Press watchdog issues new charter
The Australian Press Council has issued a revised set of principles on how it believes press freedom in the country should be maintained.
It includes the ethical principles that it believes should govern journalists. The APC has also streamlined its complaints procedure.
The new statement of principles:
First, the freedom of the press to publish is the freedom, and right, of the people to be informed. These are the justifications for upholding press freedom as an essential feature of a democratic society. This freedom includes the right to publish the news, without fear or favour, and the right to comment fairly and responsibly upon it.