Press Council confirms complaint against Courier Mail over ‘She Male’ front page
The Australian Press Council has received at least one complaint over today’s front page from Queensland tabloid The Courier Mail which featured the headlines “Monster chef and the she male” and “Ladyboy and the butcher”.
The News Corp paper has drawn fierce criticism online over the headlines and tone of its articles on the murder in Brisbane by chef Marcus Volke of his transgender girlfriend Mayang Prasetyo. Volke was reportedly caught boiling parts of her body and, when confronted by police, took his own life.
An online Change.org petition had garnered 8,500 signatures by 5pm today and rose to 12,500 by 7.30pm after being created by members of the Brisbane trans community. It calls on the newspaper to issue a public apology.
The change.org petition
“A” complaint, what a crock, I personally know of dozens who made complaints to the APC this morning and my circle of friends is not that wide. Would be interesting to know just how many complaints were actually made. Let’s hope it is enough to actually ping the odious rag for such a vile denigration of a victims heinous murder 🙁
When I saw the front page earlier my immediate though was “what year is this?”
Absolutely disgusting behaviour by News Corp.
“Publications should not place any gratuitous emphasis on the race, religion, nationality, colour, country of origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, illness, or age of an individual or group.”…
There goes over half the content of News, nationally then.
Left a very bad taste in my mouth. Shame on you!
After voicing my opinion on the Courier Mail facebook page i along with many others comments were deleted and we were then “blocked” from commenting on their page such a disgraceful manner in which to write about such a ghoulish crime R.I.P Mayang i for one am very sorry for what you have endured in life……and death…..
When you will be able to report the truth ? You’re page itself on Facebook has been contain 1,1k unhappy comments about your headline !!!! Is time to apologies !!
so sad that this happend. Thank goodness her family aren’t in Australia to have that headline in their face. Once again, shame on the Murdoch press who have done more to bring down the standards of journalism globally than any other force.
WOW, get over it, its just a headline to sell papers. Not Happy don’t buy the paper!
Get a Life.
This is not acceptable. Her gender is interesting, but show respect for the dead. Show her face, not shots of her body. Not sophisticated courier mail.
Instead of purchasing a News Limited tabloid, give me your two dollars and I’ll happily intentionally tell you lies, and mislead you. I assume thats what you want when you purchase, or read a News Limited tabloid?
I’m with you, Glenn – I suspect more people are offended that this guy was a prostitute married to a trannie whom he cooked than they are about the yarn being on Page 1. But they won’t admit it.
The Courier Mail is a grubby little newspaper. I remember some time back a byline about “kiddie porn” – totally trivialising the subject matter. The press council is just another toothless tiger, absolutely useless.