MP for Bendigo Steve Gibbons, a long-time News Limited critic, told parliament today the government's Finkelstein inquiry into media regulation had fallen short in its recommendations to improve media reporting.
He said misleading reporting should carry similar penalties to misleading advertising, citing recent multi-million dollar fines for such conduct by Apple and internet service provider TPG.
“In my view, fines such as these for publishing blatant untruths or misleading news reports, or temporary suspensions of the right to publish or broadcast, would lead to a major improvement in the accuracy and fairness of our media,” Mr Gibbons said.
“So when a media outlet, journalist, or red-necked shock jock deliberately broadcasts or publishes a statement that they know is factually wrong, and it is subsequently proven that they knew it was factually wrong, they ought to be subject to an appropriate penalty.”
He said misleading reporting carried serious consequences for democracy, and should be harshly treated to prevent its occurrence.
“A misinformed public cannot possibly form reasonable views about matters of national importance,” he said.
“Prominently publishing or broadcasting apologies, corrections of retractions are all very well, and I agree with the report's recommendations about strengthening these processes.
“But there are far more serious consequences for democracy if a media report misleads the public.”
In a private members' motion, Mr Gibbons said the size of the fines should be “commercially significant”.
Speaking to a private members' motion in parliament's Federation Chamber, Mr Gibbons said he supported the Finkelstein inquiry's call for a new all-media regulator that would force apologies, corrections and retractions for inaccurate reporting.
But he said the government should explicitly ban former politicians from serving on the proposed News Media Council, and the majority of the council's members should be lawyers and regulators, not media professionals.
“No members with media experience should be currently employed in the industry,” he said.
Labor whip Joel Fitzgibbon also spoke on the motion, saying media self-regulation had failed to meet the expectations of the community.
The opposition's Paul Neville, the deputy chairman of the House infrastructure and communications committee, said Labor's push for reform the media was driven by insecurity in the face of sustained media inquiry into its performance in office.
“In the face of one of the poorest government performances in our history, replete with stumble after stumble ...is it any wonder that the best of our print commentators should fiercely hold the government to account?”
“What we don't need, nor would I support, is the external control of media content. That is ultimately what would happen with the News Media Council.”
Mr Neville said the government's claims this was unfair, and its attempts to link the media's conduct in Australia with its misbehaviour in the United Kingdom, was “as pathetic as it is opportunistic”.
He said an overhaul of the Australian Press Council and a new code of conduct for members would be infinitely better than a new heavy-handed regulator.
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