‘Significantly inaccurate and misleading’: Canberra Times article about Centrelink debt ‘debacle’ breached Press Council codes

August 24, 2017 2:20

The Canberra Times has been reprimanded for its print article headed ‘Another debt debacle’ and online article ‘Centrelink hits 21,000 families with bogus FTB [Family Tax Benefit] debts’ for being “significantly inaccurate and misleading”.

The Department of Human Services lodged the complaint with the Australian Press Council after the Fairfax-owned publication claimed “bogus” debt notices were sent in “error” to 21,000 families – something the article deemed a “debacle”.

The article in question

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Abigail Dawson

Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.

Topics

APC The Canberra Times

1 COMMENTS

Fuzzy 24 Aug 17

Pretty shoddy form the writer didn’t get it right in the first place – not the first time the truth has been sacrificed in the race for a cheap headline.

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