The Australian ordered to pay $100k to former journalist over Media Diary claims he was ‘habitual’ drunk

November 22, 2016 10:41

The publisher of The Australian has been told to pay $100,000 in damages to former Townsville Bulletin reporter Malcolm Weatherup over a Media Diary piece which claimed he was “habitually intoxicated”.

A jury at Queensland Supreme Court found the piece, published in June 2014, defamed Weatherup and a judge awarded aggravated damages for defamation, saying its defence fell “well short of proof”.

The item in Diary published in June 2014 related to Weatherup’s conviction on a charge of wilful damage after kicking a neighbour’s car, the culmination of a long-running dispute over poor parking behaviour, which saw Weatherup handed a good behaviour bond.

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Simon Canning

Simon Canning was Mumbrella's marketing and advertising editor from 2015-2017. In a career spanning journalism and communications over more than 30 years Simon has become one of Australia’s most respected analysts and commentators on the advertising, marketing and media industries. A regular commentator on radio and TV, Simon has also worked in media in the US and UK .

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