further. These eight, with about 55 per cent of Ontario’s daily newspaper circulation, have opened up an avenue of appeal for people who aren’t satisfied with the newspaper’s response when they think it is wronged them as individuals or society as a whole by publishing something erroneous or by some unethical act.

The vehicle is the Ontario Press Council, through which the eight newspapers voluntarily make themselves accountable to the public through an independent body they don’t control. Moreover, they launched this body on their own initiative, without coercion or pressure.

The publishers recognize that the public in a democratic society — and that means each of us — has a legitimate and fundamental interest in the quality of the news it reads in its paper or hear on the air.

The Ontario Council’s eight founding newspapers are: Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Star, Hamilton Spectator, Brantford Expositor, Kitchener-Waterloo Record, London Free Press, Windsor Star and Owen Sound Sun-Times. Other newspapers are free to join.

They launched the Council in mid-1972 picking Ottawa as the head-office city.

The press council movement is world wide. The oldest is Sweden’s, dating from 1916. Best known is Britain’s, launched in 1953. The world total now is more than 20, most of them national, that is, one council serves an entire country. Canada, with one community and three provincial councils, is an exception to the national-style trend.

Canada’s community press council is in Windsor. The other two provincial councils are in Alberta and Quebec.

The Alberta council was formed like Ontario’s, by some of the province’s dailies. Quebec’s is universal, formed by organizations representing daily and weekly newspapers, by broadcasters and by the union representing journalists.

Most press councils share two main aims: To work for improvement in ethical standards of, and in performance by, the press; to defend the public interest in the freedom of the press.

Canada is fortunate in the quality of its press. ON the whole, newspaper reader in this country have access to a wider range of news than in any other country.

The formation of the various press councils in Canada reflects a desire for still further improvement.

The public voice outweighs the professional on the Ontario Council. It has 21 members, headed by an independent chairman, Davidson Dunton, of Ottawa. Ten members are drawn from the public and 10 from the eight newspapers involved. The 10 professionals range from reporter to publisher.

A press council lives by complaints — by the public against the press and by the press against the public.

From its inception in 1972 until the end of 1973, the Ontario Council received 96 letters complaining about the press. It issued adjudications in 11 cases and disallowed five on the grounds they weren’t valid. Another 22 were settled between the parties. In the remaining cases, the complainants didn’t proceed.

In the same period there was one complaint by the press against the public. The Ottawa Citizen complained against a decision of the Ottawa-Carleton regional planning committee to hold secret sessions for the drafting of the official plan for the region. The Council found in favor of the paper.

There was an even split in the 11 decisions on complaints by the public against the press. In five cases, the Council decided for the complainant, at least in part. In five it decided for the newspaper. The 11th was a decision not to hear a case identical to one on which the Council had previously issued an adjudication.

The complaints concerned acceptance of advertising, headlines, editing of letters to the editor and accusations of misrepresentation, bias and misleading reporting.

In dealing with freedom of the press, the Council is acting in the public interest, not in the interests of the press.

In Canada the right of the press to publish and to comment is the same as that of the individual to speak his mind on any subject.

If the press loses some part of its freedom to comment, the individual’s right of free speech is abridged to the same degree. If the individual’s right to speak is restricted, so is that of the press.

Freedom of the press has another aspect — the right to know — that means the public’s freedom, right and need to have access to all possible information of public interest so as to cope with the growing complexity of government and society.

The press is one vehicle that can meet that public need to know. To achieve this aim fully, it may need the help of the public to develop a fully open concept for all public bodies dealing with public issues and spending the public’s money.

Anyone may complain to the Council and all it costs is the price of the stationary, envelope and stamp. If there is any need to testify in person at a hearing the Council pays expenses.

Anyone wishing further information, or seeking to lay a complaint, may write to the Council at 151 Slater St., Suite 708, Ottawa, Ont., K1P 5H3.

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