Guns, drugs, wildlife
   Bent Gov't officers
Smuggled and Smuggled-2
..Aust's corruption bestsellers!
  Bent Police...
   Drugs, bribes, murder...
Victoria Police Corruption
The book that tells it all!

WHEN POLICE ARE SHOT IN THE LINE OF DUTY - THE FACTS
(A FORMAL COMPLAINT TO THE AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL)

RAYMOND HOSER
PO BOX 599
DONCASTER VICTORIA 3108
AUSTRALIA
E-MAIL: adder@smuggled.com
AUGUST 22 1998  

TO - THE DIRECTOR,

AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL,

303/149 CASTLEREAGH STREET,

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, 2000

AUSTRALIA.

PHONE: +61 08 025 712

FAX: +61 2 9267 6826 

Dear Sir/Madam or whom it may concern, 

I hereby wish to lodge a formal complaint about a Melbourne newspaper, namely the Herald-Sun, over a single matter. This complaint is one of a litany of grievances against both this paper and the Age, however I shall not detail these here. 

The organizations I represent (as shown at the end of a letter sent to the editors of both the above papers) represent well over 1,000 individuals and have no corporate or government backing of any form. We have long standing grievances against both papers for editorial bias, deliberate failure to report news stories, forcible suppression of stories, prohibiting journalists from talking about certain matters and even improper dismissal, which in at least one instance was proven, leading to News Corporation making a confidential settlement in favor of the journalist concerned. Details of these complaints are readily available on the internet at multiple web servers and sites and are not repeated here. 

All the above complaints relate to bias in terms of failure to report corruption within police and related arms of government, including book publications about the same, court proceedings of major public interest and other matters. Having said that, many (but not all) of those matters relate to things you would probably dismiss (if complained about) as the rights of editorial discretion and we (our organizations) while not necessarily agreeing with that premise, we accept that as the way things are and your own limited powers on such matters. 

However this most recent complaint shows that one newspaper the Herald-Sun, has violated all accepted practices of their own professed journalism code of ethics. It is on that basis the complaint is lodged. 

The Specific Complaint. 

On or about 15 August 1998 two policemen were shot and killed in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin. The story was front page news for some days after in both major papers and occupied many pages of coverage in the papers as well. It was by far the most significant story (in terms of page space) for the entire week the followed in both papers. 

On the Monday morning after the shooting (about 36 hours after it actually happed), copies of a letter to the editor were sent to both papers with the obvious intention that it be published. A copy of that letter follows this complaint. The contents are self-explanatory. 

The delay of about a day in sending it after the shootings were first reported in the TV news was due to the fact that I had to consult others in the organizations of which I am a spokesperson for. 

The letter was sent so soon after the shootings in order to pre-empt any negative and potential criticisms from persons who have previously complained about civil libertarians who allegedly are noisy and critical when police attack and/or shoot people but are strangely quiet when police are shot at by criminals. The inference (and sometimes statement) is to the effect that civil libertarians support criminals and not police. That inference, statement or assertion is patently and provably false and even the most cursory of investigation would confirm this.  

Earlier this year when two police were shot at Box Hill (Melbourne), there was a raft of letters published in the papers, in particular the Herald-Sun to the effect just indicated (civil libertarians on the side of criminals). I am sure you will have no difficulty accessing those letters if you want to. No doubt that was part of a deliberate and misleading campaign to marginalise groups including those I represent by aligning us with criminals. This we are not. Civil liberties groups do not tolerate criminal conduct from anyone and there is no evidence to the contrary. 

However like I've already indicated, on the occasion of this most recent shooting, we attempted to pre-empt the circulation of such falsehoods by sending a letter to the papers in support of the shot police and affirming our lack of support for those guilty of shooting the police, strongly condemning the action. This letter was sent to show that we do not have the alleged double standards as repeatedly and falsely asserted in the pages of the Herald-Sun

On the day the letters were sent, a phone call was placed with the relevant letters editor at the Herald-Sun namely David Aldridge who both acknowledged receipt and said that the letter would be printed as 'It's the first we have received on the shootings'. The comment is notable as a series of other letters have been published by that paper since on the matter which are remarkably similar to one another (but not my letter) and that in itself implies that they come from a single source, which may even be within the paper itself (see below). 

There was no need to ring the Age as within minutes of the letter being faxed, the letters editor Margaret Cook phoned me and asked for my street address details for 'our own records'. She also advised me that the letter was definitely to be published the next day, Tuesday. She also said that it would be without the notation at the bottom as to whom I was speaking on behalf of (my name to appear only). 

In fact the letter was not published anywhere. 

On Thursday 20 August, the Herald-Sun published two letters which were anti-civil libertarian and condemned us for not supporting the police against those who had shot them. One of the letters is reproduced in full to give you an idea of the tone of the letter. 

Where are the civil libertarians now that police officers have been shot? This tragedy needs to be recognised as a reason why Victoria Police have guns. Civil libertarians can't get off their butts quickly enough when police shoot someone. 

Police Supporter, Kensington. 

The statements within the letter are demonstrably false on two points. Firstly neither myself or the organizations I was speaking for have ever said that we believe police should not have guns. Another organization of which I am a senior member, Australian Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)(please note the name) also is not opposed to police having guns, so any assertion to the contrary is false. 

Secondly and far more importantly is that the Herald-Sun letters editor, David Aldridge had printed the letter, knowing that he had in his possession a letter clearly rebutting the comment 'where are the civil libertarians…:'. 

Besides the question of editorial balance, which I recall as being the subject of the recent Lange defamation matter, the simple question of knowingly and recklessly publishing false and misleading information should be addressed. 

I placed no fewer than 11 phone messages (total) with Aldridge that and the next day and none were returned. 

The same day (20th August), the original letter was re-faxed to Aldridge at the Herald-Sun and Cook at the Age. The letter to the Herald-Sun had a self explanatory note at the top of it and that letter follows this letter here for your benefit). Both received the second fax as indicated by staff at both papers. Further phone calls were made and I managed to speak to Cook where I raised my grievance along the lines of above. She stated that she hadn't printed anything along the lines of condemning civil libertarians for their alleged silence, but that such letters had so far only been printed in the Herald-Sun. She also said that she had received NONE putting that view across. 

Knowing that it is highly unlikely that several people would send such a letter to the Herald-Sun and in the same period the Age receive none, the only fair and reasonable conclusion that can be made is that the letters published in the Herald-Sun were an 'in-house' job. 

In line with Cook's comments, which I could not dispute, particularly that in relation to her failure to publish my letter (she hadn't published others that I'd complained about), I think that it is fair to assume that while I disagree with their editorial policy, I cannot take this matter any further at this stage with the Age. 

On Saturday 22 August, the Herald-Sun printed a letter which said: 

Where are the civil liberty people now police have been shot? Instead of knocking police at every chance, why not publicly support them in time of need?  

It's a sad fact of life that police have to carry guns and sometimes use them, but if there weren't dangerous criminals out there, it would not be necessary. 

Matthew French, Puckapunyal 

Again Aldridge had knowingly and recklessly published a false and misleading letter. Based on the fact that Aldridge had received multiple copies of my original letter the only reasonable and fair action on his part should have been either not to publish the letters referred to above AND at the same time published my letter that pre-dated all those printed or alternatively not printed any, which is what the Age chose to do. 

In relation to the letter immediately above it also raises the very serious allegation that civil libertarians were in cahoots with criminals and that was why we had been (allegedly) silent at the time of the shooting. Besides the fact that civil liberties people are not in cahoots with criminals and no one has ever produced a shred of evidence to support such an assertion, the letter unanswered makes a serious allegation which editorial guidelines should at least give the accused a right of reply. THIS WAS NOT GIVEN AT ANY STAGE. 

I am well aware of your legal limitations and related matters in relation to suing papers and so on before you can act. Therefore for those purposes please accept that I undertake not to sue the Herald-Sun over this matter. 

You will also note that it has been the continuation of publication of false information in the Herald-Sun letters page after the second faxing of my letter (with the notation at the top) that has given rise to this complaint to the press council. It cannot be alleged that the newspaper wasn't given ample opportunity to either desist from publishing false information and/or publish that which corrected previous lies. 

I now ask you to make a ruling against the Herald-Sun and David Aldridge. I ask you to publish a ruling that the Herald-Sun and Age will print in their papers for a full day (as many issues as they publish that day) upholding my complaint. I further ask that the text of my original letter and the letters quoted in the complaint form part of (be printed in) your published ruling. I further ask that your ruling formally condemn the Herald-Sun and David Aldridge for deliberate misrepresentation of the facts and their cynical attempt to manipulate public opinion against civil liberties groups on the basis of their knowingly and recklessly publishing lies. 

Finally, some years ago I lodged a complaint with the Press Council on another matter, which you upheld. It did however take a substantial time to be resolved. I ask that if at all possible, that you speed up the process as much as you can. 

In anticipation of your help.  

YOURS FAITHFULLY

RAYMOND HOSER.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR - THE HERALD-SUN

SHOOTINGS OF VIC. POLICE. 

Re the tragic shootings and killings of two Victorian police officers on the weekend, may we say on behalf of all civil libertarians that we regard the shootings of two police officers in the same way as any other senseless murders. 

We utterly condemn the perpetrators of those crimes and along with other law abiding Victorians hope that the killers are brought to justice and dealt with by the law as soon as possible.  

Furthermore while others and myself have been critical of Police practices and corruption in the past (and present), including writing books about it, we do not in any way support the actions of those that have killed or attacked police with violence. We are at one with police command in saying that the weekend's killing should never have occurred. 

Policing at the best of times is a very difficult job. However violence and death are not part of the guidelines and should not be.  

We wish to offer our deepest sympathies to the friends and families of those police officers shot and like the community at large, hope that the latest killing is not the start of a more violent part of Victoria's history.

Raymond Hoser, on behalf of

Whistleblowers Australia,

Whistleblowers Network Australia,

Australians Against Corruption,

Victorian Taxi Driver's League,

PO Box 599,

Doncaster, Victoria, 3108,

Australia.

Phone: 018-588-699

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR - THE HERALD-SUN

SHOOTINGS OF VIC. POLICE. 

(We note that today (August 20th 1998) you published two letters condemning our organisations for not supporting the shot police and ask that you provide balance to your reporting on this matter, noting that this letter has been sent to you previously and deliberately overlooked. We are considering taking the matter to the Press Council). 

Re the tragic shootings and killings of two Victorian police officers on the weekend, may we say on behalf of all civil libertarians that we regard the shootings of two police officers in the same way as any other senseless murders. 

We utterly condemn the perpetrators of those crimes and along with other law abiding Victorians hope that the killers are brought to justice and dealt with by the law as soon as possible.  

Furthermore while others and myself have been critical of Police practices and corruption in the past (and present), including writing books about it, we do not in any way support the actions of those that have killed or attacked police with violence. We are at one with police command in saying that the weekend's killing should never have occurred. 

Policing at the best of times is a very difficult job. However violence and death are not part of the guidelines and should not be.  

We wish to offer our deepest sympathies to the friends and families of those police officers shot and like the community at large, hope that the latest killing is not the start of a more violent part of Victoria's history.

Raymond Hoser, on behalf of

Whistleblowers Australia,

Whistleblowers Network Australia,

Australians Against Corruption,

Victorian Taxi Driver's League,

PO Box 599,

Doncaster, Victoria, 3108,

Australia.

Phone: 018-588-699

Australian Press Council

ADJUDICATION No. 990 (September 1998)

ADJUDICATION No. 990 (September 1998)

The Press Council has upheld in part a complaint by Raymond Hoser against The Herald Sun, Melbourne, over a lack of balance in its letters column, following the fatal shooting of two Melbourne policemen in August.

Within two days of the shootings, Mr Hoser wrote to the paper, apparently on behalf of four bodies that he described as civil libertarian organisations - Whistleblowers Australia, Whistleblowers Network Australia, Australians Against Corruption and the Victorian Taxi Drivers League.

Mr Hoser's letter condemned the killings and expressed sympathies to the families and friends of the policemen. According to Mr Hoser "the letter was sent so soon after the shootings in order to pre-empt any negative and potential criticisms from persons who have previously complained about civil libertarians who allegedly are noisy and critical when police attack and/or shoot people, but are strangely quiet when police are shot at by criminals".

The letter was not published. The Herald Sun said it did not consider the organisations on whose behalf Mr Hoser had written as representative of the civil liberties movement. His repeated resubmission of the letter over a ten-day period failed to change the paper's mind.

During the weeks after the shootings however, The Herald Sun did publish at least five letters condemning the alleged silence of civil libertarians about violence against the police. None singled out any particular organisation for criticism, and the paper still found no reason to publish Mr Hoser's letter.

Finally, over a month after the shootings, the paper received and published a letter from the Australian Civil Liberties Union similar in content to Mr Hoser's.

The Press Council believes The Herald Sun was fully entitled to reach its own conclusions about the standing of the groups represented by Mr Hoser. The paper was under no obligation to accept at face value his assertion that they were representative of the civil liberties movement.

However, the paper was clearly willing to publish several criticisms of civil libertarians soon after the killings, knowing that it had at least one correspondent who was vigorously advancing a different perspective. Timely publication of Mr Hoser's letter (or, as he himself observed, of any other one with similar views) would have provided balance to debate on this issue in the letters column.

To the extent that such balance was lacking, the complaint is upheld.

Australians Against Corruption home page

Australian Press Council Judgement Against a Melbourne Newspaper Misrepresenting Raymond Hoser and others

Australian Smuggling and Wildlife Crime Site

Non-urgent email inquiries via the Snakebusters bookings page at:
http://www.snakebusters.com.au/sbsboo1.htm

Urgent inquiries phone:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia:
(03) 9812 3322 or 0412 777 211