Online Corrections
Tuesday, December 9 2008
School chaplains
ABC local radio, News Online
On October 19, 2008, ABC news reported on a survey regarding the role of school chaplains in Queensland schools. The story should have been more specific that the survey was done by the Scripture Union.Middle East protest
On October 16, 2008, an online story reported that there were moves by Jews and Christians around the world to have Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad charged with inciting genocide against Israel. The story mentioned the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem, but following a complaint, it was found that the story should have clarified that the group is the world’s largest Christian Zionist organisation.LPG conversion rebate
ABC News Online
On November 22, 2008 an online news artilce referred to comments by the Motor Trades Association regarding the LPG conversion rebate. The story originally referred to people pocketing "up to $12,000 of the payment." The figure has now been amended to $1,200.Friday, December 5 2008
Tony Stuart MP
On November 12 and 13, 2008 ABC News Online published three reports concerning Mr Tony Stuart MP. The reports stated that Mr Stuart was the Member for Blacktown. This is incorrect, Mr Stuart is the Member for Bankstown. The Member for Blacktown is Mr Paul Gibson MP.Domestic violence on teens
AM, ABC News Online, 7pm TV News
On Monday November 17, 2008 ABC News carried stories reporting the findings of a study into the impact of violence on young people. The study was commissioned by the White Ribbon Foundation. It reported, in part, that “one in every three boys believe it is not a big deal to hit a girl". The author of the report, Dr Michael Flood, has advised the ABC that this finding was in fact wrong. Dr Flood's team transposed information in compilation of that part of the report. The original report by the National Crime Prevention 2001 study upon which much of the White Ribbon report was is based made no reference to "boys hitting girls" In fact the report referred to "girls hitting boys".As references to this incorrect information formed a significant part of the our online news story, as well as an interview conducted for the AM program. The online news story has been amended accordingly. The AM transcript has been edited and the story audio removed.
Tuesday, November 11 2008
Homosexuality in Bosnia
ABC News Online
On September 25, 2008 ABC News Online published a newsagency report covering an attack on a gay festival in Bosnia. The report carried a line stating that there was “zero tolerance” for homosexuals in Bosnia. A internal review found that that this statement was imprecise and did not acknowledge, for example, the decriminalisation in Bosnia of same-sex sexual contact between consenting adults. To that extent, it was agreed that this line of the report did not meet the ABC’s requirements for accuracy. It was subseqnetly removed from the report.Monday, November 10 2008
Incorrect name
The World Today
On August 13, 2008 during a story on the US presidential elections broadcast on The World Today, the presenter accidentally mis-named the 1960s segregationist, George Wallace in a first reference in the story. Subsequent references were correct. The transcript of the story has since been amended an editor's note attached to the story.Tuesday, October 28 2008
Rape story details
ABC Radio News and News Online
On October 14, 2008 ABC radio news bulletins and ABC News Online reported that two men had appeared in Wollongong District Court accused of a rape outside a Wollongong tavern last year. The ABC acknowledges that some information contained in the reports was graphic and may have shocked and offended some members of the audience. The reporter was seeking to convey the horrific nature of the attack but the ABC agrees that greater caution should have been applied to the reporting of the case.Senator John McCain
ABC News Online
On October 27, 2008 under the headline “I guarantee you, I’ll win: McCain” ABC News Online quoted US presidential candidate Senator John McCain as saying: "I guarantee you that two weeks from now you'll see that this has been a very close race and I guarantee you I'm going to win it." In fact, Senator McCain said: "I guarantee you that two weeks from now you'll see that this has been a very close race and I believe I'm going to win it." Senator McCain did not say that he “guaranteed” a victory but simply stated his belief that he would win the presidential campaign. The error occurred during the transcription process. The story and headline have since been corrected.US electoral college votes
ABC News Online
In a story published on October 18, 2008, ABC News Online quoted Dr Robert Watson, the director of American studies at Lynn University in Boca Raton in Florida, as saying that he can calculate several different ways for US presidential candidate Barack Obama to reach the required 210 electoral college votes for victory. The story should have referred to the need for candidates to reach 270 votes.Tuesday, October 21 2008
Aircraft emergency
ABC News Online and Radio News
On September 16, 2008 ABC News Online and some radio news services reported that an “Air Force helicopter” had been forced to make an emergency landing at the Richmond Airbase in Sydney's north-west after experiencing nose-wheel problems. The story was incorrect on a number of counts. The RAAF does not operate helicopters. In any event, the incident involved a Hercules transport aircraft which experienced nose-wheel problems. The story also reported that the pilot had issued a “mayday” call. The ABC accepts that it was very unlikely that the pilot had issued a mayday in such circumstances.Tuesday, October 14 2008
Inappropriate photo
ABC News Online
On September 22, 2008, ABC News Online published a story reporting that irrigators in McLaren Vale would be able to apply for federal subsidies to enable them to switch from mains to recycled water. The story contained an image depicting an overhead irrigation sprayer. An online reader pointed that such sprayers were unlikely to be used in the McLaren Vale where irrigators generally use drip irrigation systems. The photo was subsequently changed.Monday, September 22 2008
Incorrect photo
ABC News Online
On September 21, 2008, ABC News Online published a story reporting a fire which badly damaged a hardware store in Mundaring in Western Australia. The story originally carried a photo showing firefighters battling the fire. Unfortunately the photo used to illustrate the story was not related to the events in question and involved a fire which occurred some time ago in Manjimup, several hours from Perth. The photo should not have been used in the context of the Mundaring incident.Friday, September 12 2008
Education funding
ABC News Online and Radio News
On June 16, 2008 ABC News Online and radio news in Victoria carried a story which reported a federal funding gap between private schools and public schools which favoured private schools to the tune of $2 billion each year. The story should have acknolwdged that the report, commissioned by the Australian Education Union, found that the current annual capital investment gap between private and public schools was $2 billion. As the funding disparity related to the amount spent on capital investment rather than overall funding received, ABC News acknowledges that it was inaccurate to report that Australian private schools were receiving $2 billion more than public schools in federal funding each year. The report was also found to lack balance as it contained only one perspective.Monday, August 25 2008
Whitsunday town plan
ABC News Online and Radio News
On July 17, 2008, ABC News Online and ABC Radio News carried stories reporting calls by developers for the release of the Whitsunday town plan. As a result of a complaint made to the ABC, it was determined that comments made by the CEO of the Whitsunday Development Corporation were incorrectly paraphrased in both the radio report and the subsequent online report. The story has since been amended.Friday, August 15 2008
Photo controversy
ABC News Online and TV News
On July 17, 2008 ABC News Online published a story reporting the ongoing controversy over the publication of the photo of a young girl on the cover of Art Monthly magazine. The story reported the Classification Board's approval of the image in question and alluded to the confiscation of images by artist Bill Henson from a Sydney gallery earlier this year. An earlier online version of this story stated that Henson's photographs were classified as G. This was incorrect as the Classification Board did not receive an application to classify those photos. The story was changed on August 14. In relation to TV news services, we reported that the Classification Board had cleared Art Monthly Australia because there was a warning on the cover that it was unsuitable for children. In fact, the inclusion of a warning was the result of the classification decision. The publication did not feature this warning but once the board classified the publication, it was required to display the Unrestricted classification markingICRP ruling
ABC News Online and Radio news
On August 29, 2006 ABC News Online and ABC radio news services in northern Tasmania carried a story reporting developments in an investigation into the murder of John Thorn. The story referred to his previous conviction on drugs charges. This story was subsequently the subject of a complaint to the ABC's Independent Complaints Review Panel. The panel found the story had breached the ABC's Editorial Policies. The ICRP's full findings can be viewed at: http://abc.net.au/corp/pubs/documents/icrp_report_abc_news_tas_290806.pdfMonday, August 11 2008
Gaza strip report
ABC News Online
In an story published on the ABC's online news site on July 25, 2008 dealing with developments in the Middle East, reference was made to "Israel's Gaza strip." The Gaza strip does not belong to Israel. This was a production error and the story has since been changed.Incorrect capital city
ABC News Online
On July 28, 2008 ABC News Online published a story reporting bomb blasts in Turkey. The report and the headline referred to Istanbul as the Turkish capital. The capital of Turkey is Ankara. The erroneous reference to Istanbul as the capital was contained in the original report filed to the online newsroom. The report has since been corrected.Compulsory superannuation
ABC News Online and Radio News
In a report published on July 28, 2008 dealing with the big annual losses for Australian superannuation funds, reference was made to compulsory superannuation having started 26 years ago. This was a typographical error contained in the original radio news report. Compulsory superannuation started 16 years ago. The story has since been correctedThursday, August 7 2008
Court proceedings update:
ABC News Online
In October last year ABC News Online published a story reporting the conviction of a Canberra jewellery store proprietor on a charge of receiving stolen goods. Although this was an accurate report of court proceedings at the time, ABC News wishes to acknowledge that the conviction was subsequently overturned. On March 28, 2008, Justice Roger Gyles in the ACT Supreme Court quashed the conviction of Mr Jeff Chapman and ordered the Australian Federal Police to pay all court costs. While the subsequent proceedings were reported on local radio bulletins, ABC News Online did not carry a report of the later hearing which set aside the original conviction.Wednesday, August 6 2008
Inappropriate photo
Online News
On July 29, 2008 ABC News Online used a photo of the Aboriginal flag to illustrate a story reporting the case of a 28-year-old woman who had avoided jail in Western Australia after pleading guilty to her role in the death of her two-year-old daughter last year. ABC News accepts that the use of such a photo in this context was not appropriate and the photo has since been removed.Thursday, July 24 2008
Incorrect train photo
ABC News Online
In a story published by ABC News Online on March 20, 2008 a photo of a train operating in Western Australia was used to illustrate a story reporting overcrowding on trains operating in Victoria. This photo should not have been used. The error was drawn to the ABC's attention on June 14 and the photo has since been replaced.Wednesday, July 23 2008
Cyclone Nargis refugees
ABC News Online
On June 5, 2008 ABC News Online published a story which reported that Australia would accept 3,000 victims of cyclone Nargis. Australia will actually accept 3,000 Burmese refugees.Monday, July 7 2008
Woman dies in Townsville road crash
ABC News Online
It was originally reported that the crash victim was 20 years old, but the story now reflects the girl's age was 18.Saturday, June 7 2008
Aussie volleyballers stutter in qualification race
ABC News Online
An earlier version of this story, originally posted on Saturday June 7, reported that Australia had failed in its bid to qualify for Beijing. However, at the time of publication Australia still held a slim chance of qualifying.
