The Gallop Government has written to the management and board of the state’s major newspaper, The West Australian, raising concerns about its political news coverage.
The Gallop Government has written to the management and board of the state’s major newspaper, The West Australian, raising concerns about its political news coverage.
In the latest twist to a long-running dispute between the Labor Party and the newspaper’s editor, Paul Armstrong, the letter is believed to have asked West Australian Newspapers Holdings Ltd (WAN) chief executive officer Ian Law and directors Warwick Kent, Peter Mansell, Erich Fraunschiel and Melvyn Ward, how they envisaged a newspaper being edited.
Mr Armstrong is also understood to have been sent a letter, though neither he nor Mr Law could be reached for comment on the matter.
Relations between Mr Armstrong and the State Government have been frosty for some time, however they reached new lows during the election campaign when Labor leaders believed The West’s coverage was unfair.
In February, WA Minister for Planning and Infrastucture Alannah MacTiernan reportedly told the The Australian’s Media section that: “The level of distortion and misrepresentation has reached a point now where the paper is truly incredible.”
Although the recent letter is believed to have been sent from the Government’s media office (GMO), sources said the all-clear had been given by the premier, Geoff Gallop.
The letter is also understood to allude to a recent article that reported criticism of the State Government and which has been the subject of a dispute between Mr Armstrong and a reporter.
The dispute has resulted in a complaint, which the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) says it has taken to WorkSafe.
The MEAA, which represents journalists, claims it was the second complaint alleging workplace bullying against The West Australian, though only one of these directly involved Mr Armstrong.
MEAA’s WA Branch secretary, Michael Sinclair-Jones, said: “The complaints are of alleged workplace bullying; in both cases WorkSafe has been notified.
“In the first case, WorkSafe has issued two improvement notices.
“In the second case, against The West Australian’s editor, WorkSafe is awaiting the outcome of an internal company investigation before deciding whether to taken any further action.”
Mr Sinclair-Jones said he had raised the issue of alleged bullying at WAN’s annual general meeting last November before all board members.
“However, there was no comment,” he said.
Mr Armstrong’s robust management style has been noticed and widely reported during the past year, not least because of his relative youth and his management style.
His impact in editorial direction is seen as part of a transformation the newspaper from a paper of record to a London-style campaigning tabloid where reporters are expected to more closely follow the directives of editorial management.
This has not only upset GMO-employed media advisers but also reverberated to the upper echelons of the Gallop Government cabinet, where the newspaper is viewed as being avidly pro-Liberal.
Even former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke publicly attacked the newspaper during the federal election campaign late last year.
