WA Today censured by Press Council for unfair ‘Bong claims Santa Maria teacher’s job’ headline
Fairfax Media’s WAToday.com.au has been censured by the Australian Press Council for reporting unsubstantiated allegations that a teacher had resigned from her role after a photo of her holding a bong had been discovered on social media.
The Press Council ruled the online news outlet’s story ‘Bong claims Santa Maria teacher’s job: You’ve got to be toking?’, published May 9 and based on a local radio station’s “Rumour File” segment, had failed to substantiate facts and fairness in both the initial article and its subsequent revisions.
The article referred to a teacher losing her position at a named Catholic girls’ school as a result of a “social media incident”, suggesting this involved the circulation of a photograph of the teacher holding a bong. The article also suggested that a topless photo of the teacher may have been behind the loss of her position.
The article was accompanied by a stock image of a person apparently smoking a bong with a qualifying caption.
