Press Council rules on Parihaka complaint

The Press Council has partly upheld a complaint against the Taranaki Daily News for an article headlined: Parihaka drug shock for warden.

The article, which ran on page 3 on January 13, reported prominent Maori Warden Imelda Mauriri's allegations that young children were smoking cannabis at the Parihaka Peace Festival. Among other complaints, Festival Trust director Te Miringa Hohaia said the story lacked balance.

He said no other voice was included in the story to substantiate or challenge the serious allegations made. In response, Taranaki Daily News Editor Jonathan MacKenzie said several calls were made to Mr Hohaia and messages left, but reporters were unable to contact him on the day it was written.

The story ran the following day, sparking a complaint a few weeks later to the Press Council. The day after publication, the newspaper ran a second story in which contrary and positive views were given from representatives of the police, security and a youth counsellor.

Mr MacKenzie said the paper achieved balance with the second story, but the Press Council said it was not enough to make a few attempts to contact one festival organiser. Where there was controversy or conflict, the council had previously urged publications to check all sides before first publication.

"Apart from shock value, there was no reason here not to hold back publication for a day, should that have been necessary."

Mr Hohaia also complained on other grounds, including comment and fact, headlines and captions, and discrimination, but the council did not uphold these complaints.

It said charging the paper with deliberate discrimination was "unduly harsh" and numerous articles supplied to the council suggested the paper's "generally positive" attitude towards Maori. It also rejected Mr Hohaia's claims that Ms Mauriri was an inappropriate source.

The council said she was not speaking on behalf of anybody, but as a witness and the paper could have "validly listened" to any festival-goer.

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