Recently, a commenter posted on this website that “It’s a sad day that a newspaper thinks their own filtered comments are statistic worthy.” and it got me thinking.
Does anyone remember the disreputable “Billy Mango Affair” – where the Cairns Post simply published fictitious letters to the editor which made news for them ? What about the “Lenny Creek” letters – again published without any authentication and now regarded as Post Fiction ?

It occurs to me that the Cairns Post has finally come up with a way to try to circumvent the scrutiny of Media Watch using their own website as a tool for “creating opinion”…

So, here is how it works:

Step 1 - The Cairns Post write a story, then wait for the comments on their website to flow in. An example is the recent article on the 20th June shown HERE online, but published in their newspaper with the less complimentary headline “Website does the trick – Val’s a good stick”.

Step 2 - Wait for the comments to flow in.  These comments are completely un-vetted all one needs is a name and an email address, the Cairns Post have even admitted to previous comments being posted under false names.  When online, your location is even optional.

Step 3 - Here’s the clever part – the Cairns Post are known to censor their comments.  Michael Moore himself has published previously on this very topic, and has even created a column to this effect..  One of our own comments has also mentioned that their online comments were not published.

Step 4 – Wow, now all you have to do, is run a regular story based on the (twisted & filtered) “Facts” that are published on the Cairns Post website.  Voila – a news story for a slow news day, with no news at all.  Magic how you can twist the truth and set the agenda isn’t it.

There are two points to note, before someone from the Cairns Post goes crazy and starts commenting on this story (yes, we know your staff read this blog).

#1 - The Cairns Post is a newspaper employing journalists.  Most journalists belong  to the Australia Journalists Association, part of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA).  These members are required to follow a code of ethics (full link here) In this piece, I am “assuming” that the Cairns Post subscribes to these (or similar) ethical standards.  I would welcome a comment from the Cairns Post if this is not true.  Part of this code states”

Report and interpret honestly, striving for accuracy, fairness and disclosure of all essential facts.  Do not suppress relevant available facts, or give distorting emphasis.  Do your utmost  to give a fair opportunity for reply.

and also to

Aim to attribute information to its source.  Where a source seeks anonymity, do not agree without first considering the source’s motives and any alternative attributable source.  Where confidences are accepted,  respect them in all circumstances.

There are also clauses to deal with conflicts – which boil down to that you should have a very good reason – mainly being the “advancement of the public interest”.

While online comments may be a legitimate media tool in the Internet Age, I do not believe that the Cairns Post can ethically run a story on their online comments given that there is no legitimate source checking, and that they have demonstrated censorship in the past of their online comments.

#2 - Before anyone from the Post starts commenting about our policy, bias or whatever – keep this in mind – we are not journalists.  This is a privately run forum with our own rules.  We have clearly stated our agenda, to hold the Cairns Media accountable for their actions.  The difference is that people coming to our blog will read this as a source of the contributor’s opinion.  People reading our region’s newspaper would widely assume that it is based on facts.

Incidentally, to date we have not censored any comments or posts, with one occasion of simply being slow to approve a comment.  We do this on a voluntary basis, not as our job so I would hope you understand.