Press Council pushes for more power, fines for breaches

In a submission to the government’s media inquiry, the Australian Press Council has suggested imposing fines on newspapers and magazines that flout media standards.

In a 22-page three-part document, the Press Council suggests giving the body more power by broadening its remit to include bloggers and online publications, and censuring newspapers “where appropriate” to boost public confidence in the media.

The Council is also going to try to reverse the 20% funding cut made by publishers in 2009. It also wants to improve the way it handles complaints, and increase the proportion of complaints that are upheld.

The Press Council’s chairman Julian Disney sent a letter to the media inquiry, in which he voiced concern about what increased power for the Council might mean: