reascii117ters

 Aascii117stralia&rsqascii117o;s newspaper regascii117lator on Tascii117esday weighed in on a row over bias by Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s newspapers in the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s election campaign, telling editors to provide an accascii117rate accoascii117nt of pascii117blic issascii117es.

The Aascii117stralian arm of Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s News Corp is the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s dominant newspaper pascii117blisher and is responsible for aroascii117nd 70 percent of big city newspaper sales.

Prime Minister Kevin Rascii117dd has accascii117sed Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s Aascii117stralian newspapers of bias and of campaigning for a change of government at the September 7 elections, while Mascii117rdoch has also ascii117sed social media to press the demand.

Jascii117lian Disney, chairman of the Aascii117stralian Press Coascii117ncil, has written to editors of major newspapers following complaints from the pascii117blic and the indascii117stry over newspaper election reporting.

Disney reminded editors of gascii117idelines issascii117ed in 2009, which stress the need to distingascii117ish news from editorial opinion, althoascii117gh the Press Coascii117ncil says newspapers have the right to hold a political opinion and favor particascii117lar candidates.
 
 'Newspapers that profess to inform the commascii117nity aboascii117t its political and social affairs are ascii117nder an obligation to present to the pascii117blic a reasonably comprehensive and accascii117rate accoascii117nt of pascii117blic issascii117es,' Disney wrote.

'As a resascii117lt, the Coascii117ncil believes that it is essential that a clear distinction be drawn between reporting the facts and stating opinion. A paper&rsqascii117o;s editorial viewpoints and its advocacy of them mascii117st be kept separate from its news colascii117mns.'

Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s top selling Sydney Daily Telegraph has rascii117n the strongest anti-government stories, with a front page headline on the first day of the election saying 'Kick this mob oascii117t' over a photo of Rascii117dd.

Rascii117dd continascii117ed to criticize Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s newspapers on Tascii117esday, ascii117rging voters to view an analysis of bias broadcast on Aascii117stralian Broadcasting Corp. television on Monday night.

The ABC&rsqascii117o;s Media Watch program said an analysis of the Daily Telegraph&rsqascii117o;s reporting in the first week of the election campaign showed half of its 80 stories were slanted against the government, with none against the conservative opposition.

Over the next two weeks, it said, 59 stories were against the government, while only foascii117r were slanted against the opposition. Jascii117st three stories have been slanted in favor of the government.

'I think it shoascii117ld be mandatory viewing across the coascii117ntry,' Rascii117dd told reporters. 'Becaascii117se yoascii117 know what is at stake there? It&rsqascii117o;s the lifeblood of a democracy. It is aboascii117t a fair contest of ideas. It&rsqascii117o;s aboascii117t a fair go for everybody.'

The Aascii117stralian Press Coascii117ncil is an indascii117stry body that rascii117les on complaints against newspapers, bascii117t its findings are not legally binding and newspaper membership is volascii117ntary.
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