What can we do here in Australia?
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR/PRODUCER – Newspapers & TV
Letters to the editor or producer can help to balance the Australian media’s disappointingly uneven coverage on the issue of Palestine. While it is important to write complaint letters if you are unhappy with the media’s representation of the issues, it is equally – if not more – important to also write letters congratulating the media when they get it right. Be aware of what you are reading, hearing and seeing; be aware of the images presented and the language used. While it is difficult to get letters published on this issue, remember that even if your letter does not get published, it will be taken into account in deciding the number of similar letters that do get published.
- Sydney Morning Herald: letters@smh.com.au or Fax 02 9282 3492
- Financial Review: edletters@afr.com.au or Fax 02 9282 3137
- Telegraph: letters@dailytelegraph.com.au or Fax 02 9288 2300
- The Australian: letters@theaustralian.com.au or Fax 02 9288 2824
- Canberra Times: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au or Fax 02 6280 2282
Hints for letters to the editor:
- When emailing, put your letter in the body of the email – most newspapers will not take attachments
- Use a separate email for each newspaper or TV station
- All letters and email must carry the sender’s home address and day/evening phone numbers for verification
- Make your letter brief and to the point. Ideally, letters will be a maximum of 200 words.
Let us know when your letter is published! cjpp@coalitionforpalestine.org
Details about the complaints procedures for the major Australian television networks are available on their websites:
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC): Complaints
- Special Broadcasting Service (SBS): Feedback and complaints
- Channel Seven: Complaints
- Channel Nine: General Comments and Complaints
- Channel Ten: Contact Information and Viewer Feedback
You can also lodge a complaint under the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice, which covers accuracy, fairness and respect for privacy in news and current affairs. The Code regulates program content on commercial free-to-air television but does not include the ABC, SBS, or pay television. See the Free TV website for more information.
LETTERS TO PARLIAMENTARIANS
Similarly, letters to your Federal or State Member of Parliament are important to ensure that the issue of Palestine is registered on their agenda as a concern in their constituency. Ask your local Member what their position is on the issue; ask to meet with them to discuss your concerns. You are a voting member of their constituency and your local Member of Parliament should equally represent your voice in Australia’s Parliament.
Human rights are universal principles, not bargaining chips. For the Australian Government to call itself “a principled advocate of human rights for all”, it needs to act like a principled advocate and work towards securing the Palestinian people’s human rights.
Write to the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Defence Minister and your local Federal Member of Parliament to voice your concerns today.
